Wrigley Raise: Cubs Increase '08 Ticket Prices

Cubs To Raise Ticket Prices For Next Season

The Cubs plan to increase ticket prices for next season, according to Paul Sullivan of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Prices will increase 12-23% “on most tickets next season, with infield club box seats for prime games going from $65 to $80." Some of the "pricier regular-tier” tickets increased by as much as 35%. Tribune Co. Senior VP & General Counsel Crane Kenney said that the “average price increase for single-game tickets” from ’07 was 15-16%. Team Marketing Report data shows that the team’s average ticket price of $34.30 in ’07 was the second-highest in MLB behind $47.71 for the Red Sox. Kenney said, “This is the first raise in two years. Since we took that year off, we’ve put more than $300[M] (into the budget for player acquisitions). Then re-upping with [P Carlos Zambrano in August] plus re-signing [P] Kerry Wood, we’re into the $400[M] range. We’ve also upgraded the playing surface, so we’re putting a lot of money back into the team, the field and the facility” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/1).

AD SALES: Kenney added that the team will “add more advertising at the ballpark,” but did not specify where. Kenney: “We’re going to continue to push the envelope a little bit and respect the essence of Wrigley Field” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/1). The CHICAGO TRIBUNE’s Sullivan notes Kenney’s “biggest off-season challenge may be to determine how much advertising Wrigley Field can have inside the park without altering the aesthetics.” The Cubs “maintain they forfeit millions in revenue by keeping the ballpark relatively ad-free.” Kenney: “We’re still tinkering with some of the locations. There’s great interest in being in the park (with) 3.2 million fans, the largest number of fans ever drawn to a Chicago locale. So sponsorship is important” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/3).

CHANGE IN STYLE: Sullivan writes with former Cubs President John McDonough leaving the team for the same position with the Blackhawks, Kenney “emerges to take a more public role in running the Cubs.” McDonough is “already making himself known at the United Center. Expect to see him roaming the stands at Hawks games, asking a lot of questions and receiving advice.” Kenney “isn’t expected to be high-profile in his role and doesn’t come from a marketing background like [McDonough], a natural-born, Chicago-style schmoozer” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/3).