The Dodgers "have raised the price of season tickets on nearly every seat and have eliminated the option to buy a season seat for $5 per game," according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. The team also "expanded the number of seating categories to 58." While the price of some club-level seats were cut, the Dodgers "raised every other price, generally in the range of 10% to 25%." Prices that ranged from $5 to $120 this year "will range from $8 to $150 next year." Dodgers VP/Ticket Sales David Siegel said that the team "would work with season-ticket holders that might not want to keep their seats at the new price, so that they could find seats in a nearby area." Shaikin notes although the team's payroll "is expected to go down next season -- if for no other reason than they will not spend close to $100 million on players no longer playing for the team -- ticket prices continue to go up." The Dodgers "led the major leagues in attendance for the third straight season" and "have capped season-ticket sales at 35,000." Siegel said that "'several thousand' fans are on a waiting list" (L.A. TIMES, 11/4). Meanwhile, the L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke said more than 60% of fans “cannot see Dodgers games on television because of the onerous TV deal the Dodgers cut with Time Warner Cable.” Plaschke added Dodgers fans “can wake up today to higher ticket prices for next year in nearly every seat in the stadium." It is “very offensive” by the Dodgers that for the “last couple of years a lot of their fans can only see their games by going to the stadium, yet they’re charging more to get into the stadium" (LATIMES.com, 11/4).
