The World Series on Friday night shifts to Wrigley Field for Game 3, and ticket resale prices have held up from earlier in the week, at once defying usual trends as events approach and continuing as the highest-priced baseball tickets ever on the secondary market. SeatGeek data shows average sale prices of $3,588 per ticket for Game 3, $4,446 for Game 4 tomorrow and $4,423 for Game 5 Sunday. Those figures are up 3-10% from earlier in the week, and Game 5 could particularly show further growth if the Cubs have a chance to clinch the championship. SeatGeek Content Analyst Nate Rattner said, “These World Series games right now are basically Super Bowl prices, and in fact are significantly more expensive than some of the Super Bowls of the past five years. They are also higher than anything we have seen around the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup ... plus anything like the Final Four or College Football Championship" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). In Chicago, Stacy St. Clair notes if the Cubs win the first two home games at Wrigley Field, industry experts "predict Sunday's Game 5 could produce, on average, the most expensive scalped tickets in U.S. sports history." The Wrigley games will "almost certainly shatter the record for World Series sales" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/28).
PARTY TIME: USA TODAY's Aamer Madhani writes "hanging out around Wrigley Field and drinking booze amidst the ambiance of World Series baseball at the plethora of neighborhood’s watering holes won’t be cheap." The "famed Cubby Bear lounge across the street from Wrigley Field is charging a $100 cover for the privilege to watch the game." Another Wrigleyville neighborhood bar, HVAC, is "charging $250 per person for a Game 4 watch party package that includes drinks and all-you-can-eat pizza and wings." However, many taverns in the neighborhood are"foregoing cover charges" (USA TODAY, 10/28). Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the World Series coming to Wrigley, "It's going to be an absolute blast." Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist said, "We know it's gonna be electric and a really fun atmosphere" (CSNCHICAGO.com, 10/27).
REAPING THE BENEFITS: In Chicago, Anna Marie Kukec noted local retailers are all "seeing a bump in business since" the Cubs made it to the playoffs. Local businesses are predicting the World Series is "expected to spark consumers to spend even more." Dick's Sporting Goods stores will "remain open longer to accommodate eager fans after the World Series games." Dick's Senior Community Marketing Manager Jeremiah Zimmer said, "We have three to four truckloads of merchandise coming in daily now and it's been pandemonium. If the Cubs win, it's going to be controlled chaos" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 10/27).
ISSUES NOT GOING AWAY: In Baltimore, Eduardo Encina writes, "There’s nothing like a 4-hour, 4-minute game to take the air out of one of the most intriguing World Series matchups in recent memory, but that’s exactly what happened in Game 2." Wednesday’s "snoozer in Cleveland allows us to bring the topic of pace of play to the forefront" (Baltimore SUN, 10/28). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Michael Powell notes MLB, in terms of having minority managers, "remains a sport sliding backward." There are 27 non-Hispanic white men currently managing MLB teams. Commissioner Rob Manfred said, "We’re going to have ebb and flow. There is a certain cyclical nature to this." Manfred is "good at this business of saying nothing." He "talked of pipelines and entry-level programs and making sure that candidates from minority groups are prepared and effective in interviews." Powell: "That just left me more puzzled. ... This situation only gets worse in the front offices" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/28).
