Sticker Shock
Apparently Thursday’s “Field of Dreams” game will be the most expensive regular-season baseball game in American history
On Thursday night, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox play in a cornfield. Said field is located somewhere in Iowa and within it, there’s a temporary ballpark, makeshift locker rooms, and, of course, a corn maze. The game isn’t a division rivalry and will count for just one win and one loss, and yet according to reports it is now far and away the most expensive regular season game in baseball history. Get ready for some sticker shock, folks.
$4,000 to go to Iowa? We’ve all made some regrettable purchases over the years, but that just about takes the cake. Even the “get in” fee, at over $1,300, is eye-watering. That’s like two whole PS5s, where you can play on the "Field of Dreams" for 60 bucks and not have to worry about mosquitos.
So what explains the exorbitant gate prices? Well, first is the "Field of Dreams" factor. If you haven’t been following along, the stadium is built in the same field that the Kevin Costner classic was filmed in, and if you build it, well, you know the rest.
The second part is access and exclusivity. If you live in eastern Iowa and want to catch a professional ballgame, you’re going to have to schlep it 200 miles to Milwaukee’s Miller Park, a little over three hours by family station wagon. This one-off spectacle offers a far more fuel-efficient alternative for local baseball fans. Then you have to consider the basic principle of supply and demand. The pop-up stadium holds 8,000 bodies, about half the size as Williamsport’s Little League ground. No matter how you crunch the numbers, that's not a lot of supply.
All in all, that adds up to one hell of an expensive night at the ballpark. Here’s hoping the hot dogs are free ...