By Mitchell Gatzke
The Detroit Tigers have raised the price of admission at Comerica Park for the 2012 season due to the amount of money they need to pay their players. This doesn't really come as a surprise following the off-season signing of first baseman Prince Fielder.
The Tigers inked a deal with the slugger that will keep him with the team for the next nine years to the tune of $214 million. This adds even more money onto the already bulky payroll the Tigers have that features big contracts with Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander.
What does this mean for Tigers fans? Well, a hike in ticket prices was understandably expected and has come to fruition. Five dollars will still get you into the game but with that purchase, you will be as far away from home plate as you can be while still in the stadium. Other than that, the prices have all be tweaked in an attempt to make back the money the team has spent recently.
The issue is age-old, fans want their team to win, in order to win, the team needs to spend money, when the team spends money, the fans need to do the same when they go to games which is something most are unwilling to do.
This phenomena will have to be confronted head-on this season by the Tigers and their fans. When asked, some fans say the price makes no difference, they will still be in attendance as much as usual, but others say they will be less likely to be found at Comerica because of this issue.
If you were so inclined to purchase a seat right behind home plate, you would find yourself shelling out $75, a lot of money just to sit down. Yet, this pales in comparison to the $275 it would cost for that same seat at Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees who have the highest payroll in the league.
This is a good illustration of how slippery the slope is. Yes, teams need to make money and ticket sales are a very large part of that, but at what price has the lower to middle class fan been alienated by the extremely inflated ticket prices?
Luckily, there is an easy solution to the problem the Tigers are facing, win. When the team is winning, fans are more than happy to support them and reward those in the front office for their efforts to make the team better.
Hopefully for general manager Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch, they will see a return on the money they have invested in signing Fielder. If not, it could be an ugly season for the organization and fans alike.
Go to http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=det for more information on tickets for the 2012 season.
