Despite the Yankees’ half-price sale on their most expensive seats, fans looking to sit in the best the new Stadium has to offer can still do far better buying from scalpers.
In fact, for most games, the Bronx Bombers’ new ticket prices are nearly double what their official ticket reseller currently commands — and might not be enough to put fannies into the notoriously empty seats, experts and fans said yesterday.
“The market was just not supporting the face value” of the tickets, said Sean Pate, spokesman for StubHub, the authorized online reseller for Yankees tickets.
Ducats with a face value of $2,500 for tonight’s game against the Angels are selling in the $600 to $700 range via StubHub.
“The Yankees made a smart move,” Pate said. “With the reduced prices, I think you’re going to have a much better chance to sell them.”
The Bronx Bombers, alarmed by entire sections of seats in their new stadium showing up empty on TV broadcasts — drawing national media attention — on Tuesday announced a slew of price cuts for “premium” seats, including lowering so-called “Legends Suite” season seats behind the dugout from $2,500 per game to $1,250.
That new lower amount is in line with prices for the same tickets being sold on StubHub for next week’s home stand against the arch rival Boston Red Sox, but twice as much as they’re going for against most opponents at the new Stadium.
A Yankee source said “there was a positive reaction” by fans to the price cuts yesterday, “and a lot of activity in the ticket office.”
But Mike Walsh, whose Golden Platter Sports marketing company provides clients Yankee tickets, said the price cuts are unlikely to increase demand from his customers, particularly given the poor economy.
“The prices are too high for us to even put someone in those seats,” said Walsh.
Walsh said he believes the Yankees erred by setting aside so many — about 4,300 — seats as pricey Legends Suite sections. He also said that to fill those sections, the Yankees would have to drop their prices again, “below $1,000.”
Vinny Milano, one of Yankee Stadium’s famed “Bleacher Creatures,” said the Bombers’ price cut “was a long time coming.”
“Anything is better than it was — $2,500 is pretty ridiculous,” said Milano, who pays $12 for his seat.