The Average Cost of Being a Baseball Fan is $7,911

Each year, as MLB season begins, thousands of baseball fans from across the nation venture out to see their favourite team play. The question is, what can it cost to show your support?

From the lifelong supporter to the fresh fan, we have uncovered the true cost of supporting each MLB team; factoring in everything from your seat to merchandise.

PlayNJ have conducted in-depth research into how much the overall cost of being a baseball fan and attending every home game could cost you. This research was supported by a survey uncovering the attitudes of fans towards the price of their loyalty, and whether they believe it’s worth the cost.

How much is your loyalty worth?

Our infographic reveals the top 15 most and least expensive teams in MLB to be a fan of. The teams hitting the costs out of the park were revealed to be:

1. Chicago Cubs – $15,722.77 – The Chicago Cubs take first place as the most expensive team to be a fan of. The total cost of attending every home game is a substantial $15,722.77. The team may have racked up a total of 92 wins last year in the National League, but at over $150 per ticket supporting a successful team clearly comes at a price.
2. Boston Red Sox – $12,712.28 – Home of the unlucky red seat of Fenway Park the Boston Red Sox, come in as the second most expensive team overall at $12,712.28. Not only are their tickets particularly costly, at $102, they are also one of the most expensive to show support for, with baseball cap’s going for $25, the most pricey out of all MLB teams.
3. New York Yankees – Not surprising that a team that was once home to The Great Bambino are also the holders of 27 World Series wins. The Yankees also hold third place as the most expensive team at $12,547.04

The research also revealed the top least expensive teams to support in the MLB, these are:

Team Rivalries

• Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers – AKA the I-94 Series, the Cubs and Brewers have been rivals since 1997. Though the Brewers won 13 out of the 19 games in the 2013 season. The Chicago Cubs come out on top as the most expensive team to be a fan of being 138% more expensive to support than the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Dodgers vs. Giants – In they 19^th century the rivalry between the LA Dodgers and the Giants began. Since then, the Dodgers have won 1211 games whereas the Giants won 1240 games. Although the Dodgers and the Giants are on separate sides of the list there is only a 40% difference in their total cost, with the Giants coming out as more expensive.
• Rangers vs. Astros – Also known as the Lone Star Series, the two Texas teams began their rivalry in 2001 and have since been battling it out to be number one. It seems this fierce rivalry extends as far as their costs, with only a 1% difference in costs of supporting the two teams.

Life’s a Pitch

Alongside research into the price of baseball team loyalty, PlayNJ has carried out a survey to tap into the mind-set of the fans regarding these costs. The results from the survey revealed that fans have mixed feeling regarding the average cost of $5,270 in ticket costs alone to support their team:

• A shocking 42% of baseball fans stated that this cost to support their team at every home game was not worth it, claiming they are not willing to pay this much to support their team.
• This was particularly felt with respondents from the Midwest, with a majority of 52% stating that they are not willing to pay this much to support their team. Whilst, on the other hand, respondents from the Southwest region were the most loyal with the majority (39.45%) stating they would indeed be willing to pay this amount to support their team.
• Yankee fans guessed the average ticket price at $6,727,19, which is 87% below the actual amount it costs to support the Yankees. Similarly, when we asked fans of the Cubs the same question, they estimated a total average of $9,619.19, that’s 63% below the $15,723 Cubs fans can be actually be expected to pay.

To explore the full ranking of most and least expensive baseball teams to support, view the full research here.

METHODOLOGY

Men’s Cool Base Custom Jersey used as a representative figure for all jerseys; this differs only for the current World Series champions, the Houston Astros.

Costs are assumed for 81 (home) games including ticket, parking, one beer, one soft drink, and one hot dog. Additionally, the costs of a cap and a custom jersey have been added.