Cubs hate their season ticket holders

[DumpJerry]

This will not go over very well.

Tickets were sold for a quarter in September, who do they think was making a profit?

[Mohoney]

If I had to guess, I would think that the season ticket holders in question would turn out to be easily identifiable ticket brokerages. Dumping tickets on Stubhub for those useless games in June, July, August, and September still probably works out in their favor. The huge mark-up for games against the Cardinals, the other premier teams in the NL, the Crosstown games against us, and attractive interleague games against the Yankees or Red Sox makes their seasons. Those $5 and under tickets on Stubhub all season long had to absolutely kill the Cubs' walk-up revenue.

It's one of the big drawbacks of losing 100 games. Far more people lately are buying cheap tickets on the secondary market and avoiding the team, and the money received from Stubhub doesn't make up the difference from all those lost ticket sales. If the 90+ loss seasons don't disappear by 2015, even those premium games won't draw sellout crowds anymore, and the park might see 10K less fans per game.

The Cubs don't really have a choice here.

[LoveYourSuit]

Originally Posted by Mohoney

If I had to guess, I would think that the season ticket holders in question would turn out to be easily identifiable ticket brokerages. Dumping tickets on Stubhub for those useless games in June, July, August, and September still probably works out in their favor. The huge mark-up for games against the Cardinals, the other premier teams in the NL, the Crosstown games against us, and attractive interleague games against the Yankees or Red Sox makes their seasons. Those $5 and under tickets on Stubhub all season long had to absolutely kill the Cubs' walk-up revenue.

It's one of the big drawbacks of losing 100 games. Far more people lately are buying cheap tickets on the secondary market and avoiding the team, and the money received from Stubhub doesn't make up the difference from all those lost ticket sales. If the 90+ loss seasons don't disappear by 2015, even those premium games won't draw sellout crowds anymore, and the park might see 10K less fans per game.

The Cubs don't really have a choice here.

To only select 40 accounts makes me think there has to be something more to this.


The amount of season ticket holders that were dumping Cub tickets on the secondary market for a roll of toilet paper last season had to be in the hundreds to thousands.

[Moses_Scurry]

Originally Posted by Mohoney

If I had to guess, I would think that the season ticket holders in question would turn out to be easily identifiable ticket brokerages. Dumping tickets on Stubhub for those useless games in June, July, August, and September still probably works out in their favor. The huge mark-up for games against the Cardinals, the other premier teams in the NL, the Crosstown games against us, and attractive interleague games against the Yankees or Red Sox makes their seasons. Those $5 and under tickets on Stubhub all season long had to absolutely kill the Cubs' walk-up revenue.

It's one of the big drawbacks of losing 100 games. Far more people lately are buying cheap tickets on the secondary market and avoiding the team, and the money received from Stubhub doesn't make up the difference from all those lost ticket sales. If the 90+ loss seasons don't disappear by 2015, even those premium games won't draw sellout crowds anymore, and the park might see 10K less fans per game.

The Cubs don't really have a choice here.

Weren't those tickets already purchased from the cubs and then put on stubhub? How would those hurt the cubs' revenue? Wouldn't it help the revenue if thse tickets, otherwise unused, brought in people to buy beer, food, and merchandise?

[doublem23]

They have 115,000 people on the season ticket waiting list?

Good god

[DumpJerry]

Originally Posted by doublem23

They have 115,000 people on the season ticket waiting list?

Good god

When next year is going to be Our Year, it's worth the wait.

[amsteel]

Originally Posted by doublem23

They have 115,000 people on the season ticket waiting list?

Good god

That's BS. I occasionally try to get a feel for the zeitgeist of the North Side fanbase by reading their forums and last March people were saying they had been on the list for 2 years and were getting calls in March about season tickets.

Also, it's free to join the list and there's no commitment.

[WhiffleBall]

Originally Posted by amsteel

That's BS. I occasionally try to get a feel for the zeitgeist of the North Side fanbase by reading their forums and last March people were saying they had been on the list for 2 years and were getting calls in March about season tickets.

Also, it's free to join the list and there's no commitment.

Yep, I was talking to a diehard cubs fan with money to spend who was on the waiting list and got a call last spring. She was offered seats in the lower corners or bad upper deck seats. She wisely took a pass but is still on the list. I guess that number represents more of a list of fans who want a good season ticket seat not just any crappy seats, which wrigley has plenty of.

I actually like how they are giving the scaplers the boot. I've never met a likeable scalper. They are some of the angriest and meanest people I have ever come across. I'm amazed at how Gold Coast is able to support so many store fronts, employees, and pay for the naming rights for the Gold Coast section at US Cellular. The only thing close to a hot ticket in this town are Bears tickets. All other teams are break even or losing propositions. They must buy in such massive bulk that when an event does get hot that it offsets all the other loses.

[DumpJerry]

I think Ricketts is confused. That "wait list" is the list of people who are waiting for a clean restroom and fresh food. Not necessarily at the exact same time.

[Foulke You]

Originally Posted by WhiffleBall

I actually like how they are giving the scaplers the boot. I've never met a likeable scalper. They are some of the angriest and meanest people I have ever come across. I'm amazed at how Gold Coast is able to support so many store fronts, employees, and pay for the naming rights for the Gold Coast section at US Cellular. The only thing close to a hot ticket in this town are Bears tickets. All other teams are break even or losing propositions. They must buy in such massive bulk that when an event does get hot that it offsets all the other loses.

You are thinking only of the sports tickets. Don't forget that brokers make great money selling tickets to sold out concerts.

[keloms]

Yeah, that supposed list of 115,000 is totally bogus. Half are probably fake submissions because any one can join in 5 seconds and there's no restrictions or qualifiers at all to confirm interest unlike the Bears waiting list where you have to put a non-refundable $100 per seat payment down before you're added. It's just another part of the Cubs mystique.

[Mohoney]

Originally Posted by Moses_Scurry

Weren't those tickets already purchased from the cubs and then put on stubhub? How would those hurt the cubs' revenue? Wouldn't it help the revenue if thse tickets, otherwise unused, brought in people to buy beer, food, and merchandise?

The Cubs got their money for those tickets before the season started. Any resale of those tickets is going to prevent those buyers from buying tickets directly from the team. Granted, Stubhub's business partnership with MLB probably provides some revenue to offset this loss, but I can't see that as a winning situation for MLB teams, even when concessions and merchandise are taken into account.