In the dog days of summer a common American pastime has traditionally been attending a Major League Baseball game. However, many middle-class families are finding that spending a few hours cheering on the home team is increasingly financially out-of-reach. For example, a typical family outing to the most expensive venue – the Boston Red Sox’ Fenway Park – might buy 4 tickets ($61.71 each), 4 hot dogs ($6 each), 2 beers ($9.50 each), and 2 sodas ($5.50 each), plus parking ($23.53), which comes in at a whopping $324.37. The average cost across all major league stadiums is $204.76. In the days of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Sandy Koufax, the cost of the average family baseball game was half of what it is today—even after taking into account inflation – and just $10.35 in 1960 dollars. (Chart from thehustle.co)
Jeffrey Cerny