The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a hard year. Usually not making the playoffs would be enough to crush any team’s spirit, but that was the least of the Dodgers’ problems this year. After owner Frank McCourt lost just about everything he owned in divorce, the team filed for bankruptcy. But, the Dodgers have found their way out of adversity before; and they’re trying to hold on to what they have left and attempting to lure more fans into the stadium.
Among their many woes last year, attendance was also down — way down — for most of the year; and team execs are hoping to prevent that from happening by lowering ticket prices. Over 35,000 seats at Dodgers Stadium will have their ticket prices reduced by $20 each. With Dodgers Stadium having a total capacity of 56,000 seats, that’s about 96% of seats that have been reduced. And on the Dodgers’ 50th anniversary, which will also be celebrated this year and would usually be used as a huge promotional tactic in order to spike ticket prices.
The Dodgers haven’t pointed to any of the personal or financial drama that’s happening behind the scenes at the moment. David Siegel, Senior Director of Ticket Sales at Dodgers Stadium said in a press release, “A lot of factors got us to our pricing, but feedback from fans is at the forefront. You can’t ignore the fact the California economic climate is a factor. We decided changes needed to be made, and we made adjustments.”
And as for the remaining 4% of seats? Those are the premium seats, and the Dodgers have not made any statements about the ticket prices of those seats.