MLB-Sanctioned Playoff Lottery

[bball123h]

I'd venture to say that the days of being able to buy single-game playoff tickets has passed:

 

MLB Postseason Reservations

 

I can't say I'm a fan of this... 22 teams don't even make the LDS.

[RockCoCougars]

As someone who has never won any of the ticket lotteries, I'm actually kind of intrigued by this. Obviously, this is the definition of greedily squeezing every last dime from the fans, but it does level the field somewhat if you want tickets. It looks like the prices are the same for all teams, plus the cost will discourage the ticket brokers a little bit. If the Brewers were in first place right now, I'd definitely be laying some money down on the NLDS.

[Bombers]

It says ... "If your selected team doesn't play the game for which you purchased Postseason Ticket Reservation(s), either because the team does not qualify or because the game is not necessary, no refunds will be given for your purchased Postseason Ticket Reservation(s)."

 

NLDS = $10 per ticket reservation, max 2 tickets per game

NLCS = $15 per ticket reservation, max 2 tickets per game

WS = $20 per ticket reservation, max 2 tickets per game

 

Just another way for MLB to make money. How much money will they make from teams who don't even qualify?

 

 

[pitchleague]

to be honest, the prices are actually pretty reasonable. $20 for the World Series? Sure some may object to the idea but as a consumer this is really no different from me going to a sports book and laying down $20 on the Brewers to win the division, etc. Except my winnings would be the allowance to spend more money on tickets.

 

I didn't read the official rules. What happens if 100,000 people pay the $20 for World Series game 1 and the team makes it? Sorry to say, there are no 100,000 seat stadiums in MLB.

[adamb100]

Looks like certain teams are excluded like the Yankees.

 

What I imagine they do is they dont oversell. Once a game has reserved to stadium capacity then you cant reserve that game.

[pretendastronaut]

I doubt it's even stadium capacity. They wouldn't be able to forget about probable sales to season ticket holders, and they'll no doubt save some for promotional sponsors and the like. I'm sure they've figured out a percentage of tickets they could safely try to reserve this way and they have a capacity they can sell reservation for.

 

It's an interesting idea, and while it certainly will make MLB a lot of "unearned" money, it gives the average fan more of a chance to get high value tickets, that are otherwise sometimes very hard or expensive to come by.

[paul253]

Couldn't ticket brokers reserve massive amounts of tickets for all the games then jack up the prices to continue reaping in the money.

[RockCoCougars]

Couldn't ticket brokers reserve massive amounts of tickets for all the games then jack up the prices to continue reaping in the money.

You can only get two tickets per person as far as I know. I suppose the

brokers could set up a bunch of 'straw men' to buy tickets for them,

but I'm not sure if it would be worth the hassle or the gamble- maybe

for some teams.

[carniesandrubes]

I'd be surprised if this company that MLB is contracting with (Dibz) is allotted more than 1-2k tickets per game. Therefore they likely will only take that many reservations for each game.

[GoudaBrew]

Couldn't ticket brokers reserve massive amounts of tickets for all the games then jack up the prices to continue reaping in the money.

Couldn't this turn any person into a broker themselves? I could reserve a couple tickets for the Texas Rangers playoff game 1 (their playoff odds are over 80% at this point) and stand to make a pretty good profit reselling them. Or am I overestimating the Rangers fan base?

[jerichoholicninja]

I'd rather watch a playoff game on TV at home anyway.

[RightFieldCoder]

All brokers use straw men. The various employees all buy season tickets in their own name using company money. The company then sells them for a huge profit.

[owbc]

If the Brewers were leading the division, I would put my money down right now for NLCS tickets. If they make it, I'm going no matter what the cost, so it's better not to have to pay a ridiculous sum from a scalper.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

to be honest, the prices are actually pretty reasonable. $20 for the World Series?

 

 

the $20 only buys you the opportunity to later buy tickets at face value if your team makes it to the WS. So I would guess you would be out another $100-200 depending on prices for the actual games.

[nate82]

the $20 only buys you the opportunity to later buy tickets at face value if your team makes it to the WS. So I would guess you would be out another $100-200 depending on prices for the actual games.

That $20 is a lot less than having a season ticket package. The only other way to get a reserve for playoff games is by having a season ticket package. Now if you don't have season tickets your chances of getting playoff tickets now goes up higher than before this. I'm not against this or for this though.

[pitchleague]

yeah, I know.

 

A $20 betting slip that, if it hits guarantees me tickets to the game (that I have to purchase)? Sign me up.

 

Oh, yeah. I have season tickets already. But still, I think this is a great idea for Joe EverydayFan.

[beno78]

Maybe another reason not to renew season tickets. A $10-$20 down payment for the same chance at post season. Interesting idea, will be interesting to see what comes of this. Doesn't seem like there has been much publicity for it yet.

[pretendastronaut]

The comparison to season ticket holders isn't totally accurate though. As a ticket holder, I have the opportunity to buy seats to all playoff games, equal to the amount of seats I had during the season. Through this you can buy 2 tickets, to attend one game per series.

 

Not to knock it, I think it's an interesting method, just pointing out that you still get more perks as a ticket holder, if you go that route.

[beno78]

The comparison to season ticket holders isn't totally accurate though. As a ticket holder, I have the opportunity to buy seats to all playoff games, equal to the amount of seats I had during the season. Through this you can buy 2 tickets, to attend one game per series.

True if you are a 20+ game seat holder. If you are a 9-pack seat holder, this is basically the same (1 game/series). There are obviously more perks for seat holders (free tickets, poster, metavante pass etc) but if you are on the fence about renewing this could help tip the scales.

 

 

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

Another thing I noticed on the mlb website is only 29 of the 30 teams are shown to choose from with the Yankees not included.

[Outlander]

Just wanted to follow up on this as I actually reserved tickets. I reserved ALCS tickets for the Twins in July as I have never been to the ALCS or NLCS. In September I reserved Giants tickets to the NLCS when the Padres tanked in hopes that I could sell the Giants tickets and use that money to pay for the Twins tickets. The Twins reservation ended up being wasted but fortunately the Giants advanced. I spent $62 for two ticket reservations for the Twins and Giants.

 

The Giants tickets ended up being first row in the upper deck and they cost $80 for the pair and overnighted the tickets, I was surprised they didn't offer them electronically though. I could not choose my seats, they told me what my seats would be. I ended up selling them for $198 after Stubhub fees so the net profit was $56. Overall, I had a good experience and since I won't be able to go to many regular season games next year I'll probably reserve NLDS and NLCS tickets for the Brewers next year for $50 if it looks like they might have a decent team.