Going to a game live vs watching at home

[TURBO]

This post is a rant, I am aware of that, but it is what it is.

 

Each time I go to a game the past couple of years, I find myself wondering why I bother. The cost of taking a family of 4 to a Brewers game is just absolutely insane . If I stay home and watch it on TV, there is no $15 parking fee, there are no tickets to buy, there is no ticket fee (deals can be had, but still, tickets for a family of 4 are going to run you around $100 if you are willing to sit in the nosebleeds), I don't have to pay prices that are 10x the real cost of refreshments and snacks/food at home. (We started taking our own stuff in a few years ago. We almost always still buy something, but paying those prices is just no longer feasible)

 

If I stay at home to watch, I don't have to deal with someone spilling something on me from behind, accident or not, it always seems to happen. I don't have to sit by clueless, screaming fans that really have no idea what they are yelling about half the time, just like to scream out complaints, etc...(I have stories from yesterday of course, but I will spare you the details).

 

I don't have to deal with bratty kids who can't sit still for an inning without some kind of interference. Crying, snotty kids are the norm these days though, no matter where you go. So many parents seem oblivious to the fact that there are times when their precious little ones are actually ruining a good time for others because of their behavior. When my kids were little, if I gave them a bag of peanuts in the shell, that would keep them busy for hours...lol

 

I don't have to deal with people who seem to get up every inning and have to leave, causing entire rows to have to stand, try to step aside, only to have to do it all again when they return 10 minutes later, followed by the same people leaving again 15 minutes later. Yesterday, a man and woman actually cut across an entire section of people to get to the next section over where there seats were. An entire row of people had to stand, readjust themselves, while these 2 clueless people walked in front of them. All they had to do was go around, but that was an inconvenience to them, so they would rather upset an entire row of what. 30 people, just because they don't understand common courtesy.

 

At home I don't have to view entire sections of people taking selfies, texting, or even having loud conversations on their phones at the expense of those around them. How anyone can go to a game and sit the entire time on their phones is just asinine in my opinion. No, people texting constantly doesn't effect me, but I find it annoying none the less. There were times yesterday when there were fewer people not engaged with their phones than those that were engaged with their phones. I am not a phone guy, I do not have a smart phone, and I do not feel the need to be in contact with another human being by phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I guess I am old fashioned about some things.

 

We always have to decide if we should leave early to avoid some of the traffic rush, or if we'd rather stay for the games entirety, knowing the next 45 minutes will be pure hell. Yesterday's score made it easy to leave after the 8th, so it wasn't a real issue. Also, crossing the bridge to the parking lot is always fun too. I love breathing in second hand smoke all the way across that bridge, from the people who just can't wait any longer to fill my air with their poison. The day that smoking was outlawed in public places was one of the happiest days of my life, I despise breathing in other people's smoke. Just hate it.

 

I don't have to fight traffic trying to exit the stadium. That is always fun. Then of course, it is another hour and 45 minutes of driving to get home, which is always far worse than the drive to the stadium because of being tired, or irritated from everything else I mentioned above.

 

So, I am left wondering why I do it, why do I go to games when I know what is going to happen every time? I guess I will try and figure it out the next time I go.

[AZBrewCrew]

You're not the only one. My nearest ballpark is Chase Field and im obviously not a Dbacks fan, but several of my friends are. Ive turned down many a free ticket just because of the hassle of driving the hour to downtown Phoenix, then parking, dealing with their fans, etc. Its so much easier to just park my rear infront of the 55" HD flatscreen and watch the game from the comfort of my man cave. The few Brewers games I do make it to are fun, but im on vacation when I go so its more tolerable. I dont think I could go on a frequent basis, especially with a 3 year old. Playoff games are different, because they happen so infrequently, but I get your drift

[TheCrew07]

I completely agree, in fact sports etiquette has nose dived over the last 15-20 years. The number of people who will get out of there seat when there is action happening on the field is astonishing, somehow that's not even considered rude anymore. There are plenty of breaks in the action to get up and out of your seat regardless of the game (with the exception of maybe soccer), but people are so inconsiderate they have to do it "now".

 

I'm the guy who stands at the top of the top of the section at a Brewer game until the half inning or an obvious long break like a pitching change happens, I won't come down and interrupt the other fans while there is something going on in the field and I'm the same way at the Badger games. Our seats are in the exact middle of the row at Camp Randall so I always wait for the quarter, possession change, or a TV time out before making my way to and from my seat. It's just rude to do otherwise.

[razzzorsharp]

A lot of old men getting upset that kids are on their lawns in here. To be fair, I am in the same boat.

[logan82]

I wish they would at least make people stay in their seats until the half inning or a pitching change. I always try to sit in as low a row number as possible. Then the percentage of idiots behind you is greater than in front of you.

 

Kids, well in general I think they are getting brattier.

[JimH5]

For me it depends on the pace of the game. I know I have complained about that in the recent past, but the experience of being at the game is so much better if the game is moving along.

 

There really is nothing like being at a live event during a huge moment. But the slow plodding moments are when I start to get cranky. Watching a manager question a play or call for a challenge. Seeing a pitching coach walk out slowly to the mound for a conference. Watching a pitcher walk around the mound before climbing back up to look in for the sign. It's not a myth that they pick up the pace on getaway day. If they would only play all their games with the same urgency.

 

I'm good for 2 hours and 30 minutes. But more than that, and they're pushing my angry button.

 

As for the prices. . .it's an expensive day. For a family, I would see bringing in Cousins Subs, bottled drinks & boxed theater candy or snacks. And they do make certain dates more affordable. But it's still mostly in the Terrace section, so I agree that it's not always fun being up there.

 

Regarding the up-and-down stuff. . .I'm always on the aisle, so I get up all the time for people. As long as they're polite about it, I don't really mind. There aren't that many crucial times during a baseball game when you have to watch every pitch.

 

And I used to be bothered by the "know it alls" who don't know much. Now I just see them as part of the ambience. Loudmouths and drunks are still a bother, but they're not as common as in previous years.

[jerichoholicninja]

Agree with you. The joy of going to a Brewer game pre-actually having a good team was sitting in nearly empty sections or at least with people who are there to watch a game. Now it's college kids more interested in getting drunk and families with kids who can't stand to sit more than half an inning at a time. I may only be 27 but I'm a crotchety old dodger when it comes to my Brewer games.

[NeedMoreFans]

Once I had kids, the number of games I attend went way down. It's just too hard to go during the week, which means I only get to weekend games. I really don't like going to games that are sellouts (unless it's the playoffs). It seems those games have too many people who are there because it's the cool place to be, which means they don't pay attention to the game and don't know the etiquette of attending games (getting up mid-inning, or even worse, mid at bat, etc...).

 

This has been a problem since the team has gotten better. It's a good problem to have, though. I'd obviously much rather have 3 million go through the gates and be annoying than have games were the announced attendance was 12,000, but there were no more than 8,000 at the game.

[folly412]

I won't sit in the 400 level, as the reasons mentioned are amplified up there due to drunks and more casual fans which is pretty much intolerable to me most of the time. Which to avoid such for a family going would double your price so probably isn't an option.

[TURBO]

I am so happy that I am not the only one with these feelings. I was sure there would be people here slamming me for my thoughts posted above.

 

Now if only we could get rid of all these annoying commercials I have to try and ignore when watching games on tv. The repetition is almost unbearable!

 

[bani1717]

I see both sides of it. Sometimes I'd rather watch at home but in general I'd rather attend the game. My wife and I buy into a season ticket package of 2nd row tickets, so we have good seats and often know the people sitting next to us, so I really look forward to those games when we have the tickets.

 

When we don't have the season tickets, if I go to the game then a lot of times it's by myself. I drive 15 minutes, park on the street (free), buy a cheap ticket from a scalper or a fan (this year has cost anywhere from $5-$15 over a handful of games, weeknight and weekend), and bring in my own food/drinks as well as a beer to drink while I walk around looking for a ticket to buy (cost of groceries). All said and done it is not that expensive for me to do this and the time commitment is maybe an hour and a half longer than if I just watched at home. Parking on the street leaves a 15-minute walk or so but essentially takes traffic out of the equation on the way in and on the way out. Obviously going to games alone isn't for everyone, and there's no way I'd do it as often (if at all) if I didn't live so close.

 

With that said I don't always sit there and just watch the game. Sometimes I might be one of those people paying more attention to my phone than the game (especially if I hadn't had much chance recently to browse this site ). I generally try to sit or stand somewhere where it's not overly crowded, whether that be in my actual seat or not. (The tightly packed seats are the biggest downside to my season tickets.) Lately one of my goals when attending games has been to get a home run ball so I have tried to strategically sit or stand in a location where I'd have a decent chance at that.

 

People getting up and down constantly does start to bother me after a couple times but I try to eliminate that if I don't have my season ticket seats. As for the idiots yelling... if it's for the whole game then it bothers me, but in general I find things like that rather humorous for a while. There was an overserved guy near me on Sunday yelling at Matt Kemp for a couple innings (around the 7th/8th) and getting responses, and while some people near me were getting very fed up, I found it pretty funny because he was trash talking the opposition and making himself look like a fool at the same time.

 

Long story short there is a lot I enjoy about going to games, but there is also a lot I like to avoid. I try to maximize the enjoyable aspects while strategically minimizing the unenjoyable aspects.

[logan82]

Add 90 minutes each way driving plus either traffic or arriving early enough to avoid the traffic, and going to a game is somewhere around 8-9 hours for a 3 hour game.

[NeedMoreFans]

A few things I forgot to mention in my original reply...

 

Cost is probably the biggest factor in deciding to go to a game or not. Up until this year, we didn't have to pay for our daughter, but she's now 3 so we do. Even before we had to pay for a ticket for her, because we could really only go on weekends, we would end up paying more either due to demand-based pricing or because it was a marquee game. That means a minimum of $60 for tickets, $15 for parking, plus gas (and we'd tailgate or take food in...I rarely buy something at the stadium). So it costs at least $75 to go to a game, but that cost has increased due to our family. Add in the fact that a 3 year old needs to move around a lot and the play area is downright frightening for her means someone has to be entertaining her for most of the game. It's just not worth it.

 

Now, if I can go without my children, it's a different story. I still like to get to at least 2-3 games a year, but I find it much more enjoyable without taking the kids...it's not very kid friendly, at least not at their ages.

[owbc]

Going on weeknights is the key to avoiding annoying people. Very few kids and drunks in the ballpark and usually enough empty seats to move around. However, if you're trying to take a family or live away from Milwaukee it's virtually impossible to get there.

 

I'm at the point in life where I have trouble watching baseball on TV (computer). It's too long and boring and the pace gets slower every year with less and less offense. At the ballpark there is at least something to look at or someone to talk to. But who can blame people for looking at their phones or getting out of their seats when a low-scoring game is taking over 3 hours?

[JimH5]

A few things I forgot to mention in my original reply...

 

Cost is probably the biggest factor in deciding to go to a game or not. Up until this year, we didn't have to pay for our daughter, but she's now 3 so we do. Even before we had to pay for a ticket for her, because we could really only go on weekends, we would end up paying more either due to demand-based pricing or because it was a marquee game. That means a minimum of $60 for tickets, $15 for parking, plus gas (and we'd tailgate or take food in...I rarely buy something at the stadium). So it costs at least $75 to go to a game, but that cost has increased due to our family. Add in the fact that a 3 year old needs to move around a lot and the play area is downright frightening for her means someone has to be entertaining her for most of the game. It's just not worth it.

 

Now, if I can go without my children, it's a different story. I still like to get to at least 2-3 games a year, but I find it much more enjoyable without taking the kids...it's not very kid friendly, at least not at their ages.

 

Agreed. And it doesn't get easier maybe until much later.

 

My daughter is 10, and this is our 3rd year (with her) of season ticket packages. Up until this year, there were lots of times when she would want to be outside on the playground, in the kids area, searching for some food that she'll eat. . .lots of stuff at the baseball game that isn't actually sitting and watching the baseball game.

 

We have a 20-game package this year and the only game I've attended to the end was when she was away at camp.

 

We talked about not renewing our tickets next year, since she doesn't really seem to enjoy being there. We've bought Hank stuff, we've been on the Bernie slide tour, she's been on the Jumbotron, we've been in the cheapest seats and the most expensive, and she's still complaining that she wants to leave. She said that 20 is just too many games, or too many games without a break in between. . .so maybe we'll go back to a 10-game package next year--or just buy single games.

 

It's frustrating, because I'm torn between wanting to attend games, wanting to be a good father, not wanting to give in to every little complaint...it's a tough balance.

[TURBO]

bani1717, if you don't mind me asking, where do you park on the street that is a 15 minute walk to the stadium? I don't mind the walk at all, in fact would enjoy it if it meant not fighting exit traffic, and saving $15.

 

I know nothing about the Milwaukee area, but can GPS or google with the best of them!

[Patrick425]

We were lucky with our son. He was always interested and wanted to go to games from an early age. I'm not saying that at 5 years old he intently watched every single pitch, but I think he was a lot more attentive than most kids at that age. We never had an issue where he had no interest in the game and just wanted to wonder around the park. Now he's 16 and the greater issue over the last 3 or 4 years has been being able to fit Brewer games into the schedule. Kids, as they get older, tend to have busy summer schedules! Thankfully, MLB has made selling tickets on stubhub relatively easy and, for the most part, I'm usually able to at least get back what I paid for the tickets. We generally find the need to sell 4 or 5 games (out of 20) every year.

 

These 3 main factor's still make going to the games enjoyable for us:

 

- The family section and our seat location within the family section.

- Miller Park's location

- The fact that you can bring in your own beverages and food.

 

I'm also glad that I'm not the only one that get's annoyed by drunk, obnoxious fans and the fact that they could seem to care less about anyone else's enjoyment of the game. I'm not a teetotaler. I drink. However, I decided long ago that I'll give up the option to have a beer at the ball game in exchange for sitting in a section where I don't have to deal with people who can't handle their alcohol. Also, I can't get over the number of people who use the "F" word as an adjective just about every other sentence (sometimes this has nothing to do with drinking...it's just a speech pattern they have developed). Imho...it makes them sound less than intelligent.

[bjkrautk]

The more I've started fiddling with a camera at the ballpark, the less I seem to notice all the background annoyances.

 

(Then again, the frequent clicking of the digital camera may well be contributing to someone else's annoyance.)

[jerichoholicninja]

The more I've started fiddling with a camera at the ballpark, the less I seem to notice all the background annoyances.

 

(Then again, the frequent clicking of the digital camera may well be contributing to someone else's annoyance.)

 

Now that you mention it, when I'm taking pictures I don't seem to notice too much of everything else that's going on. Unless the person/people sitting in front of me are preventing me from getting an angle at the action. Then, I'm just annoyed.

[Baldkin]

bani1717, if you don't mind me asking, where do you park on the street that is a 15 minute walk to the stadium? I don't mind the walk at all, in fact would enjoy it if it meant not fighting exit traffic, and saving $15.

 

I know nothing about the Milwaukee area, but can GPS or google with the best of them!

 

Two things: 1) You can pre-order parking passes with your tickets for weekend games (get general and they are $8 or $9, and almost always easier to get out of than preferred.

 

and 2) There is almost always parking on Wisconsin Ave or Wells just to the north of the stadium, you walk down past the Molitor lot (or under I94 by the Mitchell St Exit) to get to the ballpark.

[sveumrules]

Turbo, we always park East of the stadium just off of Canal St in front of the Palermo's Pizza factory. Looking at google maps it looks like Roundhouse Rd is the name of the street. There's always spots and it's a 15-20 minute walk in.

 

I went to a game at AT&T recently and the ushers in the lower level had signs saying something along the lines of "as a courtesy to other fans please wait, batter in box". You'd think people would know this but common sense ain't so common anymore. I've started calling it uncommon sense, myself.

[Invader3K]

To be honest cost isn't a big deal to me... My wife and I tend to get tickets for free from various people, and I try to get parking in advance if possible. Tailgating and bringing in snacks cuts down on additional food costs.

 

I do agree fan etiquette has gone way down. It used to be you'd rarely have to get up from your seat unless it was between innings. Now it seems like it's no big deal for someone to try to walk through the row during a big at bat. It really is annoying.

 

Another big pet peeve is the college bro types who feel the need to drop the F bomb every other word during a conversation. I tend to encounter this only during weekend games though.

 

Overall I still make it to probably about six games a year. There's not much better to me than seeing a live baseball game on a nice summer day.

[bani1717]

Turbo, others have already partially answered your question about parking, but I will add one more option. I usually park off of National Ave south of the VA hospital. I walk through the parking lot, and in the northeast corner of the lot there is a path that leads to Miller Park. There are parking restrictions on some streets so make sure to watch the signs (and this area doesnt allow parking during the daytime on weekdays), but 50th and 52nd streets have worked well for me. One more thing I will say is that if you take the feeeway, getting on and off at Hawley Road is generally most convenient for parking in this location or on Wisconsin/Wells.

[TURBO]

Thanks for the parking tips guys, I may seem cheap not wanting to pay that parking fee, but anything to cut down the total cost of attending a game is a good thing!

 

Thanks again!

[FVBrewerFan]

Regarding fan etiquette, Wrigly is much worse. Seems like most of the fans there could care less about baseball. They are there to be seen, and be able to say they were at Wrigley. Last few times I've been there a good portion of my section were standing in the aisles, getting up and down 500 times an inning, taking selfies, etc. It's ridiculous.

 

At least at Miller Park it's not that bad. Cost is my biggest factor. I'm too old to want to go to game and sit in bad seats, rather be at home. Which means I have to pay a lot for even decent seats, and that has really limited the number of games I attend. But hey, they're doing great with attendance so they obviously don't need me to be there.