2017 Season-Long Promotions are Out---- Why Season Tickets?

[hawing]

A few more comments:

 

- I regularly remind Brewers employees and anyone else who will listen that it's 78 miles one-way from our driveway to our favorite Miller Park parking lot; but the bensheeps family comes from farther and on a route that is partly no-interstate. Props to you all.

 

- Patrick425: Happy 51st birthday soon. Mine's later this month. I'm perfectly okay with an "age 51" promotion for anyone, this year. I'll have to get out my vintage "Toby's Power 50" Brewerfan shirt with the "I am #51" on the back and wear it more often in 2017.

 

- What to do with Cubs tickets. I'll admit, I pretty much silently curse all the SSH customers who normally sit around us but sell out to cubs fans for those trying series.

I get the value of having fans you don't want to be around subsidize a chunk of your season tickets. Just remember that you're also sticking it to those of us who actually turn out on the Brewers' side for those games.

 

(Having said this, I know Patrick425 has a lot of Saturday night games, and I acknowledge the difference between Saturday and Sunday audiences. Even I would think twice about spending Saturday nights at those games.)

 

Edited to add:

Old time Ballplayers Association (for $10 membership) gets you half price tickets to a game each month in any seat section of the park.

 

I did not know this. That's a pretty sweet perk. We're not likely to trade in our season tickets for it, but for $10 I'd consider joining anyway.

[pitchleague]

I, too, am a (20-game) season ticket holder. And I live in Arizona year round.

 

Let that sink in for a minute. I pay every year and don't attend a single game.

 

However, my wife's family uses the tickets, traveling from Appleton each time. They do reimburse me for two-thirds of the cost every year.

 

It is nice, though, that as a trade-off with them, I get dibs on playoff and World Series tickets. So, in 2011, we had the (refundable) airline tickets bought and were set to go to the series until, well, you know.

 

The perks are great. I know they always like the concession stand coupons, the SSH appreciation days/nights at the ballpark, the great ability to trade in tickets for other nights without fees, etc. And guaranteed seats for playoffs, etc. is a plus. Oh, I believe I was able to buy One Direction seats for my niece before the general public. Their seats were pretty unbelievable and I was the coolest uncle ever as a result.

 

I am greatly appreciating that in June, I should be able to call my ticket rep (Nate for the win!) on the stitch and pitch night and ask him . . ."Say, my wife and mom are going to sit in the stitch and pitch section but I don't want to sit with them and the other stitchers. What do you got that I can get as a single?" Chances are quite high that I'll be sitting in some VERY nice seats, at a discount.

 

I understand that Season Tickets are not for everyone. And I can certainly see RickH150's point of view. Nobody's right and nobody's wrong. It just comes down to each individual's choice.

 

Spring training starts next week! Yay!

[rickh150]

A few more comments:

 

- I regularly remind Brewers employees and anyone else who will listen that it's 78 miles one-way from our driveway to our favorite Miller Park parking lot; but the bensheeps family comes from farther and on a route that is partly no-interstate. Props to you all.

 

- Patrick425: Happy 51st birthday soon. Mine's later this month. I'm perfectly okay with an "age 51" promotion for anyone, this year. I'll have to get out my vintage "Toby's Power 50" Brewerfan shirt with the "I am #51" on the back and wear it more often in 2017.

 

- What to do with Cubs tickets. I'll admit, I pretty much silently curse all the SSH customers who normally sit around us but sell out to cubs fans for those trying series.

I get the value of having fans you don't want to be around subsidize a chunk of your season tickets. Just remember that you're also sticking it to those of us who actually turn out on the Brewers' side for those games.

 

(Having said this, I know Patrick425 has a lot of Saturday night games, and I acknowledge the difference between Saturday and Sunday audiences. Even I would think twice about spending Saturday nights at those games.)

 

Edited to add:

Old time Ballplayers Association (for $10 membership) gets you half price tickets to a game each month in any seat section of the park.

 

I did not know this. That's a pretty sweet perk. We're not likely to trade in our season tickets for it, but for $10 I'd consider joining anyway.

 

A different game is selected each month. I believe two Friday nights have been included this year.

The OTBA has their own website and facebook page, if interested.

[rickh150]

On one hand, I have a lot of respect for season ticket holders. They loyally pay the price, stick with the team, and are counted on to be there.

 

On the other hand, I think it would take just a small amount of extra work to sit in roughly the same place to most games for half the cost. I also take unbridge of those fans who buy season tickets so they can sell some of them to Cubs fans. Sorry, I know, I know..... yet your many good reasons to do so do not offset letting the evil empire into the choice seats at Miller Park.

 

[sarcasm]Yes, you are right, for Cubs games that I can not go to, I should just give away or sell my tickets at face value to a Brewer fan rather than sell them at 3 or 4 times their face value on StubHub. That would be the smart thing to do[/sarcasm]

 

So, on one hand, you can't understand why season ticket holders would pay so much for their tickets, but on the other hand you are going to chastise them for trying to recoup some of the cost of the season tickets because of who they sell them to? When I put tickets on StubHub, anyone can buy them. If Brewer fans are not willing to buy them for the price I posted, that's not my problem.

 

Last year I had to sell 6 games (out of 20) that we could not attend. Two of them were Cub games. With the season ticket discount I already get (25%) and the proceeds from those ticket sales, I ended up paying 67% of the face value for the remaining 14 games that we went to. If I add to that $50 in food vouchers I received for paying for my tickets early and certain ssh days when concessions are 25% off for season ticket holders, it brings it down to about 60%. With that pricing along with all the other perks mentioned in this topic, I don't think I'm really paying that big of a premium for being a season ticket holder. Oh..I'm also not including the free game they throw in there every year (so...less than 60% of face value).

 

 

Selling extra tickets to Brewers fans at a loss or profit would be my choice option. Being frugal and selling to the enemy are two drastically different things.

When the Cubs meet the Brewers in the NLCS in the near future, be sure to write about how much $ you saved on season tickets by selling a game or two of those. [sarcasm]That would go over well.[/sarcasm]

[Patrick425]

(Nate for the win!)

 

Nate is awesome!

 

rickh....I was at every home game of the 82 playoffs and WS and all but one of the 2008 and 2011 home post season games. Was there when Molitor's streak was broken and when Yount got his 3000th hit. Was there when Mike Caldwell pitched 9 shutout innings to give Ron Guidry his first loss in 1978 (13-1). I have been to spring training about a dozen times (and we attend nothing but Brewer games when we are down there). I've been posting on this site pretty much since it's origins (when it was pretty bare bones and brownish in color if I remember correctly?) I have been a season ticket holder for the last 25+ years including some pretty brutal years when I wouldn't have been able to give tickets away (those were the years people really questioned why I kept buying season tickets)........... but I guess if you want to think that I'm somehow not a "true Brewer Fan" because I sell those tickets, then so be it.

 

Again, I believe those tickets on StubHub are available to any fan that wishes to purchase them.

[rickh150]

(Nate for the win!)

 

Nate is awesome!

 

rickh....I was at every home game of the 82 playoffs and WS and all but one of the 2008 and 2011 home post season games. Was there when Molitor's streak was broken and when Yount got his 3000th hit. Was there when Mike Caldwell pitched 9 shutout innings to give Ron Guidry his first loss in 1978 (13-1). I have been to spring training about a dozen times (and we attend nothing but Brewer games when we are down there). I've been posting on this site pretty much since it's origins (when it was pretty bare bones and brownish in color if I remember correctly?) I have been a season ticket holder for the last 25+ years including some pretty brutal years when I wouldn't have been able to give tickets away (those were the years people really questioned why I kept buying season tickets)........... but I guess if you want to think that I'm somehow not a "true Brewer Fan" because I sell those tickets, then so be it.

 

Again, I believe those tickets on StubHub are available to any fan that wishes to purchase them.

 

 

I have tremendous respect for Brewers fans, especially season ticket holders. They are the lifeblood of the team, paying big $, supporting, following Brewers baseball. You should be commended, no doubt. I just don't get it. Why wouldn't you want to fill your seats with Brewers fans? Wouldn't that make logical sense? You no doubt love the team and want to support them. You know what those games against the Cubs are like, especially the last two seasons. Fill me in..... Respectfully....

[Patrick425]

The thing is rickh, I love money. I have always been a big fan of money and have supported having money in my pocket and bank account for pretty much my entire life. I was there every month when money paid my mortgage, bought my groceries, made my car payments, paid my health bills, helped pay my son's education expenses, contributed to my retirement savings, oh and....paid for my Brewer tickets, trips to spring training, playoff tickets, Brewer apparel, Brewer's license plates, etc. Money is awesome.

[tmwiese55]

And you can't exactly put them on Stubhub and denote that only Brewers fans buy them. You have no way of knowing. So what's the other option, just don't get tickets for Cubs games? Well, if every Brewer fan did that then Cubs fans would just buy direct from the Brewers.

 

IMO, we know those games right now while the Cubs are so good are going to be packed with Cubs fans and our team is not competing right now. It's just logical to use the Cubs fans to subsidize your own tickets cost while the team sucks. I mean, the whole point of this thread was how it financially is kind of dumb right now, doing this helps alleviate it.

[rickh150]

The thing is rickh, I love money. I have always been a big fan of money and have supported having money in my pocket and bank account for pretty much my entire life. I was there every month when money paid my mortgage, bought my groceries, made my car payments, paid my health bills, helped pay my son's education expenses, contributed to my retirement savings, oh and....paid for my Brewer tickets, trips to spring training, playoff tickets, Brewer apparel, Brewer's license plates, etc. Money is awesome.

 

I asked. You told.

I Timothy 6:10

[rickh150]

And you can't exactly put them on Stubhub and denote that only Brewers fans buy them. You have no way of knowing. So what's the other option, just don't get tickets for Cubs games? Well, if every Brewer fan did that then Cubs fans would just buy direct from the Brewers.

 

IMO, we know those games right now while the Cubs are so good are going to be packed with Cubs fans and our team is not competing right now. It's just logical to use the Cubs fans to subsidize your own tickets cost while the team sucks. I mean, the whole point of this thread was how it financially is kind of dumb right now, doing this helps alleviate it.

 

 

Brewers fans, this year, are not paying top dollar on StubHub for Cubs-Brewers games. We all know that and let's not pretend that is the case. You know. I know. Cubs Spring Training games are going for ridiculous amounts on the secondary market so let's be real here.

 

Is it that outrageous of me to expect our best fans (and from other posts of yours I know that's you, tmwiese55) to sell Brewers/Cubs tickets to Brewers fans? Don't the Packers expect/promote fans to sell Packers tickets to other Packers fans? Isn't it the same thing?

[Blunt36]

Comparing Packers season tickets to Brewers season tickets is absolutely not the same thing because the vast majority (100%?) of the seats in Lambeau are season tickets, versus Miller Park where it is only some fraction. Buying tickets on the secondary market is more or less the only option for Bears fans to get into Lambeau, whereas Miller Park tickets (minus maybe opening day) are available to non season seat holders via the Brewers ticket office, and there are no controls in place to limit to them to Wisconsin residents or Brewer fans only. This was brought up by Outlander several posts ago, and is spot on. If the season seat holders didn't buy the Cubs tickets, they'd just go to motivated Cubs fans via the primary market. At best season seat holders selling their tickets on StubHub results in Cubs fans being able to improve seat locations, but I don't think it can be blamed for getting them in the door. I would also hope anyone implying that season seat holders have some obligation to prevent Cubs fans from buying their seats, by selling them for less or giving them to Brewer fans, are also doing their own part by buying and attending all of the Cubs games themselves to help keep Northsiders out of Miller Park.

[rickh150]

Comparing Packers season tickets to Brewers season tickets is absolutely not the same thing because the vast majority (100%?) of the seats in Lambeau are season tickets, versus Miller Park where it is only some fraction. Buying tickets on the secondary market is more or less the only option for Bears fans to get into Lambeau, whereas Miller Park tickets (minus maybe opening day) are available to non season seat holders via the Brewers ticket office, and there are no controls in place to limit to them to Wisconsin residents or Brewer fans only. This was brought up by Outlander several posts ago, and is spot on. If the season seat holders didn't buy the Cubs tickets, they'd just go to motivated Cubs fans via the primary market. At best season seat holders selling their tickets on StubHub results in Cubs fans being able to improve seat locations, but I don't think it can be blamed for getting them in the door. I would also hope anyone implying that season seat holders have some obligation to prevent Cubs fans from buying their seats, by selling them for less or giving them to Brewer fans, are also doing their own part by buying and attending all of the Cubs games themselves to help keep Northsiders out of Miller Park.

 

 

 

So........ we're good. All is well with the Cubs/Miller Park situation? Season ticket holders, our best fans like Patrick, get their money. Cubs fans get the best seats in the ballpark, just what they want. The Brewers management get a full house, mucho dollars coming in. Man, what was I thinking?

[trwi7]

People need to stop getting so hung up on Cubs fans being in Miller Park. It's going to happen. It's a huge fan base that is less than an hour away if you live at the border.

 

They have a huge national following from being on WGN and are in a huge market. You're never going to keep them out of Miller Park. The fan base is too big, the teams are too close and it's not like you can do the "only Wisconsin residents can buy tickets" because chances are the Cubs fan either lives in Wisconsin or has a friend or relative that lives in Wisconsin that will get the tickets for them.

 

Obviously you don't want a bunch of visiting fans in your stadium but it's going to happen in this case. There's nothing the Brewers are going to be able to do to stop it, so take their money and hope you clobber them.

[Blunt36]

Comparing Packers season tickets to Brewers season tickets is absolutely not the same thing because the vast majority (100%?) of the seats in Lambeau are season tickets, versus Miller Park where it is only some fraction. Buying tickets on the secondary market is more or less the only option for Bears fans to get into Lambeau, whereas Miller Park tickets (minus maybe opening day) are available to non season seat holders via the Brewers ticket office, and there are no controls in place to limit to them to Wisconsin residents or Brewer fans only. This was brought up by Outlander several posts ago, and is spot on. If the season seat holders didn't buy the Cubs tickets, they'd just go to motivated Cubs fans via the primary market. At best season seat holders selling their tickets on StubHub results in Cubs fans being able to improve seat locations, but I don't think it can be blamed for getting them in the door. I would also hope anyone implying that season seat holders have some obligation to prevent Cubs fans from buying their seats, by selling them for less or giving them to Brewer fans, are also doing their own part by buying and attending all of the Cubs games themselves to help keep Northsiders out of Miller Park.

 

 

 

So........ we're good. All is well with the Cubs/Miller Park situation? Season ticket holders, our best fans like Patrick, get their money. Cubs fans get the best seats in the ballpark, just what they want. The Brewers management get a full house, mucho dollars coming in. Man, what was I thinking?

 

That is not at all what I said, and no I don't consider having opposing fans vastly outnumber Brewer fans for any game at Miller Park to be a "good situation". What I did say is that season seat holders selling tickets on the open market is only a small part of the problem, if anything, because season tickets only comprise a portion of the secondary market and there are other avenues that probably the majority of secondary market ticket get there. Because of this fundamental difference between the markets for Packers tickets versus Brewers tickets, your analogy between the two is not valid.

 

I think the real issue is that Brewer fans don't turn out in high enough numbers for Cubs games, regardless of whether it's season seat holders getting rid of their tickets, or other Brewer fans not buying tickets. I'm sure there are several reasons for this, and a big one is probably not wanting to deal with obnoxious Cubs fans, especially in periods like we're in currently, with their team up and ours down. To put any more blame on season seat holders than fans in general, who still have plenty of opportunity to get Brewers/Cubs tickets through other means, in misplaced in my opinion.

 

Also, just to be clear, I'm not implying that any Brewers fans, season seat holders or not, are in any way obligated to "do their part" to keep Cubs fans out of Miller Park (although I definitely think it's very cool when Brewer fans chose to). I'm only saying if doing that were an obligation of being a fan, it would be a shared responsibility between all fans, not something especially for season seat holders.

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't want to speak for Patrick, or any other season ticket holder. But I imagine if tickets could be sold to Brewer fans for a little less than Cubs fans, they would do that.

 

Problem is, it's hard to ask for a premium on tickets to family and friends. I know whenever I have extra tickets for anything, I will either give them away or ask for face value. Just depending on the situation, who it is, etc. I would feel weird asking more than face, especially way more than face.

[tmwiese55]

As others have said and I did too, there's no way to only sell to Brewers fans. I could choose not to get tickets for the Cubs game, but then Cubs fans could just buy the same tickets direct from the Brewers. That guy is going to the game anyway, Brewers are getting the same amount of money, and I take a markup from the Cub fan (who was going to go anyway). Yea it sucks, but it's the nature of being bad right now. I'm confident the ratio will be back in our favor once we're good again. Though there will always be a huge Cubs contingent when they're good.

 

In the past I've liked going to Cubs games because I knew it would be sold out and lively game/crowd, that's fun for me. But now the ratio is way out of our favor (and the bad Cubs fans are the ones that show up now that they're good) and we're not good, so it's not fun. The current moneymaking opportunity on those idiots is too good to pass up and is a help to subsidize paying too much for so many other games throughout the season.

 

Also, are Packers fans upset when they have majority at several road games every year? The Packers are the Cubs of football.

[rickh150]

As others have said and I did too, there's no way to only sell to Brewers fans. I could choose not to get tickets for the Cubs game, but then Cubs fans could just buy the same tickets direct from the Brewers. That guy is going to the game anyway, Brewers are getting the same amount of money, and I take a markup from the Cub fan (who was going to go anyway). Yea it sucks, but it's the nature of being bad right now. I'm confident the ratio will be back in our favor once we're good again. Though there will always be a huge Cubs contingent when they're good.

 

In the past I've liked going to Cubs games because I knew it would be sold out and lively game/crowd, that's fun for me. But now the ratio is way out of our favor (and the bad Cubs fans are the ones that show up now that they're good) and we're not good, so it's not fun. The current moneymaking opportunity on those idiots is too good to pass up and is a help to subsidize paying too much for so many other games throughout the season.

 

Also, are Packers fans upset when they have majority at several road games every year? The Packers are the Cubs of football.

 

 

They are good fans in many ways.... travel well, vocal, pay more than most fan bases for tickets. They, in general, however, are pretty rotten, entitled, big city, loud-mouthed human beings. That is where it starts and ends with me.

 

I am proud of Packers fans when they often travel well and give our team a road advantage, and I am upset when Cubs fans do the same at Miller Park.

 

I would love for season ticket holders to take this seriously and go to Cubs games or sell to their neighbors, family members, co-workers who are Brewers fans. I would like to see the Brewers cater to Brewers season ticket holders and fans in some way to get them in the park, in the best seats. I'd like to see loyal group leaders who take multiple groups to games be given a deal to get more Brewers fans in the stadium.

 

I like to have money too, but common'...... this is our team we are talkin about.

[BillScottCanRake]

I don't want to have this thread stray too far from the topic of season tickets, but does anyone have any statistics as to how many Cubs fans end up buying second-hand tickets to attend games at Miller Park versus directly from the team? Or from ticket brokers or individuals who never had any intention of going to those games and bought the tickets strictly for the purpose of reselling them?

 

I understand that no one really likes it when Miller Park is full of Cubs fans, but there are a lot of ways for them to get tickets that don't involve buying them from season ticket holders. And I suspect that even if 100% of the fans with season tickets held on to them there would still be way more Cubs fans at Miller Park than anyone likes.

[tmwiese55]

Good point BillScott. Would still say the majority of season holders either don't get them those games or do attend themselves. Vast majority of those Cubs fans are probably coming from direct sales from the team or scalpers that bought them just to sell.

 

When I say bad Cubs fans, all I meant was now that they're so good their inherent drunken, loud, cockiness really comes out and it's easier not to deal with it. And a huge chunk of them are just band-wagoners who really don't know anything about baseball, yet talk trash like they've all been diehards their whole life. I'm sure opposing fans would say the same about many Packers/UW fans too, every fan-base has that element and WI people certainly love to drink.

 

Also, if you rewind 5 years to when we were good and the Cubs sucked you could go to Wrigley for very cheap for Brewer games. I've sat 10ish rows behind the dugout for like $35 in that era. It's just the nature of when teams are good or bad.

[rickh150]

Good point BillScott. Would still say the majority of season holders either don't get them those games or do attend themselves. Vast majority of those Cubs fans are probably coming from direct sales from the team or scalpers that bought them just to sell.

 

When I say bad Cubs fans, all I meant was now that they're so good their inherent drunken, loud, cockiness really comes out and it's easier not to deal with it. And a huge chunk of them are just band-wagoners who really don't know anything about baseball, yet talk trash like they've all been diehards their whole life. I'm sure opposing fans would say the same about many Packers/UW fans too, every fan-base has that element and WI people certainly love to drink.

 

Also, if you rewind 5 years to when we were good and the Cubs sucked you could go to Wrigley for very cheap for Brewer games. I've sat 10ish rows behind the dugout for like $35 in that era. It's just the nature of when teams are good or bad.

 

 

 

We all have our rotten fans, no doubt. Not debating that. Cubs fans are not liked by multiple fan bases (Cards, Sox, Brewers, Reds) for the same reasons. Packer/Badger fans are more known for their hospitality and overall too friendliness. Let's not compare apples with rotten oranges.

[brwrsfan]

Finally got my season tickets today, not sure what took so long. Most years I'd have gotten them 2 weeks ago.

 

Has anybody gotten any of their SSH perks/rewards yet? I got my $25 vouchers for each seat a couple weeks ago. But I never got anything as far as the other reward item - we had to prioritize which items we wanted. There were things like upgraded seats for a few games, an autograph, etc. I was never told which one I got or when I'd actually receive it. Most years I got the upgraded seat vouchers, which I normally would have in my possession by now. Found the info on the Brewers website. We ranked these when we renewed, but that was the last I've heard of it. Not 100% positive, but I think we actually got to pick one blue and one silver reward if we renewed early (anyone remember this for sure, I have a 20 pack).

 

Silver Rewards

 

Take Batting Practice at Miller Park

Watch Pregame Batting Practice on the Field

Robin Yount Autograph Session

Bernie's Slide Experience

Breakfast with the Mascots

Movie Night at Miller Park

Johnson Controls Stadium Club Passes

Ticket Upgrade Vouchers*

Family Play Day at Miller Park

Ryan Braun Autographed Print

Bob Uecker Autographed Print

Set of six 2017 Promotional Giveaway Items

 

Blue Rewards

 

Fast Pass for Sunday Kids Base Run

Movie Night at Miller Park

Ticket Upgrade Vouchers*

SSH Refillable Cup

Johnson Controls Stadium Club Passes

Two Field Diamond Box Tickets*

Exclusive Season Seat Holder Polo

Craig Counsell Autographed Print

Jonathan Villar Autographed Print

Orlando Arcia Autographed Print

Top Prospect Josh Hader Autographed Print

Top Prospect Lewis Brinson Autographed Print

[hawing]

We received a "perks" email Friday, as did at least a few other SSHs. Our "silver" perk is participating in the "Family play day" (June 9, hope we can both get off work) and our "blue" perk is the refillable soda cup. I'll have to go through my fall notes to see how highly we ranked either of those.

 

Edit: They were each our top ranked pick. I think I picked the silver and the SO picked the blue.

[JimH5]

I have a Silver and Blue perk package, and I got both of my top picks...the Yount autograph session, and the Lewis Brinson signed print.

 

Last year we opted for family friendlier things, but this year I was selfish and picked stuff for me. Victory!

[rickh150]

So are you guys ok with Denver?

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/broncos-season-ticket-holders-outraged-weeded-team-172732555.html

[JimH5]

Wow, that's an interesting case.

 

I guess it boils down to what a season ticket holder's expectations should be as it relates to buying season tickets year after year.

 

And I guess I don't find fault in what the Broncos are doing.

 

They have so many more people who want to buy their tickets than they can sell, that they're willing to boot people who have turned their "place in line" into a profit center.

 

The team did hear appeals and they reversed course on some account holders, so I'll assume that they exercised reason in booting the ones they thought were most egregious.

 

So, I don't really have a problem with it.