Here is the math on how the Angels can afford to sign A-Rod: You and I will have to pay for it.
IF MY MATH IS WRONG LET ME KNOW
With the recent announcement of an Angel Stadium ticket concierge service arriving for season seat holders, the writing is on the wall for a big raise in ticket prices. If they sign A-Rod, at least we know who will be getting that money.
Assume that first, season ticket holder discounts go away - all tickets are sold for the same price. Last season my $10 ticket would have had a face value of $15 at the gate. A Diamond Club ticket valued at $110 sold to season seat holders for $93 apiece. So that is all a thing of the past. Face for one is face for all.
Let's assume that there are 20,000 seats in the upper deck and 15,000 seats on the Field Level, 5,000 seats in the club level and 5,000 in the left field and right field pavilion seats.
View Level
View seats ranged from $12-$26. The median price then was $19, but since there were a lot more $12 seats than $26 seats, let's bring it down to averaging $18. 18 x 20K = $360,000. Sell out the View Section at face value and that is how much you make per game off of it.
Field Level
The Field Level ranges from $26 - $60, plus the elite Diamond Club. A majority of the seats are under $40, but a good chunk of them are almost triple that, so let's call the Field level average about $45. 15,000 seats times $45 = $675,000. Sell out the Field Section at face value and that is how much you make per game off of it.
Club Level
The club section houses the luxury boxes and tickets run $34 - $60. Let's call it an even $50 average and the Club level brings in $250,000 when sold out. Sell out the Club Section at face value and that is how much you make per game off of it.
LF/RF Seats
Seats in the outfield range from $9 - $15, but the option is available of buying a $5 children's ticket to some seats in this section. So make it an average here of $11 and this section generates $55,000 during a sellout.
This gives us a grand total of $1.34 million per sellout. Seeing as many games do not sell out, let's average the Angels' gross per game at $1 million per game simply by erasing the season ticketholder's discount. That is $81 million dollars a year in ticket sales.
If the Angels raise their ticket prices 10%, they will make $8.1 million dollars. If they raise them 20%, they will make $16.2 million. A 40% raise in ticket prices would bring in more than enough money to cover A-Rod's contract, assuming it is $30 million a year for 10 years.
At face value, my two season seats in centerfield would currently cost $30 per year. The A-Rod raise would make the pair cost $42. Quite frankly, a pinch. And I am in the cheapie seats. $3,402 a season for the 2007 division champs and A-Rod.
Okay, if you put it that way, I am in. How about you?