How much is the economy dragging down the entertainmnet industry? Enough to lower prices at Dodger games.

Tickets for the all-you-can-eat pavilion in right field are being reduced from $35 to $25 for 70 of the team�s 81 home games. The price includes unlimited hot dogs, nachos and soda.

Prices for soft drinks will be $3.75, down from $5; bottled water will be $3.75, down from $5.75; and beer will cost $6, down from $8, at concession stands.

...A free fan club for kids will be offered, and fans arriving by car will receive a free team publication. Also new are all-inclusive packages that include tickets, T-shirts, peanuts and parking starting at $99 for a family of three.

It's not because the team stinks. It's the economy there: The Angels had a hard time selling out their Opening Day and were offering 4-for-3 discounts, even though officially the game was "sold out".

Fields are getting smaller, and the need is therefore to sell out. Teams are building stadia with more variation of ticket experiences (here's one unhappy Yankee fan's view of the new stadium; pay particular attention to the two pictures of upper decks of old and new Yankee stadia) to push fans into higher-priced seating. But if you are selling scarcity value of seats to boost ticket prices, a recession like this one making 4-for-3s and price-cutting (at an older, larger Dodger Stadium) is going to have a larger impact on team revenues than if you were still trying to fill the larger caverns of the old Shea-sized stadia.

Labels: economics, sports