Boston Red Sox Increase Ticket Prices 9%

World Champions Site Player Salaries, Infrastructure for Increase

How does a team with the smallest ballpark in the major leagues continuously field a team with one of the highest payrolls in the major leagues? How does a team with the oldest ballpark in the major leagues continuously improve that ballpark off-season after off-season?

Ticket prices.

The Boston Red Sox have some of the most expensive tickets in Major League Baseball and they're getting more expensive for 2008. The World Champions announced an average increase of 9% over 2007 ticket prices for the 2008 season. After the 2004 World Series Championship, the Red Sox raised ticket prices by an average of about 7 percent.

The lowest priced tickets including upper bleacher seats and standing room tickets will not increase, but lower bleacher seats will increase to $26 from $23, grandstand tickets will increase to $50 from $45, and loge box seats will increase to $90 from $85. Pavilion tickets will remain at $90. Field box seats will see the highest increases and will cost consumers $125 a ticket. The organization is quick to note that "non-premium" seats, those tickets that make up about 82% percent of tickets, did not increase for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

The first opportunity to purchase single game tickets will be on December 8 at "Christmas at Fenway," with other details to be announced later on.

Improvements during this off-season include increasing the number of seats and standing room areas. These improvements will cost between $40-45 Million. Cranes rising over the wall at the park can be seen by motorists on the Massachusetts Turnpike as they pass Fenway Park. Sides the physical improvements to the ballpark itself will be the assignment of a dedicated client services team, priority individual game presale of tickets, as well as free agent and draft pick compensation.