2 Minute Minor
Hi Keeba!
Could, but I still have to drive to the station, which for me is rather far. That's my own problem though.
The tickets are cheap because they can't consistently fill the house. Make no mistake about it.
And if a symbiotic relationship isn't riding coattails, then I don't know what is. One of those two things (The Blues) would still exist without the other.
If you had to pay as much for parking as you did a movie ticket, would you still go? (I'll stick with Netflix/Redbox)
I'm not really complaining, just trying to (non-eloquently, I'm sure) explain why people could possibly not want to spend the time and money to go to a game.
We should be fixing why people don't go, not look down on them for it.
If you're arguing that the team should provide more/cheaper parking to attract fans, I agree. If you're arguing that you don't want to pay someone for opening their lot to game-day parking out of principle, I don't follow you. They're simply filling a market need (parking) and are part of the local economy around the Blues. That's part of the value of the Blues, they create traffic for local businesses in numerous ways.
And if there were no local restaurants, Metrolink, parking, hotel around the Blues at all...no, I don't think they'd still exist. The attendance would become putrid and they'd lose a lot of money for a while until they left town.
We all make choices about how to spend our money, and I won't lecture to someone about their choices. I'm simply pointing out that I think there is a different way to look at the local merchants around the Blues, and I really don't see why they need to be viewed negatively. If the prices are too high, enough people will avoid that parking lot and they'll find it more attractive to lower them. Or get out of the parking lot business.
I think the Blues should have more leverage with the city to negotiate tax breaks like the Rams/Cardinals get, and precisely because of the value they bring like this. How many jobs do they provide? How many secondary purchases occur around the team because of their presence?
The concessions contract was a desparate move that hurt the team long-term. But even that, there is a business you're supporting with your purchase. s
I've gone to games on the cheap and bought no food/drink before, rode the train. And I've gone to games where we stayed in a hotel, got seats with amenities and ate at local restaurants. I view it all as entertainment dollars, and just have to decide what my priorities are and how much I'm willing to spend on the experience.