Reese Kaplan -- Let's Remember the Costs of Games

With the prospect of games being played to empty stadiums I got to thinking about the pros and cons of visits to see the ballgames live.  After all, it’s not all peaches and cream when it comes to the actual trip to the ballpark.  I grew up in the New York CIty area, so I know of some of the issues that arise.

First of all, getting to CitiField for non New York City dwellers is a bit of a challenge both in time and in distance.  Even for some folks in the less well-served sections of New York that don’t have ready access to all of the mass transit options there is the matter of budget and convenience.  I used to live in northern New Jersey and getting out to the stadium was a multipart affair.

For the majority of my Mets fan neighbors, a trip to Citifield would mean a drive.  That’s convenient, right?

Well, first of all, it meant hitting the Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike heading north towards New York.  The Turnpike was a somewhat convenient money-grab as you were assigned your mandated fees for using it when you exited from the highway system.  The Garden State Parkway was a little more like water torture, inflicting you with tollbooths every few miles to grab the latest iteration of payments in small grabs.  When I was a kid I remember it being something on the order of 25 cents.  Now I understand the vehicle scanning technology assesses a fee of $0.50, $0.75, $1.00, or $1.50 (with a maximum of $8.25 for traveling the length of the state-run highway).  Interestingly, the initial promise would be that tolls would only continue was long as the road was under construction.  Apparently the state of New Jersey must have continued growing during its 65 years of existence.  Either that, or New Jersey is the slowest construction crews in the entire USA.  

Of course, getting to New York is only part of the battle for both time and money.  The bridges and tunnels also have their own pounds of flesh to collect on this journey.  The George Washington Bridge, for example, wants $11.75 off-peak, $13.75 peak or $16.00 if you have the temerity to mail in a cash payment.  It gets even worse on some other routes, like the Goethals Bridge to Staten Island, then another toll to get into Brooklyn.  

Factoring in the trip was the cost of gas.  Right now the only benefit to the current situation is that fuel that had at times creeped up over the $4 per gallon mark is now down around $1.50 or so per gallon.  That helps.  Considering a large vehicle would be lucky to get 20 mpg, you’re looking at perhaps three gallons or more of gas to make it out to Queens.  Once you get there, don’t forget about the Wilpons’ generous fee of $25 to park there.

During my schoolyard days and college student days the expenses of driving were not in the budget, so we looked to mass transit as well.  There were NJ Transit trains and buses to deposit you into Penn Station (NY) or the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  From there a couple of subway rides would eventually get you to the parking lot at the stadium.  That approach was certainly more economical unless you were driving a van packed to the maximum with 8 people in it.  At least subway riders avoid the parking fee.

Then there is the new tradition of airport style security at the gates.  I remember as a child arriving at the stadium laden with sandwiches, peanuts, chips and whatever other comestibles could be stuffed into inspected bags.  Now, under the guise of security, all food is to be purchased at grossly inflated prices inside the stadium.  Nowhere else in New York do you get nailed for $5.75 for a Coke.  They haven’t put pay toilets back into the stadiums yet, but that time is surely coming. 

Granted, watching the games on TV or the Internet with your family and friends isn’t quite the same as with a stadium full of poorer but otherwise happy fans at the stadium.  However, remember it’s not all bad that’s being missed.  And you stay healthier at home.  Living triumphs over ticket punches.