Although the love for baseball continues to rise, so do the prices of seeing your favourite team play in the MLB. In 1873, it would have cost you 50 cents to see a baseball game, now it can be anywhere in the hundreds to even thousands.
Since 2010, there has been a near 42 per cent increase just in tickets alone throughout all of MLB. Although this seems like a major jump, what are the reasons behind this? Is it the economy? Is it the growing interest in baseball? Although there are many reasons for this increase, the biggest reason for the price curve has been the strong interest in baseball in the last few years.
Jules DiGiovanni, is the Account Executive of The Toronto Blue Jays. “From what I’ve seen, fan interest has stayed really strong and has continued to trend upward since that time [2024]. We’re lucky that the Jays have a very loyal fan base. We have a whole country of fans behind us, which we’re super lucky to have, of course. And there’s a real sense of connection between the team and not only the city of Toronto, but Canada as a whole,” said DiGiovanni.
Fan interest has increased dramatically over the past years. In fact, from 2024-2025 viewership between all 30 MLB teams increased over 30 per cent. Meaning more teams are getting recognition, and the game of baseball is continuing to grow. With this comes its downsides, because of interest not only are tickets continuing to increase, but the food and drinks at a game also continue to increase. From 2010-2024 there has been an increase in the following.
24 per cent increase in the price of beer
55 per cent increase in the price of soda
45 per cent increase in the price of hot dogs
Totalling that since 2010, there has been a total increase of 32 per cent for someone to attend a ball game and purchase food and drinks.
Although the cost of attending MLB games continues to rise, attendance at games has remained strong across many markets. While baseball remains more affordable than other sports, specifically hockey or basketball, prices will still empty the pockets of some fans. Despite this, winning seasons and strong team performance still drives fans through the gates.
Mike Wilner, a Baseball Columnist for the Toronto Star explained how these factors could shape the attendance. “If the prices keep going up…the average fan is going to get priced out of it and really going to have to make a concerted effort to get to a game that might cost like $500 or $600 for a family of four. But there is enough money in Toronto, I think, unfortunately, for the average fan that no matter what they do, if the team is winning and performing, people will come,” said Wilner.
In 2024, the average price of a ticket for a Blue Jays game was $87. This ranks in the middle compared to other teams. The former Oakland Athletics average ticket was the highest with $181 and the Miami Marlins with the lowest of $44. If you take all of these factors into account, it would have cost an average fan of the Blue Jays over $100 to attend a game and have something to eat and drink.
Now this may seem like a lot but in comparison to the Blue Jays 2025 World Series run, some people would love to go back to only paying $100. One thing that many fans would love to keep is the team’s performance. In 2025, the Blue Jays won the AL pennant and had a hard fought world series. Performance is a major factor in attendance, and although the prices did increase for the 2025 postseason, many people continued to attend.
“If the team is in the mix for the postseason, you’ll see another big surge of fans who wanna be a part of that experience. Obviously, this past October, we saw a huge surge in buying behavior,” said DiGiovanni.
Even though the prices of a game will always continue to increase based on interest, many fans from all around the world will always be willing to spend money to see their favourite team win.
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