MINNEAPOLIS, MN
With the 2024 World Series approaching and tickets to watch live games costing hundreds to thousands of dollars, personal finance website WalletHub today released its Best Baseball Cities report, to highlight where Americans can enjoy an experience. of home runs at the MLB, Minor League and NCAA levels at a reasonable price.
WalletHub compared more than 330 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional baseball team across 31 key metrics, ranging from their teams’ performance to average ticket prices and fan engagement.
Minneapolis Baseball Fandom (1=Best; 167=Average):
- 14º – Performance level of your MLB teams
- 12.° – Average price of tickets for an MLB game
- 140.° Minimum season ticket price for a college baseball game
- 12.° On MLB fan engagement days
Minneapolis It ranks tenth overall and ninth among large cities.
To view the full report, visit:
“Baseball is one of America’s most cherished sports and fans are fiercely loyal to their favorite teams, but being a fan can be expensive. Enjoying MLB games in person can be quite expensive, for example. Fortunately, there is still a lot of excitement to be had in supporting Little League teams or even NCAA baseball at a much more affordable cost. While major baseball cities tend to be those with the best-performing MLB teams, they also tend to have several teams to root for in the Minor Leagues and college levels. – Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst
What are the biggest problems facing Major League Baseball today?
“Injury prevention is an intrinsic issue, especially in pitching. Baseball has instituted rules to speed up the game. While this shortens the game, there is the question of whether the shot clock could lead to more injuries or new types of injuries for pitchers. Therefore, injury prevention and athletics biomechanics will be important topics to study for teams and MLB.” Timothy Chartier professor at Davidson College, in collaboration with baseball athletes and scholars Jack Cotrone and Isaac Fix
“It’s the same problem that all spectator sports face. The next generation of sports fans (under 25) do not watch the same content or the same amount of content as previous generations. The replacement is gaming participation and esports viewership. The main source of income for Major League Baseball (and all sports leagues) is the rights to broadcast live games. Whether through local or national television broadcasts or streaming services like Apple+, MLB relies on viewership. The game has done a lot to shorten the games and make the product more appealing to younger fans. Additionally, participation rates in the US are increasing. The game is popular. It is also an international game where talent is everywhere. However, the next generation of potential consumers is less interested in watching and more interested in engaging with their media experience, and when they watch, it is associated with these participatory experiences, like watching experts play their favorite video games.”
Brendan Dwyer, Ph.D. – Professor, Director of Research and Distance Education, College of Business, Virginia Commonwealth University
What’s the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?
“If you’re going to watch a game alone, buy a relatively cheap, standing-room-only ticket and sit in the stands. That’s what I do. If you are going to see a game with your family, I would opt for a minor league game if the purpose is to go see a game to save money. Tickets are much cheaper, the experience is more fan-friendly, concessions are affordable (with shorter lines, I might add), and you have to deal with less traffic.”
Dr. Cory Hillman, chair of the Department of Communication Studies; adjunct professor at Ashland University
“Good question. First, it’s difficult. Going to any live sporting event in the US is expensive. I will give my advice as a family of four. (1) Pick a midweek afternoon game. Those games are usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays. If you can’t make it work, on Tuesday or Wednesday nights. (2) Buy your tickets on the secondary ticket market (i.e. Seat Geek, StubHub). Wait as close to game day as you can to purchase tickets. This is key. Research has been carried out in this regard. Your instinct is to buy tickets 10 to 14 days before the game. That is the time when prices are highest. Wait. The closer to game time, the more desperate the seller will become to get rid of the tickets. If you choose a game in the middle of the week (afternoon or evening), supply will not be an issue. (3) Eat before you go, but get to the game early. Batting practice is fun. It’s a chance for young kids to see the players up close or, if it’s in the outfield, to catch home runs. Also, you may not have seats near the field. This may be your chance to get closer to the players. Baseball is a long game. You will probably buy food, but try not to buy a whole meal. That’s when it gets expensive. Try to choose something special for each person. Something that screams baseball, like peanuts, nachos, a hot dog. Also, if you can, bring a bottle of water. Some stadiums allow you to bring one bottle of water per person. Check your stadium policy. (4) Use public transportation, if possible. Parking at a stadium is expensive. The traffic before and after a game is terrible. If your stadium has accessible public transportation, take it. Even if you have to drive to a station 3 or 4 stops away, avoiding parking fees and traffic is worth it.”
Brendan Dwyer, Ph.D. – Professor, Director of Research and Distance Education, College of Business, Virginia Commonwealth University
How have fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of Major League Baseball?
“Well, research suggests that people who play fantasy sports watch more games on television, even out-of-market games they wouldn’t otherwise be interested in. However, fantasy sports have been overshadowed by the legalization of sports betting. Players are increasingly the target audience for televised baseball games. The so-called gaming fever is supposed to create excitement in what is traditionally a slower sport that does not provide easy, immediate gratification. The other assumption is that the game will become the primary reason to watch baseball. Full disclosure: I’m not against the game, by the way.” Dr. Cory Hillman, chair of the Department of Communication Studies; adjunct professor at Ashland University
“Fantasy baseball has been around forever. Fantasy baseball leagues were the first form of fantasy sports, and while fantasy football is the most popular game today, baseball is where it began. While fantasy baseball may never attract the wide audience that fantasy football does, I believe it requires more skill and effort, and attracts true fantasy sports enthusiasts, regardless of their level of interest in baseball in general. Yeah. For baseball fans, fantasy baseball is a great complement to your favorite team fandom. It provides camaraderie with league mates, a competitive outlet, an opportunity to showcase knowledge, and a bond with the best baseball players from around the league. Instead of just watching one game a night, fantasy baseball participants have an interest in several. For non-baseball fans who play fantasy baseball, the activity is an education of the game within a game. A fantasy participant learns about the importance of lineups, the divisions of left- and right-handed hitters and pitchers, and what constitutes a save. “It’s a great game and has only added value to MLB.” Brendan Dwyer, Ph.D. – Professor, Director of Research and Distance Education, College of Business, Virginia Commonwealth University
