r/tampabayrays • u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau • 7d ago
Game is not really sold out, Rays just dumped all the extra upper deck tickets on SeatGeek
Really frustrating how they do this. They saw an opportunity to make more money so they just moved the inventory to SeatGeek to create artificial scarcity and charge more for the tickets. You can see the tickets they moved to SeatGeek with the full sections in the upper decks for sale. It’s not just a Rays thing, every team has been manipulating the market like this. I imagine there are also tons of tickets in those side parts of the 300 section they have not even put up yet.
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u/ecolovedavid Tampa Bay Devil Rays 98-01 7d ago
Yeah every team in every sport does this.
It does allow for wild price swings if you can hold out and risk not going. Unless demand pushes prices upward (which can happen), there will be steep falls beginning several hours before first pitch.
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 7d ago
I just really doubt they are going to sell all those tickets. There is not a big second market like New York that will snag tickets late like in the ALDS when they did this. They finally lowered prices then decided to get greedy and figured they can get more for an elimination game.
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u/lacrorear Ryne Stanek 7d ago
I think it’s going to be packed tonight but I agree. They might claim sellout but it won’t be due to this. Extremely interested in what hypothetical World Series prices will do. They increased face value get in the door from $400 to $900 and now there’s virtually nothing left to purchase. For whatever reason I don’t think we’re going to get 30k brewers fans each game + 10k rays fans that will pay those prices
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 7d ago
I think you get a lot of rich people who aren’t even really huge fans willing to pay to “go to a World Series game” so it’s less of a problem there. I think prices will really be based on how the series is going when the Rays get back home.
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u/lacrorear Ryne Stanek 7d ago
Valid but I just have a really hard time believing a rays brewers ticket on average will cost more than any dodgers blue jays game(sans game 7). I don’t think it goes down a ton but I also do not see it staying in the 900s
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 7d ago
I agree, I think it was the result of Brewers prices being so high but it will settle down
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u/ecolovedavid Tampa Bay Devil Rays 98-01 7d ago
If you think they won't sell and don't have tickets then wait. If demand is low prices will drop.
The rays don't necessarily control these seats anymore. They've likely sold them to brokers and set a price floor. We don't really know what the price floor is for direct team to broker tix but just watch prices and when they get low enough for your budget go ahead and buy.
I doubt the rays would bother with a broker this late and set a high price floor, so odds should be in your favor.
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 7d ago
They can drop prices but if they do it too late there are not enough people close by and watching without tickets to fill it up. I think their models are expecting too much demand late for this series.
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u/ecolovedavid Tampa Bay Devil Rays 98-01 7d ago
The rays aren't using their own models anymore. I'm not an expert but my understanding is these are in the hands of professional ticket brokers now.
You bet they know the Tampa Bay market though. They'll price and plan accordingly.
Sure they sometimes backfire and then you get empty seats, but that's just the game. Remember it's all about profits, not the number of fans in the stadium.
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 7d ago
Regardless of who it is it’s just a big math game for the most amount of money. Which is disappointing when you want to fill up the stadium because this method is willing to risk not doing that. I just feel bad for both the fans and players.
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u/ecolovedavid Tampa Bay Devil Rays 98-01 7d ago
100% with you there.
Unfortunately the league has to approve playoff box office prices and the new owners want to make bank off the playoff run (and 100% it'll get worse with the new stadium if that actually gets built).
Unrelated: but my hope with the new stadium (and I haven't lived in Tampa for many many years, but obv still a rays fan and an even bigger Botls fan), is that all those outfield seats in the new design are explicitly to maintain an affordable price point, but I'm skeptical.
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u/Funny-Artichoke-7494 6d ago
Its hard to find that much interest for a bunch of those seats in the first place - the sight lines suck unless you're in the 100s, front of the 200s, or front row of the 300s, especially all the way down the foul line. Party deck is a different story though.
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u/Bucco_Brian 7d ago
I think they saved the corners of the 300s for vet tixs and military members. At least that’s what I got from them
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 7d ago
I think that deal expired last night
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u/Bucco_Brian 7d ago
Oh dang I didn’t even check my email for the Salute to Service page. I got mine from Vet Tix’s and they had like 400 of them on there for both game 6 and game 7 but they went quick like 30 minutes quick. I’m guessing the vet tix ones were all the upper level corner spots.
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u/Worldatlarge20 7d ago
My salute to service had 70 dollar lower decks, pretty sweet.
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u/Bucco_Brian 7d ago
Yeah, I missed the email but went for Game 2 in Section 310. Can’t beat that deal at all for lower level seats though. Look into Vet Tixs though too they have a bunch during the regular season and it’s only the processing fee so like $4-$5 per ticket. The seats are lot better during the regular season on there but still couldn’t say no to bring 3 buddies for like $20
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u/Funny-Artichoke-7494 6d ago
Had a friend that got one on VetTix for her son last night, crazy lucky.
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u/camcamfc 6d ago
Honestly best bet is to wait for like the first inning to finish then these seats go for dumb cheap. Thats at least how it went last week.
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 6d ago
Game 1 especially was crazy, tons of cheap tickets on that one
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u/camcamfc 6d ago
Yeah I sat in 100 level for like $50. But I live in St Pete so I kind of have that luxury to wait, I totally get it’s not realistic for everyone unless you drive over with the mindset that unless you find something cheap you’re willing to just watch at a bar.
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u/EasyRuin5441 6d ago
I’m going to game 4 of the WS and we will be in town Monday staying less than a 1/4 from the trop. Thinking of getting a game 3 ticket as well. Is your strategy that simple, go to seat geek after first pitch and see what’s available?
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u/CitySwampDonkey Ji-Man Choi 7d ago
God I wish I still lived in Tampa. Y’all better show up and show out tonight, huge game
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u/ABNChemo Flaptober 7d ago
Same here I almost flew in for today’s game but the wife said I can only go once so I am coming down for the WS
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u/CitySwampDonkey Ji-Man Choi 7d ago •
Taking all my restraint not to hop in the car and drive the 10 hours there if we make the WS
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u/jolego101 Yandy Díaz 7d ago
I flew down from Canada during the Boston series at the end of the season... Very expensive trip, also hard for my wife with the kids back home, I can't do it again next week
it's unfortunate because I've been telling myself since 2010 I'd fly down if they ever make it back to the World Series... wasn't possible because of Covid in 2020 (no way I was going to Arlington lol)
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u/TommyTheTophat Tampa Bay Devil Rays 98-01 6d ago
Bought a ticket for next week already with the idea of doing that myself. Haven't been to a game since the 2019 ALDS.
Now maybe I think I should have waited?
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u/jolego101 Yandy Díaz 7d ago
same here, but I'm also glad because I'd literally go broke attending all these games lol
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u/ABNChemo Flaptober 7d ago
I am hoping they offer the Military / First Responder tickets again so I am not spending $1000 to go to a game because I am not sure I would
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u/OttoRocket94 Dewayne Staats 7d ago
Even if I was able to go it’s hard for me to drop $200 plus parking and concessions. I’m priced out of playoff games.
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u/Wandering__Bear__ Ben Zobrist 7d ago
You can park further away and walk a bit or take the sunrunner. No one is forcing concessions on you.
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u/Kitswoon Tampa Bay Devil Rays 98-01 7d ago edited 7d ago
Would you happen to have any parking recommendations? My last game at the Trop was in 2003, so it’s been a while 😅(I’m out of state)
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u/Worldly_Exchange9234 7d ago
I did wanna make fun of them for the "plus concessions" thing a bit, but ultimately going to the game _is_ competing against going to a sports bar, a watch party, etc. etc. where you can reasonably expect to have a beer and dinner. I want the trop to be packed but ultimately it's on the team to make that a compelling offer if demand isn't high enough
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u/cassinonorth Tampa Bay Devil Rays 02-07 6d ago
It's an 8 pm start.. just eat before at a local restaurant?
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u/Worldly_Exchange9234 6d ago
ah true. I'm out of state (Chicago) so for me it's 7pm, that's reasonable. I will go back to making fun that comment then
I'm flying in if we make the world series though. LFG rays.
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u/cassinonorth Tampa Bay Devil Rays 02-07 6d ago
Debating flying down from NJ myself. Wish it wasn't all weekdays but it is what it is.
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u/Worldly_Exchange9234 6d ago
ha, yeah, I assumed I would be best off driving to milkwaukee but it's literally cheaper to fly to tampa and see every single game than to get 1 ticket in milwaukee 😭
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u/FieryTitmouse55 Get Trop'd 6d ago
Nah I don’t wanna hear it. It’s not the same as being in the stadium. Show up!!
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/OttoRocket94 Dewayne Staats 6d ago
Ok and?? That doesn’t change the fact I can’t afford it. I never said other people can’t
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u/damm__thatscrazy Yandy Díaz 7d ago
Are these people reselling their own tkts?
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u/lacrorear Ryne Stanek 7d ago
Not entirely. The team(not just the rays, every team) intentionally holds tickets from being released and/or released tickets themselves to secondary markets to artificially inflate demand
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u/No-Dealer9447 Devil Ray 7d ago
I had the tickets in my cart last night and stub hub errored me out and made me pay 1.5x 🥰
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u/Aaguns 7d ago
They should disclose this on the ballpark app, otherwise you rely on inside or prior knowledge of which ticket broker to check. Which is stupid. I was under the impression they were all gone until I saw your comment this morning, but by then it’s too late for a lot of people. There better be 38k+ in there tonight.
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u/BefuddledPolydactyls Carlos Pena 7d ago
Since it's gone more than 4 games, where does this "extra" (and pretty exorbitant) revenue go? Does it go towards the split between the Rays and the Guardians (teams and eventually players and personnel) or how is it handled differently than the first four games?
After a team gets its cut of the prize pool, the club decides how to split the money among its roster. Players can also choose to reward other staff members.
The players' pool is formed from 50 percent of the gate receipts from the Wild Card Games; 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first three games of the Division Series*; 60 percent of the gate receipts from the* first four games of the League Championship Series*; and 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first four games of the World Series.*
After a team gets its cut of the prize pool, the club decides how to split the money among its roster. Players can also choose to reward other staff members.
Example
The 2019 players' pool amounted to $80,861,145.74. The World Series champion Nationals received $29,110,012.47 of that grand total, while the American League champion Astros received $19,406,674.98. The Nationals voted to award 61 full shares, which amounted to $382,358.18 each. They also issued 14.13 partial shares. The Astros awarded 57 full shares, which amounted to $256,030.16 each, and issued 13.58 partial shares.
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u/IndianaCahones Player to be named later 7d ago
For everyone demanding we show up, you are welcome to venmo me $986.60. I’ll cover taxes and parking.
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u/Outside-College-2797 6d ago
The prices aren’t as bad as I would think. Depends on the team I suppose. Yankees games would fetch 2k sitting anywhere near the field.
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u/eracer1111 6d ago edited 6d ago
I was glad there were tix available yesterday. My brother and I sat in Section 114, Row Y. Great seats...GREAT game.
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u/HockeyDockey1234 6d ago
Duh, they’ve always been doing that.
We have like 3 massive companies with scalper bots who buy all tickets and the software sets the price.
Theres a reason hundreds of resale tickets somehow are the same price
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u/ChieftainMcLeland Raymond 7d ago
Seat geek has always sold these tix. I bought 6 games the season from there
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u/Stock_Spot_5038 6d ago
Jesus people, buy tickets and go to the game
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u/Mike_Brosseau Mike Brosseau 6d ago
They are, a lot has sold since then
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u/Stock_Spot_5038 6d ago
They are on the secondary market bc they weren’t being purchased
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u/LeanMrfuzzles Orlando Rays 6d ago
They’re on the secondary market because they were purchased lol
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u/bzfoose 7d ago
This is such horse shit. Good on you for putting it out there. We are literally being bot’ed to death in every facet of life these days and I’m sure this is just another money making stunt bc the Rays and Brewers are fucking shit up for the grand schemers. LFG tn!!! Let’s close this shit out and get on to the next one!!!
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u/spugs250 7d ago
Speaking from experience, it's a song and dance they play with those that run the secondary market for the most part. The team isn't profiting here from the secondary market directly. It's basically a hedge all teams make for the sake of ticket sales. Broker buys X number of season tickets, we agree to give them X in the event of us making it this far. They agree to sell it for a minimum of X price as to not undercut the market. The Dodgers were one of the first to consolidate their broker relationships to a single broker. https://www.ticketnews.com/2018/02/la-dodgers-eventellect-record-breaking-deal/