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The Giants-Dodgers Rivalry: A Statistical Analysis

Rivalries have always played a huge role in sports, and we all know the fun in rooting against a team we hate.

In the past, rivals have been compared in a number of ways, from who has the best current team to who has won the most championships to who has the best fans.

We at SeatGeek  thought it would be interesting to compare rivals based on transactions on the secondary ticket market, which we have found to be a great judge of fan sentiment .  

Three weeks ago, we looked at the Mets-Phillies rivalry . Today, we will be looking at the rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers .

The first graph shows the average transaction price per month for February through July. The ticket price data is based on the date transacted, not which game the tickets are for, meaning that if a ticket is bought in February for a game in July, the data is part of February’s average.

Avg. Secondary Market Transaction Price/Month

  • Average Giants ticket prices are greater than or equal to Dodgers ticket prices every month.
  • July is a very interesting month for the Dodgers. We are not completely sure what was the cause of such an extreme drop. During July, the Dodgers are 6-8 and are currently 5.5 games out of first place, which might have caused fan sentiment to fall and with that, ticket prices.
  • Though this data is based on the transaction date and not the game date, about 40 percent of secondary market tickets for a game are usually bought with a week of the event, and over half are usually bought within two weeks. The fact that our data for July only includes data through July 19th, and so far this month the only teams the Dodgers have played at home are the Cubs and the Marlins (two below .500 teams), could also explain the significant drop in average ticket price.
  • Please comment below with any other ideas you might have regarding the significant drop in Dodgers ticket prices in July.

 

We also thought it would be interesting to track the ticket price changes as a percentage change over time—with February as our base month.

Ticket Price Comparison

This allows us to compare consumer sentiment fluctuations across different teams on the same scale. For a more simple example, lets look at two teams: Team A and Team B.

In February, Team A’s tickets are $5, and Team B’s tickets are $30. In June Team A’s tickets are $10, and Team B’s tickets are $20. That means Team A experienced a 100 percent increase in ticket prices, and Team B experienced a 33.3 percent decrease in ticket prices.

Therefore:

  • Giants tickets purchased in July are 19 percent below the price of tickets transacted in February.
  • Dodgers tickets purchased in July are 49 percent below the price of tickets transacted in February.
  • Up until July, Giants and Dodgers tickets follow an remarkably similar pattern. Prior to July, both teams’ changes in average ticket prices tracked within a 5 percent range of each other.

 

We will keep you updated. We plan on updating these plots monthly in addition to looking at other rivalries. Stay tuned.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeekMLB ,  and email max@seatgeek.com with any questions or comments.

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Sports Blog

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


Where Will Alex Rodriguez’s Milestone 600th Home Run Land?

Alex Rodriguez is currently three home runs from becoming the seventh member of the elite 600 Home Run Club.

Given the magnitude of the home run and the value of the ball, we at SeatGeek (http://SeatGeek.com) became particularly interested in where A-Rod’s 600th ball will land.

We teamed up with Hit Tracker (http://HitTrackerOnline.com), a company that tracks the trajectory of every home run hit in the MLB, to determine not only which sections at Yankee Stadium have the highest probability of the ball landing there, but also the actual seat in the stadium that is the most likely spot for A-Rod to hit number 600—“The Money Seat”.

SeatGeek also monitored ticket prices on the secondary market for sections that have the highest probability of being the landing zone for the 600th homer.

We compared these prices with the average transaction prices of these seats throughout the season to determine a fan’s ROI of buying a ticket in these sections.

This article is also featured on the SeatGeek Blog (http://SeatGeek.com/Blog).

Begin Slideshow


Alex Rodriguez’s 600th Home Run Preview

Background

With Alex Rodriguez only three home runs away from number 600, we at SeatGeek have taken a particular interest in predicting where the ball may land. The home run ball may be worth upwards of $100,000, and makes an invaluable souvenir for any Yankee fan who catches it.

Given the desire for the ball, we have reached out to our friends at Hit Tracker  to get a specific prediction, down to the very seat, of where the most likely spot for Alex Rodriguez to hit home run number 600 in Yankee Stadium is. (For more in depth coverage of the prediction, check back on the SeatGeek Blog soon).

We have coined the aforementioned seat “The Money Seat.” If you want the best chance to catch A-Rod’s 600th HR ball, you need to be sitting in this seat.

What seat is it, you ask? Well, that’s up to you guys to guess first…

Contest/Rules

Here is the contest: follow us on Twitter @SeatGeek  and in a mention to us, give us your predictions, OR L ike us on facebook  and post your prediction on our wall. We are operating under the assumption that A-Rod hits number 600 in this upcoming nine game home stand, so we want to hear your predictions for which section in Yankee Stadium “The Money Seat” is in.

In other words, which section has the highest probability of the ball landing there.

This is what you must tweet (fill in the blank with your actual guess): Entered @SeatGeek A-Rod 600th HR contest for a free tee / tickets*. My “Money Seat” prediction is in Section [ ] http://ow.ly/2bnFu

Enter Now: Redirect to Twitter to Tweet this and enter or Redirect to Facebook to ‘Like’ and enter!

Here are the sections you can choose from (in number order):

Section 103          Section 132          Section 201          Section 206          Section 235

Section 104          Section 133          Section 202          Section 207          Section 236

Section 105          Section 134          Section 203          Section 233A        Section 237

Section 106          Section 135          Section 204          Section 233B        Section 238

Section 107          Section 136          Section 205          Section 234          Section 239

Yankee Stadium Seating Map

The winner will be randomly selected amongst the correct section guesses, and will win an Alex Rodriguez player tee (or MLB player tee of their choice, if they don’t want an A-Rod one)! Note, if we reach 100 participants, we will give away $100 worth of tickets to an MLB game or concert of your choosing.

You must  Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter in order to win. No duplicate entries. The contest will run from now until Thursday at midnight, PT.

Depending on the popularity of this contest, we may then hold another contest asking for your predictions on which section the ball actually lands in (as opposed to which section has the highest probability of the ball landing there). That contest will take place from time TBD until A-Rod hits his 600th home run.

In the case that Alex Rodriguez doesn’t hit number 600 during the Yankees home stand, the contest will be altered for participants to guess the section, row and seat in the away parks. The Yankees play at Progressive Field in Cleveland and Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay before returning back to New York.

Good luck, spread the word, and don’t forget to visit SeatGeek for all of your concert and sporting event needs!

*We must have 100 entries for tickets to come into play

One entry each–No duplicates

This article is also featured on the SeatGeek Blog

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


MLB Midseason Reports Roundup, Plus Top Fifteen Second Half Games

Over the past week or so, SeatGeek has worked on our version of a MLB midseason report—ticket style. We took a comprehensive look at how each team’s ticket sales on the secondary market have been, and we power-ranked each team based on the transaction prices for tickets for each team. Here’s links to what we’ve done:

 

As the second half of the season commences, we wanted to look at the top 15 games from this point on, as determined by the highest average transaction price for tickets for the game. Not surprisingly, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are involved in almost every one of the top games for the second half of 2010.

Each game of the Red Sox last series in New York at Yankee Stadium (from September 24 – September 26) and the Yankees last series in Boston at Fenway Park (from October 1 – October 3) is included in the top fifteen, as well. Also, every game in the top fifteen takes place between teams in the American League.

Top Fifteen Second Half MLB Games

Don’t forget to enter our contest to win a MLB player tee or tickets to a game of your choice by correctly predicting on SeatGeek’s Twitter or Facebook where Alex Rodriguez is going to hit his milestone 600th home run.

Enter Now –> Redirect to Twitter to Tweet this and enter

Also, be sure to look out for our prediction of where A-Rod will hit HR number 600 at the end of the week, and make sure you follow us on Twitter @SeatGeek and ‘Like’ us on Facebook !

This article is also featured on the SeatGeek Sports Blog

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


NL East: Midseason Ticket Report

On Tuesday, we at SeatGeek begin our Midseason Ticket Report series by looking at the American League East . Since then, we have looked at the American League Centra l and the American League West . Today, we will be analyzing the National League East. We will be using three metrics; 1) Average transaction price per team versus average percent of face value per team 2) the top ten games in the NL East, as determined by average transaction price on the secondary market 3) the top three games for each team in the NL East.

Avg. Ticket Price - National League East

  • The Braves  are the second best team in baseball (based on record). Yet their tickets sell on average for lower than the Marlins , $37 to $38, who have an average attendance of 16,664, which is worst in the National League.
  • Mets  tickets, on average, sell for 27 percent more than Phillies  tickets, but Phillies tickets, on average, sell for almost double the percent of face value Mets tickets sell for.

Top 10 Most Expensive Games - NL East

  • 9 of the top 10 most expensive games in the NL East are games at the Mets’ Citi Field.

Top 3 Games Per Team - NL East

  • Six of the 15 games are games between NL East teams.
  • All three of the Mets top games are against their cross-town rivals, the Yankees , with an average transaction price of $123 for the series.
  • The Nationals top game, 4/5 vs. Phillies, was opening day. Tickets went, on average, for 61 percent more than the Nationals next most expensive game, 8/28 against the Cardinals, is going for.

Be sure to check back with SeatGeek for the rest of our MLB midseason reports. Next up is the National League Central.

Also be sure to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeekMLB  and email max@seatgeek.com with any questions or comments.

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Blog

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


2010 MLB All-Star Game Update from Anaheim, California

The MLB All-Star Game is a great opportunity for fans to watch some of the best players in all of baseball take the field, pitting the National League against the American League for home field advantage in the World Series.

This year, the game takes place at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Given the amount of baseball superstars on the rosters for the game, ticket demand for the events is high. Tickets are sold out, and the only place to grab a seat is on the secondary market.

The All-Star weekend consists of three events: All-Star Sunday  (the Futures Game and the Celebrity/Legends softball game), the Home Run Derby , and the All-Star Game . Fans can choose to buy tickets for one (or more) of the events individually, or they can buy the All-Star Package , which gives them access to all three events.

Not surprisingly, transaction prices for All-Star Package tickets are the highest, followed by All-Star Game tickets, Home Run Derby tickets (which includes the All-Star workout), and then All-Star Sunday tickets.

MLB All-Star Game Ticket Prices on SeatGeek

The All-Star Game is a once a year can’t miss spectacle, which is sure to be exciting as always in 2010. Be sure to check out SeatGeek  for all of your All-Star Game, MLB  and sold out ticket needs. Also, don’t forget to email justin@seatgeek.com with any questions, and follow us on Facebook  and Twitter  @SeatGeek!

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Sports Blog

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


Midseason Ticket Report: American League Central Division

Yesterday, we at SeatGeek begin our Midseason Ticket Report series by looking at the American League East . Today, we will be analyzing the American League Central. We will be using three metrics: 1) Average transaction price per team versus average percent of face value per team 2) the top ten games in the AL Central, as determined by average transaction price on the secondary market 3) the top three games for each team in the AL Central.

Average Ticket Price - American League Central Though the Tigers are in first place, the Twins are selling for an average of 198 percent of face value compared to the Tigers whose tickets are selling for an average of just 131 percent of face value. This could be partially due to the Twins playing in a new stadium, Target Field.

The last place Indians tickets are selling for a higher average percent of face value than the 4th place Royals , 127 percent to 121 percent.

Top 10 Most Expensive AL Central Games The most expensive game was opening day for the Twins at their new field against the Red Sox . Incredibly, this game went for an average of 48 percent more than the next most expensive game in the AL Central.

The White Sox are the home team in 5 of these games and play in 6 of them. No surprise that these games are against the Yankees and the White Sox’s crosstown rivals, the Cubs .

Top 3 Home Games Per Team - American League Central

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

10 of the 15 top home games are games against the Yankees . This shows how large of a draw the Yankees are on the road.

The only team to not have the Yankees in their top 3 was the Twins, who were swept out of the playoffs last year by the Yankees. Maybe fans are avoiding them?

Be sure to check back with SeatGeek for the rest of our MLB midseason reports. Next up is the American League West.

Also be sure to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeekMLB  and email max@seatgeek.com with any questions or comments.

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Blog

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


Midseason Ticket Report – American League Eastern Division

At the end of June, SeatGeek released their MLB power rankings ticket price edition. In that article we take a look at how each teams’ tickets were transacting on the secondary market, and we promised a more comprehensive report to come. Throughout this week, up to the All-Star break, we will be giving you those updates, division by division.

For each division, we are going to share the top ten games per division, as determined by average transaction price on the secondary market, as well as the top three games for each team in the division.

We are beginning this midseason evaluation with the American League Eastern Division, taking a look at ticket sales for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles.

As noted in the power rankings, Red Sox tickets are currently transacting at the highest average on the secondary market, despite that the Yankees have the best record in baseball. The Yankees average ticket transactions are a close third.

As expected, the Red Sox top three games are more expensive than anyone else’s top three games. Following the Sox are the Yankees, RaysBlue Jays and Orioles, respectively.

AL East Average Ticket Prices on SeatGeek

It is also not surprising that Yankees vs. Red Sox games make up most of the top ten games for the AL East. Given the rivalry, as well as the success of both teams, we have come to expect that tickets for their games, and especially their games against each other will be quite a bit more expensive on the secondary ticket market.

Interestingly, out of the top ten games for the AL East, half have occurred before the All-Star break, whereas the other half have yet to occur yet. Undoubtedly, there are numerous can’t miss events that are happening in the future that fans need to grab their tickets for now.

One of the most notable events is the series between the Yankees and Red Sox that takes place from October 1st to October 3rd in Boston. Not only is it the last Yankees-Red Sox matchup in the season, but it’s also the last series of the season. Both teams expect to be in a playoff race come October, and those last games should be exciting. As a result, two of the three games are in the top ten for the AL East, and as a whole, the series’ average transaction prices is $157.

Opening Day was popular on the secondary market, as well. Red Sox tickets for the season and home opener against the Yankees on April 4 transacted at $153, while tickets for the Yankees’ home opener on April 13 were $140. Interestingly, for the Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles, fans were generally willing to pay more for to see the Yankees than the Red Sox, despite that Red Sox tickets at Fenway Park transacted for the most in the MLB.

AL East Ticket Prices from SeatGeek

Be sure to check back with SeatGeek for the rest of our MLB midseason reports. Next up is the American League Central.

As always, if there are any questions, feel free to email justin@seatgeek.com, and don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @SeatGeek.

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Blog

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


Blue Jays the Home Team Playing in Philadelphia: How Are Ticket Prices Affected?

Tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays will begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia against the Phillies. However, this is no ordinary home series for the Phillies.

Instead, this series was supposed to be played in Toronto but had to be moved to Philly due to security reasons that arose from the G20 Summit being held in Toronto this weekend.

As a result, the game will be played as if the Blue Jays are the home team; they will take batting practice first, they will pitch in the top of the inning and hit in the bottom half, and they will wear their home uniforms. Obviously though, the fans, which are big huge part of having “home field advantage,” are going to be overwhelmingly Phillies fans.

The Blue Jays considered moving to a more neutral field but decided playing in Philly would be the easiest solution. According to Blue Jays President and CEO Paul Beeston, the series was expected to draw around 90,000 fans for the three-game set before it was moved. The Blue Jays usually draw an average of 15,208 fans, so this series was supposed to be a big draw.

We at SeatGeek are always interested in if, and how, these abnormalities affect ticket prices. Apparently, the Phillies and Blue Jays will be sharing revenue for this game, with the goal for both teams to come out revenue neutral.

We were curious to see if ticket prices for the series would be higher than the season average at home for the Phillies due to its uniqueness and how ticket prices for the series would compare to the season average in Toronto since this is technically a home game for Toronto.

Blue Jays-Phillies Avg. Transaction Price Comparison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • There is a slight, but insignificant, increase in average transaction price for this series over the Phillies’ season average, $61.73 to $59.62.
  • The one game that is significantly higher than the Phillies’ season average is tonight’s game, selling at an average of $73.39. This is most likely due to the fact that Roy Halladay is pitching and facing his old team.
  • The average transaction price for this series is significantly less than the Blue Jays’ average price at home.

The rarity of this kind of series seems to have had little effect on ticket prices, as the prices are right in line with the season average at home for the Phillies. This is definitely an unusual series, and it will be interesting to watch how it goes. I wonder how many Blue Jays fans are coming down from Toronto to see their team play “at home.”

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeekMLB and email max@seatgeek.com with any questions or comments.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


Torre’s Yankee Reunion Exciting the Dodger Faithful

YankeesDodgers  is one of the most classic and enduring rivalries in all of American sports. These two clubs have had a unique relationship since the early 20th century when the Dodgers still played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Having met each other in the World Series 11 times, most recently in the 1981 fall classic, these are clearly two franchises who don’t like each other.

For those who believe that Yankees-Dodgers has lost its luster over the past 50 years, ticket data for this weekend’s series begs to differ. Tickets for the three game set are transacting at prices of $103.92 for game 1 , $107.22 for game 2 , and $96.95 for game 3 . These prices are significantly higher than the Dodgers average ticket price this season, which is $55.27, and the average prices of the Dodger’s two preceding home series.

This is extra significant given that the two previous series were against high profile opponents, the crosstown rival LA Angels of Anaheim, and the division-leading Cardinals.

While Yankees – Dodgers is a draw regardless of the circumstances, other factors besides the history between these two teams has contributed to the excitement surrounding this series.

First of all, these two teams have not met since 2004. A time so far in the distant past, that one of the games ended with then-Dodgers closer Eric Gagne striking out former Yankee centerfielder Bernie Williams.

Since that time, Gagne has been implicated and admitted to use of performance enhancing drugs and is out of baseball. Bernie Williams has also retired and currently is more comfortable playing his guitar than swinging a bat.

The biggest draw for this series however, is the Joe Torre saga.

While managing the Yankees to four world championships and 10 straight playoff appearances, Joe Torre was a hero amongst New Yorkers.

However, after the 2007 season, Torre and the Yankees had an ugly separation, in which the Yankees offered Torre a contract extension of $5 million plus incentives which he viewed as insultingly low, and bolted to the sunny skies of Los Angeles, like Walter O’Malley and the Dodgers did 50 years earlier.

The Torre-Yankee divorce got even uglier after Torre published a book in which he criticized both Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and all-star third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

Add to the mix Manny Ramirez, the inflammatory former Red Sox, and current Dodger outfielder’s first matchup against the Yanks since his departure from Boston two seasons ago, and it’s no wonder this series is the biggest thing to hit LA since Ron Artest’s post game press conference  after the NBA finals.

This article is also featured on  SeatGeek Sports Blog


Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


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