Watching the World Series is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But is it worth the cost of one month’s rent or a ticket to Australia?
Most die-hard baseball fans would say yes. As the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians head into Game 2 on Wednesday night, the excitement is greater than ever. Given that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 and the Indians haven’t won one since 1948, it’ll be a historic occasion for at least one city.
But ticket prices for the 2016 World Series are astronomically high, rivaling that of the Super Bowl. Standing-room only tickets for Wednesday night’s game average a staggering $700 on online ticket exchanges like StubHub, SeatGeek, and TickPick. Want actual, physical, seats for this weekend’s Chicago games? That’ll set you back $2,000 each. A ticket for either Game 4 or Game 5—the point when many expect the series to end—could set you back as much as $7,000 each.
#WorldSeries tickets going for $1000? What is this, @HamiltonMusical? #supplyanddemand #chicagocubs #clevelandindians #baseball
— Katie Henderson (@MrsHendersonHB) October 25, 2016
https://twitter.com/TommyDefendi/status/790036063993507840
So unless you want to sell your ovaries or are rich, there are limited options to watch the remaining World Series games outside your Roku player. But if the growing excitement is too much to handle, here are our tips to scoring World Series tickets.
Buy tickets on game day
Waiting last minute for most things in life is usually a recipe for disaster. But purchasing World Series tickets at the very last second may play in your favor. The Freakonomics blog back in 2007 determined that a day or two before the game was the best time to buy World Series tickets on StubHub.
And that downward trend seems to have persisted with World Series tickets. According to TickPick, prices of tickets have gone down marginally as the days decreased in number before Game 1.
TickPick
As of publication, there are a pair of reserved tickets for Wednesday’s game up for grabs on StubHub for $868 dollars each. Standing room-only tickets start at $690 dollars. Not a bad deal if you’re desperate.
Scour Reddit for last-minute ticket opportunities
It may work in your favor to look outside the dozens of ticket resale merchants like StubHub and SeatGeek. One redditor organized a football squares pool of $100 each, with the winner scoring a pair of Game 3 tickets. Other redditors are offering tickets to Game 3 and Game 4 at reduced prices from the secondary market.
Bid on tickets
TickPick lets you bid on tickets. While it’s fun to set your own bargain-basement offers that don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of being accepted, the tables may turn on game day. Ticket resellers may be more willing to let the tickets go for a lower price. Now may also be a good time to experiment bidding on the later games (past Game 5), which many don’t expect to be held at all.
Try writing them off your taxes
Donald Trump is likely a fan of this “con.” The IRS allows for 50 percent of tickets to sporting events to be deducted from your taxes as long as they’re “business expenses.” It’s true that most of us would rather sit through the World Series with our friends and family rather than our bosses and co-workers. But if the higher-ups are up for it, why not?
Is your co-worker or client a great guy who wouldn’t mind talking some shop before the game? The World Series may be the perfect place for your next meeting.
Crowdfund your World Series tickets
Hey, it couldn’t hurt just to try. A GoFund Me page to send a 97-year old World War II hero to the World Series was a massive success. Who says it won’t work out for regular old you? Just last week one of our editors crowdfunded a parking ticket he didn’t want to pay. You may be the lucky recipient of one of the internet’s occasional bouts of dumb generosity.
When all else fails, Craigslist
The Cleveland and Chicago Craigslists are just a sea of posts by online ticket reseller sites and ticket scams. But every so often, you’ll find a dad whose son just got sick and needs to get rid of his World Series tickets.
Komando offers some handy advice on how to avoid getting scammed on Craigslist when buying tickets. First, always meet in-person. Transfers of money through Western Union or MoneyGram are almost always guaranteed scams. If you can’t meet in person, PayPal is the best route since it protects buyer’s and seller’s transactions.
