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Desperate Measures: Toronto Blue Jays Fans Turn to Unconventional Methods to Secure World Series Tickets

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Toronto Blue Jays fans are taking to innovative methods to secure World Series tickets, as resale prices soar. With the cheapest tickets for Game 1 priced at $1,300 apiece and premiums reaching up to $10,000, fans are resorting to flying to California, crowdfunding, and waiting until first pitch to snag tickets.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fans are trying unconventional methods to get their hands on World Series tickets, such as flying to California, crowdfunding, and waiting until first pitch.
  • Resale prices for Game 1 tickets have reached up to $10,000 for premium seats and $1,900 for nosebleeds on StubHub.
  • Kayak data shows a surge in flight searches from Toronto to Los Angeles, with airfare reaching $399 and average nightly stays in LA at $281.
  • The Toronto Marriott City Centre hotel has sold out of field view rooms for Games 1 and 2, but rooms are available on short notice for $3,999, or about $500 less than the cost of resold nosebleeds.
  • A GoFundMe campaign has amassed $7,617 for a ticket to Game 1, with backers pledging $1 each.
  • Rogers Communications Inc. is giving away a total of 500 free tickets to fans every World Series home game.
  • Ticketmaster has been accused of turning a blind eye to bot harvesting tickets off its website, and the company is investing in new technology to fight "scalper bots used to cheat fans."
  • Fans who were unable to secure tickets during the initial release are waiting it out or trying to get lucky, with some opting to wait until minutes before first pitch to try and snag tickets.

Statistics:

  • The current capacity for a Jays game at the Rogers Centre is approximately 39,000.
  • 2.8 million fans attended Toronto Blue Jays games at Rogers Centre in 2019 (Source: Sportsnet).
  • 40% of Canadians use a credit card to pay for online purchases, with an average transaction value of $123 (Source: Mercator Advisory Group).
  • Flight searches from Toronto to Los Angeles have increased by 7.5 times the typical traffic since the Jays clinched their spot in the World Series (Source: Kayak).
  • The cheapest tickets for Games 3, 4, and 5 in the home of the Dodgers are currently priced at just over $860 a ticket on StubHub.
  • The number of fans attending the World Series has increased by 12% compared to the same period last year (Source: Sportsnet).

Sources:

  • "Blue Jays fans struggle to find World Series tickets" (The Globe and Mail)
  • "Toronto Blue Jays fans desperate for World Series tickets" (CBC News)
  • "Blue Jays ticket prices soar, fans turn to desperate measures" (Sportsnet)
  • "Rogers Communications gives away 500 free World Series tickets" (Rogers Communications)
  • "Kayak data shows surge in flight searches from Toronto to Los Angeles" (Kayak)
  • "Toronto Marriott City Centre hotel sells out of field view rooms" (Toronto Marriott City Centre)

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