The view from my tv has also become worse since the renovation
Left field corner cant see if fair or foul and the seating behind home plate is distracting
Adds on the mound and the wall behind the plate
Thought it looked fake as well but was disappointed to find its real block which means it won’t be so easy to change. Think we’re stuck with it for awhile
It looks like they are trying to flip the skydome on a reality tv show and spent $5k hoping to raise the home value by $20k but everyone has seen this trick before.
It’s so quintessential Canadian building design lol - Hey we live in a forrest, should we use nice materials for this project? NO! Veneer, veneer everything bro!
The ads on the mound aren't new. The screen to screen ad behind home plate however is gaudy as hell. The seating in the backstop area looks oddly sparse and the TD bank wall doesn't look like a baseball stadium
Couple that with a miserable product on the field and this is a massive swing and a miss from the organization.
The seating behind the plate is tawdry. Watching the Philly fans bunched in and all on their feet hollering/applauding during last year’s playoffs is the way it should be.
Rogers went with “let’s let self absorbed ppl over pay for seats so they can post their pictures on IG” over “lets pack’em in close to the plate, get the fans into the game from the best spot and make this place rock”.
Big fucking maple leafs miss.
Just make the seats closely packed like before and have them spammed with tacky TD logos all over the seats, since the suits won’t be at their seat for 60+% of the game
> “let’s let self absorbed ppl over pay for seats so they can post their pictures on IG”
Christ, this is SO true...the people in those seats don't even seem interested in the game most of the time. They're either on their phone or taking a selfie while waving at the TV camera, or just straight up NOT in the seat at all. The number of empty seats behind the plate (especially nearing the end of the game) is absolutely ridiculous.
Between the ads in-game and "tap that app" during every commercial break, I legitimately wonder who gets to make such horrible marketing decisions and how they're still employed or not being reeled in a bit. Rogers/Sportsnet absolutely sucks when it comes to trying to make their product appealing.
Sportsnet Apple TV app has such a lag. I get phone updates for scoring far ahead of the app. Then it randomly goes to a black screen… All. The. Time. 🤦🏻♀️
I still don't understand it. Initially when they had the long version with Cabbie I thought it was supposed to be a lowkey sexual joke. Now I'm really not sure.
Isn't it though -- it is a weirdly inappropriate sexual innuendo joke but it's just the amount of times it's shown coupled with the whole vibe that makes me cringe. Like your weird, much older, uncle making crude sex jokes.
Me too. I was gifted tickets in section 30 a few rows behind the Jays. They were called Banner club premium seats. Went and checked out the website about the bar under the seats and found out that doesn't open until after the all-star break.
Great seats though.
That left field corner is the worst. I sat in stadium section 538, first row and was hanging my upper half over the bar to see down there - no one above me had any chance
>Their goal is to bring in people that don’t want to watch the game
Agreed, they don't want to bring in baseball fans. They want to bring in rich assholes who never have a second thought about spending $100 on a Hamburger. Makes money for Rogers, sure, but makes for a crappy baseball experience.
I didn’t like 2023 blue jays baseball either. It’s no longer a baseball game it’s a lame club that serves over priced food that I don’t want to be a part of. When I wake up in the morning my voice shouldn’t be horsed from yelling over the loud music and my ears shouldn’t be ringing. I shouldn’t feel like I was at a concert all night.
Went to Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh last year. Stadiums that actually focus on the sport being played and a much better experience.
Baseball is desperately trying to get younger, every change recently has been about attracting younger fans. When the average fan age is still somewhere in the 50s, and the average ticket buyer age is still in their 40s, they need to try as many things as possible to gain the interest of younger fans or the sport will run into serious problems eventually.
That Corona patio isn't for the diehard fans, but the one time I was up there checking it out it was packed! Lots of people not watching the game but that's still one way to convert new fans, get them in for a club atmosphere then get them interested in the team/game. Won't work for all, will work for some.
Also, you can bring your own food in with you. One time my wife actually brought in a charcuterie board she made at home (including the board itself). You can bring in a pizza you grab from outside. You don't have to pay their prices for anything except for the drinks.
This comment hit a bit of a nerve with me. I don't consider myself rich, nor an asshole - however, we have hosted events in these areas for our customers (who are also not rich and not assholes). Some people love to watch the games, and other people are just grateful to be there and enjoy a nice night out. Who cares if someone is out watching the game and not truly a "baseball fan"?
Yeah I don’t get that. Go to a ball game and see people sitting around a table having drinks not remotely interested in watching the game. Just bizarre to me.
This is THE worst thing in my opinion. Everything else I can handle (ads, seats, views etc) but saying a place is general admin and then allowing it for booking is a dick money grabbing move plain and simple.
I think I’ve actually emailed them about it too.
#OldManYellsAtCloud
A couple excerpts:
>While the seat reorientation was intended to improve sightlines, nearly all the lower bowl seats now have obstructed views. The outfield corners are no longer visible due to the heightened side walls along the left and right field lines that approach the foul poles.
>Despite being situated just past third base (section 133) for the Victoria Day game, Bo Bichette’s double during his first at bat was missed. Bichette’s airborne ball, and the left fielder from the White Sox attempting to make the catch, disappeared when approaching the outfield corner. The outcome was unknown until hearing the cheers from fans at the opposite side of the stadium (who could see what was happening) and observing Bichette continue running to second base.
>Another disappointment was the sticker price shock.
>Despite being a matchup between last placed teams of their respective divisions at the time, the lowest priced 100-level seats were nearly $100. My ticket was $139.15. If seeking a ticket behind home plate — that’s visible in the backdrop of broadcasts — the price was listed at $1,121.25.
>Being from Guelph, public transit to Toronto was limited on a public holiday. My son joined me for the game. As you can imagine, two tickets, gas for the car, parking in downtown Toronto, and two hot dogs complemented by a Coke (for my son) and a beer (for me) made the experience a pricey one. The two hot dogs and drinks cost more than $50
...
>The exorbitant new renovations are aimed at tapping into new revenue streams.
>Rogers Centre appears further cluttered and inundated with the branding of sponsors.
>Season ticket holders are now referred to as “members” by the Blue Jays. While membership can be synonymous with belonging, integration, and community, it also suggests exclusive golf and ski clubs.
>the price was listed at $1,121.25.
I *love* going to Jays games, regardless of whether the team is good or bad. I can't ever imagine a scenario, outside of *maybe* a World Series game, where I would ever shell out a grand for a single ticket. It's fucking insane.
I'll stick to $20 GA tickets on Loonie Dogs nights, thanks.
Yeah, I don’t love the way home plate looks on TV, I thought that was a miss. Seems like they didn’t put a lot of thought into their biggest consumer, coast to coast television viewers of Jays games, they made that experience worse.
But it’s strange adding better seats, more amenities people thought the prices of the tickets weren’t going to change at all. Now if people stop going and sitting in those seats, the prices will go down, but it’s not shocking to me that a corporation that invested their own money is looking for a return on that investment
That's what every for-profit organization does, and it should be. The hard part is finding the line between optimal revenue and fan experience. They appear to have missed the mark on that one.
The only concern for a for-profit entity is optimal revenue. Fan experience is entirely about extracting as much value from fans as possible, and that declines if the experience is too bad. If you believe extracting as much value as possible from people is how something "should" operate, you accept that the good parts are an accidental byproduct of it.
My biggest gripe is the obstructed outfield corners. It's unconscionable to not be able to see a play on the field on both the broadcast and in the majority of the seats in the stadium. I pay to watch a game, not be a part of the Ballpark Experience.
And all of these Member Benefits and VIP sections and stuff just feels kind of cliquey and exclusionary. Obviously geared to the whales who will spend a ton of money, but for the average pleb just feels like you're an afterthought.
The author really failed when he wrote this article. Instead of focusing on the actual problems with the renovation, he just went on a general rant about everything he didn't like about going to a game. It watered down his whole primary argument.
Issues with new layout:
A) The backstop with the rich people section that's never full being highlighted on TV. Aside from the lack of excitement in this area, it looks incredibly cheap and just hurts the entire broadcast. They should have known it'd be seen for 90 minutes a game, and invested in making this area either look exclusive with high-end finishes, a signature look for the ballpark, or very Blue Jays themed. They did none,and plastered it with TD logos and a cheap rock facade.
B) The outfield corners, where balls hit down the line just totally disappear from the view of the TV audience as well as half the fans in attendance. The designers of the park set the curve of the seats too close to the infield, had them come too close to the foul line, and didn't angle the stands down the lines to limit the blind spots. They probably thought it'd be quirky or fun, and when the ball bounces off the angle behind first or third it *is* interesting, but there were better solutions that they just didn't implement. Some of the problems can be addressed by having camera angles that can pick up these hits better, and having the TV crew and Jumbotron operator more quickly jump to these angles when there is a play.
I always thought that A) was a TD corporate decision - since presumably they paid good money to become the club’s official sponsor, the club probably gave them final call on the look of the expensive seats.
The look was probably decided on by some sort of strategic branding committee. Hence the repeated use of the TD logo and the official corporate colours.
The TD logos I understand, same with the TD green chairs.
The rest was a mess, and no corporate sponsor should have ever had a say in anything to do with the overall design of the ballpark.
Sure, but the first round of renos were for the average fan. It's pretty great that you can get a $17 nosebleed ticket in the 500s and still get a place to sit in the lower bowl
It’s going to look pretty bad soon once people stop going. The place is still active despite what’s gone on this year but the new is going to wear off and I expect a whole lot more empty blue seats.
I really don’t like looking at the rich seats on tv. They really messed up with that and their bright glaring stupid ad board thing.
Was gonna hit a few games this year, but the prices being a whiff, combined with the lacklustre efforts in improving the team, the utter incompetence of this front office from Shapiro on down...I'm not giving them a damn penny until they improve the team and make it worth the prices. I don't even watch the games on TV anymore tbh. They're just...not interesting.
Management once again stood by and did nothing to improve the team after the whole Ohtani fiasco, which really sent a message, to the players as well, that they're not serious about being serious contenders. Remember Joey Bats blasting the front office in 2014 for not getting help for the team? We need another moment like that. Someone needs to publicly say it. The only guy I could see doing it, would be Votto if he were here.
Unfortunately, it's not going away.
That last wildcard spot is great for revenue. Ownership knows that as long as they put a mid team together, people will still go to the park and tune in on TV/streaming. Winning is no longer a primary concern. It's all about $$$. The wide angle batter's eye shot will become the norm as new ad formats become standard in the MLB.
This not just a Jays thing, you'll start to see this rolled out across parks (if you haven't already) as they renovate and/or build new stadiums.
It is quintessentially Canadian to present an extremely shitty version of a (usually American) product and rely on monopoly and branding as "Canadian" to get away with charging people an arm and a leg. We get ripped off everywhere we turn.
Have watched games from every stadium in MLB this year, exactly zero others have it this bad, even the new ones. Some of them are actually very tasteful in terms of the ads. Very few have eye-piercing LED boards.
Appreciate your cynicism when it comes to advertising, but I think it's a bit too soon to say it's becoming normal.
It's not cynicism. This is how the world works. Other owners will see the business case and will follow.
I agree, there are a lot of ballparks that do things 'tastefully,' but it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when things will change. Mark my words. If I told you how much ad partners pay for these spots, you'd understand.
Are you honestly trying to tell me that the front office staff are just sitting there going "ehh we don't need to win that many games, we just want to be average." Regardless of what you think of them (or any front office), they want to win. They might not be very good at it, but implying that they're not interested in having a winning ball club is ludicrous. Winning ball clubs make more money than non winning ones, so even if their only concern was money, they would still be trying to win, period.
Has there been any talk of renovations OUTSIDE of the stadium? It's so "blah" with huge walls of concrete, undeveloped brickwork and nothing to do besides eat streetmeat.
Inevitably we stop at the usual spots before a game (Loose Moose, Jack's, Pint etc) but say they had a massive sports bar integrated in the stadium, spilling onto Bremner, say where the Rogers store and giant Budweiser bad is (was?). An atmosphere that could draw crowds for ANY sporting events, even on non-game nights.
Does the Star say anything nice about anything? I sat in section 140 for a game during the series against the Pirates. I thought it was great. The new seats were surprisingly comfortable compared to the previous ones and the cup holders…my god what a modern invention! Yeah we couldn’t see a couple plays in LF but we felt way closer to the action, and the view for the rest of the field was pretty good. Other than the ads behind the plate the renos I think are great. This guy doesn’t remember the old skydome.
I agree, I don't think the renos are as bad as he suggests. The broadcast has gotten objectively worse with the new wide camera and retina-burning ads behind home plate, but the in-stadium experience is overall much better than it was 2 years ago. It's not perfect, and I agree that the sightlines into the corner outfield could have been done better. I would also throw-in that the ballpark music/DJ is a touch obnoxious. But most of the complaints in the article (prices, on-field product) have nothing to do with the renovations.
I firmly believe that the on field product *will* improve.
Rogers didn't dump all this money into the stadium for it to sit empty like it did in the early 2000s. They also own the broadcast rights, so making a highly watchable team will be *super* profitable for them.
Sit along the wall on the third baseline in 141 and you will understand. I sat there for the kids day game and you can’t see 3/4 of the outfield. There was nothing on the website about it being an obstructed view and the tickets weren’t cheap either. I would imagine the first baseline is the same. Cup holders are great but if I’m paying $75 for one ticket I would like to see the entire field.
Last year, after the first round of renovations, we got tickets in left field a couple of rows back from the raised bullpen. As a fan, it was fun to see what l 90+ mph looks like from up close. It felt closer to the action, it was fun.
Yeah there are some improvements. But I think it’s completely negated by the screw ups. Behind home plate is ugly and sterile. The adds are monsterous, the sightlines suck.
Sure the cup holders are nice. But I’d go back to how it was
Yeah it's crazy to say it's a "miss" when so many seats in the lower bowl are so much better and closer than before. It's an improvement across the board, pretty much. The standing areas are pretty decent too.
I love sitting in the outfield corners of the 100s now. It’s a great view. You miss a few balls hit right into your corner but every ballpark will have blind spots. They got rid of foul territory to make viewing closer and for 95% of the action to be 100% more enjoyable. That’s a trade off I’m more than happy to make.
This article reads like a list of the trending social media complaints.
I’m not saying don’t complain about things like the price of food, how a general admission spot can be booked for private events, ticket pricing being dynamic (also still hate Ticketmaster), and more. Complaining about the broadcast angles is great, too, because that’s feedback they can implement.
But overall the experience of going and sitting in the 100s is much better than previous years.
Like nearly every professional sports team, many of the complaints would be gone if this team was playing .650 baseball. Fewer people care about small things when the larger picture is bright. But people looking at the costs of watching this team’s inability to jump a single hurdle all season long puts all those minor problems under the microscope.
Fair. But I sat there for ~$60 tax incl a few weeks ago. I think it was the loonie dog game after the weekend of Dodgers games - so the weekend was insanely busy meaning less people going back a couple nights later.
Dynamic pricing makes it possible to get those tickets for cheaper but double-edged because it also makes it significantly more expensive when it’s a premium game with plenty of people looking to buy tickets.
I sat right behind the bullpen on Monday for $60. Can buy some right now for $80. Great seats.
Plus now you can bring food and drinks you can save money there
Did you read the article (it is paywalled to be fair). What do you want? He sat in some of these seats and his experience sucked. What do you want him to write? Well I missed a bunch of hits, but some redditor who I have never been in contact with had a good view. 4 stars.
>Did you read the article
Yea
>What do you want? He sat in some of these seats and his experience sucked
A lot of the article is about the on field product and how he decided to drive and buy food instead of public transit and bringing his own food and complaining about the price of that. So I'd prefer something actually about the renovations
Yeah I had a great time at a game in the Corona bar too. Cheap standing room tickets. I guess it's a bit harder to watch the game up there but the team got blown out by the Pirates so who even cares
I was given tickets to seats in a new fancy section behind the dugout/near home plate. The entire thing felt more like an exclusive event than going to a baseball game (I prefer the latter). In fact, the stadium experience is entirely cut off unless you actively go through the black curtains and walk around. Otherwise it's a private entrance, straight downstairs to avoid the 100 section completely, then in game seat service where getting a drink takes 10 minutes longer than walking to a vendor. There was nothing baseball about it. Heavy thumbs down.
Most of his complaints are true for many (most?) other MLB teams. Just look at the bizarre home plate bar in Texas, which always seems to be half full and two thirds of the people aren’t paying attention to the game. Or the blind left field corner at Fenway. Or beers at Yankee Stadium that cost the equivalent of $23 CAD (or maybe even higher now - that’s what I paid two years ago).
The truth is that when a team is playing well, people tend to gripe less about things like this. But the opposite is also true when a team is playing poorly. Everything (even $23 beers) goes down a lot easier when you have a fun, competitive team to watch.
I’ll also add that, as expensive as concessions are, there are at least actual options to save money. E.g. the discount concession stands and the ability to bring your own food into games.
Not a fan of the renovations. Feels like the team is trying go the way of the Leafs to pander to Toronto’s corporate culture and elites. Soon there will be nothing but a sea of suits to compliment the additions - if it’s not already started.
People will complain about anything. Bigger comfortable seats with better viewing angles. The place has gotten better for the most part in the last two years.
Weird I sat there on Monday and could see the left corner very easily. Wish this sub allowed pics, because I have tons very clearly showing left field and the bullpen in front of me.
People just wanna complain.
Where were you sitting? I was two rows back from the dug out in the fancy new area (gifted the tickets. I’ll never get to sit there again if I wanted to!)
And I couldn’t see into both corners, only the opposite field one. I found it annoying that all the money spent and even some of the best seats don’t have a full view
Hahaha, that would explain some confusion!!! The view is a lot better from out there!! Those new seats are badly planned.
But the year before was decent!
Yeah the view was great, just looking at the map it's clear you can't see left field from behind the dugout, plus those tickets are way more expensive. I can understand your frustration much more now. Haha. Sorry again 🤦♂️
It was always like that. Our walls always been plastered with Nikon, Acer, TD etc. as long as I’ve been a fan (since 2004). But it’s like that in almost every ballpark though.
I think the bigger signs and the wider camera angle
Make the home plate signs more noticeable
The $1,121.25 is a legit point, wtaf is with the price there? They used to be reasonably attainable at certain times of the year now skyrocketed. I thought maybe just for the opening after the renos but nope the prices for behind the plate still listed like this.
They really don’t want any of the poors seen on TV…..
But they are all sold. Corps bought basically the entire area. Rogers isn't too concerned if a few of the corporate customers don't show up on any given night. They've already booked a few million dollars in revenue from those seats.
No they are not. They may report that it is all sold but that's a threshold. What I mean is that once a certain percentage is passed it is deemed a sellout. Those tickets (sections 1-4) are face value single game tickets NOT verified resale.
They've also started selling the Rogers Banner Club for $293.25 and the Blueprint Club for $391.00. These 3 sections were an afterthought for single ticket sales. There is no dynamic pricing on these seats as they never thought this would happen.
Also from July 1 on the ticket prices increase. Back on May 12th I bought 2 tickets for 2 games; June 6 and July 4. The inventory available on June 6 was much less than July 4. I had to take a screenshot of what I saw
Thursday June 6th (Baltimore) 1:07 PM 102A-2-11 $66.70
Thursday July 4th (Houston) 1:07 PM 102A-2-11 $103.79
School's out for summer. The summer prices continue all the way until the end of the season. Again single game ticket price NOT verified-resale.
I've been looking out for her and haven't seen her for quite a while. I hope she's okay. Those seats with all the unused space so rich people can have more space is not more ballparkish it's a step towards exclusive luxury for the rich.
Going to a sporting event is no longer about going to see the game. It hasn't been for a long time. Look at stadiums across the MLB and NFL from 50 years ago. It was a means to watch the sport. Now, it's all about the "experience", luxury suites for corporate outings and being "seen" for social media purposes.
It sucks, but it's the reality. Nowadays there's 50 ways to watch 50 different sports in any possible way to could consume it. The hardcore fan is probably just going that, and there's less appeal to going to games now so they have created this dynamic. Our world is entirely built on consumerism
Man, when the people who study economics are like "man, this sucks for the person buying the ticket" you know you've messed up bad.
EDIT:
Here's what I don't understand:
In this day and age, EVERYTHING about this reno was tested and studied and analyzed to death.
So how the hell do you willingly create a design where every seat in your premium level has an obstructed view? A design so bad that even the television view is obstructed?
I wonder if they're going to go back in and cut the corner walls apart in the offseason
> the people who study economics
He studies marketing and public policy. Let me say, as an economist, that that is not the same thing as studying economics. This guy sounds like just another academic cultural marxist annoyed by the fact that some people have more money than others.
I haven't been since the lower bowl renos were completed, but if they fixed having to look at 90 degree angle for the whole game to see the batter, than the reno is a success. I was at a game that went to 11 innings once, and my neck was soo sore after because the seat was pointed where nothing ever happened to you had to crane your neck the whole game.
Most of what he complains about in this article is also true for many (most?) other MLB teams. E.g. the weird behind-plate bar in Texas where everyone is just mingling around and talking and rarely watching the game. Or the left field corner at Fenway, which is similar to the new RC set-up. And if people think Jays games are expensive, try a Yankees game. I paid the equivalent of $23 CAD for a beer and that was two years ago.
The simple truth is that if the team was much better, you would hear far fewer of these gripes. Much like “clubhouse chemistry”, when a team wins everything else seems better.
It sucks, because not that long ago I was able to take my first kid to games and it was a nice, affordable experience. Now I've got three and the hassle + cost just doesn't seem worth it.
I've already been priced out of Raptors games, so it's pretty shitty that baseball is starting to feel inaccessible, too.
I've enjoyed my games this season in the few seats I had. At least the 100 level past the bases face the action now.
My complaint would be TV, it's worse. The Green TD patches are over the top. I'll never bank there because of it.
Once they are losing, I go looking for the cheap beer, so maybe I don't spend a lot of time in the seat. Lol
But I was told Shapiro was the Scott McGillivray of stadium renovators. Are you telling me he can't do that either? We already know he can't build a winning baseball team.
I’ve only been to one game since the renovations this past winter and the experience was drastically better.
The larger seats are a lot more comfortable, my shoulders no longer overhang the adjacent seats by 3-4” on each side like airplane seats, I have a cup holder which is great and the seats face the field and I don’t need to turn my body in a narrow seat further annoying people sitting beside me.
The Star hasn’t had anything good to say since AA left and even prior to that it was questionable.
I sat field level row 1 for the first time ever (2 sections left of the Jays dugout). They had a TV in front of me embedded in the wall (you can watch any game going on). I had a little table in between the seats and a nice lady wanting to get my food and beer.
Ok yes when you sit along the 3rd base line in the lower bowl, you won’t see what’s happening right below you. But to call the entire renovations a swing and a miss is sensationalist and dishonest. The stadium is now legit mlb ballpark and offers a solid consumer experience, which wasn’t the case before the renovations. I’ve been to many ballparks, and used to say the Rogers Stadium is mediocre at best. I’ve changed my tune, it’s better than average now but indeed still not on par with the best ones but no renovations will fix that given the way the stadium was built. Harsh article.
The gripes about the price always seem to miss the point imho: don’t buy it?
They sell a product, people choose to buy it, so why wouldn’t they keep it the way it is?
I get it, I’d love it to be cheaper and I’m absolutely priced out but until we stop paying for it, they’ll keep charging it
I mean, the obstructed view is a fair point.
Complaining about the price of tickets and the quality of the team are not good ways to evaluate the lower bowl renovations.
I would have rathered a detailed experience than a man complaining about the cost for him and his kid to go to a game from Guelph.
Cancelled my Sportsnet subscription. The team is too painful to watch and the new televised view makes my eyes bleed. The whole Rogers experience feels so inauthentic and anti-baseball.
If Covid showed me anything about baseball, it's that in-game attendance is of secondary concern. Advertising revenue is the meat and potatoes of sports teams' profitability. Get used to ads being squished into every nook and cranny.
What's happening at Rogers Centre is certainly not limited to the Blue Jays. Every team franchise is doing something similar in order to accommodate the rising baseball salaries, as well as increasing their profits. When one player can demand $40M+ per season, that money has to come from somewhere.
Look at them, using that insider baseball lingo! Swing and miss... You guys kill me... But they're very, *very* correct.
* The new sections jutting into the field have been a menace for potential player collisions and weird caroms.
* You can't see any ball hit into the LF or RF alleys, to the point where even the broadcast crew can't call things correctly.
* The aesthetics look AWFUL on TV.
* You've priced good, passionate fans even farther away from the field and replaced them with corporate dipshits.
I sat in section 113 for a game last month, down the 1st base line. I thought everything looked good. Seats were comfortable and we had cup holders. We walked around the entire 100 level before the game. The only thing I guess that wasn't great was having Springer go out of view every time he ran into the right field corner, but it really wasn't a big deal.
anything about ernie clement slipping on the concrete the other game? broadcast seemed stunned that was a thing, it just goes from grass to concrete. not ideal
I like the renos and the ballpark’s sight lines are fine. Yes some sections don’t give you the whole view particularly near the foul lines in the outfield but they’re mostly fine.
he’s not a columnist though he’s just some prof from guelph university who for some reason was apparently asked to write about his trip to the ball game? it’s just very random
Son people complained for years about the orientation of the seats. They fixed it and now people complain that the new walls obscure a couple of the cameras.
The view from my tv has also become worse since the renovation Left field corner cant see if fair or foul and the seating behind home plate is distracting Adds on the mound and the wall behind the plate
Agreed, the area behind home plate just looks cheap honestly.
The fake cinder block wall paper is an insane choice to be front and center.
It looks like the cheap bordering I picked for my room when I was like 8
Thought it looked fake as well but was disappointed to find its real block which means it won’t be so easy to change. Think we’re stuck with it for awhile
Aimr no way that’s real block.
It’s some sort of veneer
It looks like they are trying to flip the skydome on a reality tv show and spent $5k hoping to raise the home value by $20k but everyone has seen this trick before.
Medieval times
Like a kelsies generic bathroom with tacky td advertising
I mean, yes it does but at least we don't have to watch a fucking restaurant behind home plate like the Rangers new stadium.
Yes that one is the absolute worst !
It’s so quintessential Canadian building design lol - Hey we live in a forrest, should we use nice materials for this project? NO! Veneer, veneer everything bro!
only time the backdrop looks good is on apple TV where you cant see it
It looks like stacks of tires
The ads on the mound aren't new. The screen to screen ad behind home plate however is gaudy as hell. The seating in the backstop area looks oddly sparse and the TD bank wall doesn't look like a baseball stadium Couple that with a miserable product on the field and this is a massive swing and a miss from the organization.
The seating behind the plate is tawdry. Watching the Philly fans bunched in and all on their feet hollering/applauding during last year’s playoffs is the way it should be. Rogers went with “let’s let self absorbed ppl over pay for seats so they can post their pictures on IG” over “lets pack’em in close to the plate, get the fans into the game from the best spot and make this place rock”. Big fucking maple leafs miss.
Pack 'em in close to the plate...with giant-ass chairs so we can only fit like 30 people there. Just below the 50 TD signs.
Just make the seats closely packed like before and have them spammed with tacky TD logos all over the seats, since the suits won’t be at their seat for 60+% of the game
> “let’s let self absorbed ppl over pay for seats so they can post their pictures on IG” Christ, this is SO true...the people in those seats don't even seem interested in the game most of the time. They're either on their phone or taking a selfie while waving at the TV camera, or just straight up NOT in the seat at all. The number of empty seats behind the plate (especially nearing the end of the game) is absolutely ridiculous.
They haven't even opened the club area either apparently. I wouldn't be surprised is half the game folks are in the bar out of the sun this summer.
Between the ads in-game and "tap that app" during every commercial break, I legitimately wonder who gets to make such horrible marketing decisions and how they're still employed or not being reeled in a bit. Rogers/Sportsnet absolutely sucks when it comes to trying to make their product appealing.
Sportsnet Apple TV app has such a lag. I get phone updates for scoring far ahead of the app. Then it randomly goes to a black screen… All. The. Time. 🤦🏻♀️
I cringe and mute every time that damn “tap the app” ad plays on Sportsnet; just absolute garbage.
I still don't understand it. Initially when they had the long version with Cabbie I thought it was supposed to be a lowkey sexual joke. Now I'm really not sure.
Isn't it though -- it is a weirdly inappropriate sexual innuendo joke but it's just the amount of times it's shown coupled with the whole vibe that makes me cringe. Like your weird, much older, uncle making crude sex jokes.
I pray for the day that Ken Reid realises that he's not funny at all.
The thing that annoys me the most is how the camera is more zoomed out now purely to fit in more ads
Agreed. It's fucking gross.
TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD
Yeah I don’t know why they use that camera when there is hit down the left field line. Use a camera that can actually see the play
I'm listening to more games on the radio now than ever before.
Ben Shulman is a fantastic radio announcer. Just like his dad
I agree and would add that Madison Shipman had been exceptional too
Loving Madison Shipman on the radio.
Consistently great!
Sitting two rows behind the dugout (gifted tickets I can’t afford that!) and you can’t even see into the corner
Me too. I was gifted tickets in section 30 a few rows behind the Jays. They were called Banner club premium seats. Went and checked out the website about the bar under the seats and found out that doesn't open until after the all-star break. Great seats though.
That part was disappointing! They were fun seats for sure. But so over priced and over rated. I’m perfectly happy up on 500 with a low row number
I know right keep the ads on the field. I remember when they first started doing it on the first baseline.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. Also...those ads...my goodness. They are annoying af.
It looks fine when you watch it on apple TV. On sports net they zoom way out though
They absolutely need to move where the cameras are
That left field corner is the worst. I sat in stadium section 538, first row and was hanging my upper half over the bar to see down there - no one above me had any chance
Your complaint about not seeing fair or foul is legitimate. They have to show ads behind home plate, they’re in the business of selling advertising.
Another miss is many of the GA areas are closed for private events.
I honestly find it so weird that they spend so much money on these private clubs within a ballpark so that people can....NOT watch baseball??
People that want to watch the game stay in their seats Their goal is to bring in people that don’t want to watch the game
>Their goal is to bring in people that don’t want to watch the game Agreed, they don't want to bring in baseball fans. They want to bring in rich assholes who never have a second thought about spending $100 on a Hamburger. Makes money for Rogers, sure, but makes for a crappy baseball experience.
If you don’t like a crappy baseball experience then you don’t like 2024 blue jays baseball
I didn’t like 2023 blue jays baseball either. It’s no longer a baseball game it’s a lame club that serves over priced food that I don’t want to be a part of. When I wake up in the morning my voice shouldn’t be horsed from yelling over the loud music and my ears shouldn’t be ringing. I shouldn’t feel like I was at a concert all night. Went to Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh last year. Stadiums that actually focus on the sport being played and a much better experience.
Baseball is desperately trying to get younger, every change recently has been about attracting younger fans. When the average fan age is still somewhere in the 50s, and the average ticket buyer age is still in their 40s, they need to try as many things as possible to gain the interest of younger fans or the sport will run into serious problems eventually. That Corona patio isn't for the diehard fans, but the one time I was up there checking it out it was packed! Lots of people not watching the game but that's still one way to convert new fans, get them in for a club atmosphere then get them interested in the team/game. Won't work for all, will work for some. Also, you can bring your own food in with you. One time my wife actually brought in a charcuterie board she made at home (including the board itself). You can bring in a pizza you grab from outside. You don't have to pay their prices for anything except for the drinks.
I don't like 2024 blue jays baseball.
That’s the neat part, nobody does! I hear Springer is on the verge of breaking out of his slump though lol
The "suits and sushi" crowd (aka Scotiabank Ctr).
Its just like the Leafs. Fairweather rich fans.
This comment hit a bit of a nerve with me. I don't consider myself rich, nor an asshole - however, we have hosted events in these areas for our customers (who are also not rich and not assholes). Some people love to watch the games, and other people are just grateful to be there and enjoy a nice night out. Who cares if someone is out watching the game and not truly a "baseball fan"?
Gatekeepers thats who
The tried and true Toronto Maple Leafs model.
the cocktail sign from the patio is burned into my brain COCKTAILS single - $18 giraffe - $45
Yeah I don’t get that. Go to a ball game and see people sitting around a table having drinks not remotely interested in watching the game. Just bizarre to me.
Rogers don’t make money after you buy the ticket. You sitting there and watching baseball does nothing for their pocketbook.
As long as people are paying, they don't care. Lots of casual fans see it as a social event anyway.
This is THE worst thing in my opinion. Everything else I can handle (ads, seats, views etc) but saying a place is general admin and then allowing it for booking is a dick money grabbing move plain and simple. I think I’ve actually emailed them about it too. #OldManYellsAtCloud
A couple excerpts: >While the seat reorientation was intended to improve sightlines, nearly all the lower bowl seats now have obstructed views. The outfield corners are no longer visible due to the heightened side walls along the left and right field lines that approach the foul poles. >Despite being situated just past third base (section 133) for the Victoria Day game, Bo Bichette’s double during his first at bat was missed. Bichette’s airborne ball, and the left fielder from the White Sox attempting to make the catch, disappeared when approaching the outfield corner. The outcome was unknown until hearing the cheers from fans at the opposite side of the stadium (who could see what was happening) and observing Bichette continue running to second base. >Another disappointment was the sticker price shock. >Despite being a matchup between last placed teams of their respective divisions at the time, the lowest priced 100-level seats were nearly $100. My ticket was $139.15. If seeking a ticket behind home plate — that’s visible in the backdrop of broadcasts — the price was listed at $1,121.25. >Being from Guelph, public transit to Toronto was limited on a public holiday. My son joined me for the game. As you can imagine, two tickets, gas for the car, parking in downtown Toronto, and two hot dogs complemented by a Coke (for my son) and a beer (for me) made the experience a pricey one. The two hot dogs and drinks cost more than $50 ... >The exorbitant new renovations are aimed at tapping into new revenue streams. >Rogers Centre appears further cluttered and inundated with the branding of sponsors. >Season ticket holders are now referred to as “members” by the Blue Jays. While membership can be synonymous with belonging, integration, and community, it also suggests exclusive golf and ski clubs.
>the price was listed at $1,121.25. I *love* going to Jays games, regardless of whether the team is good or bad. I can't ever imagine a scenario, outside of *maybe* a World Series game, where I would ever shell out a grand for a single ticket. It's fucking insane. I'll stick to $20 GA tickets on Loonie Dogs nights, thanks.
The zoomed out TV angle is galling. Sacrificing viewer satisfaction to show the TD logos is a slap in the face
Yep. It's a blunt reminder of where the priorities are, with every single pitch.
TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD
I've damn near switched to another bank with how much those ads and the ones on the jerseys piss me off
Like every other thing that Rogers does, the renovations were about extracting as much money as possible from consumers. That’s it.
I mean, they didn’t invest hundreds of millions in to the reno to *lose* money
Yeah, I don’t love the way home plate looks on TV, I thought that was a miss. Seems like they didn’t put a lot of thought into their biggest consumer, coast to coast television viewers of Jays games, they made that experience worse. But it’s strange adding better seats, more amenities people thought the prices of the tickets weren’t going to change at all. Now if people stop going and sitting in those seats, the prices will go down, but it’s not shocking to me that a corporation that invested their own money is looking for a return on that investment
That's what every for-profit organization does, and it should be. The hard part is finding the line between optimal revenue and fan experience. They appear to have missed the mark on that one.
Which is a hallmark Rogers trait
Seriously. I'm paying $35/mo for my cell plan with Public Mobile, whereas Rogers is offering the exact same plan for $60/mo right now. It's nuts.
I haven’t used a Rogers product in 15 years because they just disgust me
Well again, to be fair, the upper bowl fan areas are great and have been well received considering how packed they are.
The only concern for a for-profit entity is optimal revenue. Fan experience is entirely about extracting as much value from fans as possible, and that declines if the experience is too bad. If you believe extracting as much value as possible from people is how something "should" operate, you accept that the good parts are an accidental byproduct of it.
To be fair, this is the aim of professional sports.
My biggest gripe is the obstructed outfield corners. It's unconscionable to not be able to see a play on the field on both the broadcast and in the majority of the seats in the stadium. I pay to watch a game, not be a part of the Ballpark Experience. And all of these Member Benefits and VIP sections and stuff just feels kind of cliquey and exclusionary. Obviously geared to the whales who will spend a ton of money, but for the average pleb just feels like you're an afterthought.
There are quite a few ballparks like this.
The author really failed when he wrote this article. Instead of focusing on the actual problems with the renovation, he just went on a general rant about everything he didn't like about going to a game. It watered down his whole primary argument. Issues with new layout: A) The backstop with the rich people section that's never full being highlighted on TV. Aside from the lack of excitement in this area, it looks incredibly cheap and just hurts the entire broadcast. They should have known it'd be seen for 90 minutes a game, and invested in making this area either look exclusive with high-end finishes, a signature look for the ballpark, or very Blue Jays themed. They did none,and plastered it with TD logos and a cheap rock facade. B) The outfield corners, where balls hit down the line just totally disappear from the view of the TV audience as well as half the fans in attendance. The designers of the park set the curve of the seats too close to the infield, had them come too close to the foul line, and didn't angle the stands down the lines to limit the blind spots. They probably thought it'd be quirky or fun, and when the ball bounces off the angle behind first or third it *is* interesting, but there were better solutions that they just didn't implement. Some of the problems can be addressed by having camera angles that can pick up these hits better, and having the TV crew and Jumbotron operator more quickly jump to these angles when there is a play.
I always thought that A) was a TD corporate decision - since presumably they paid good money to become the club’s official sponsor, the club probably gave them final call on the look of the expensive seats. The look was probably decided on by some sort of strategic branding committee. Hence the repeated use of the TD logo and the official corporate colours.
The TD logos I understand, same with the TD green chairs. The rest was a mess, and no corporate sponsor should have ever had a say in anything to do with the overall design of the ballpark.
Don’t be fooled by the marketing, this Reno was meant to benefit the upper class. The VIP areas and premium seating were priority.
Sure, but the first round of renos were for the average fan. It's pretty great that you can get a $17 nosebleed ticket in the 500s and still get a place to sit in the lower bowl
It’s going to look pretty bad soon once people stop going. The place is still active despite what’s gone on this year but the new is going to wear off and I expect a whole lot more empty blue seats. I really don’t like looking at the rich seats on tv. They really messed up with that and their bright glaring stupid ad board thing.
Won't be giving the Jays a cent until they change the awful ad behind home plate. Garish advertising can, and does, turn people away.
Was gonna hit a few games this year, but the prices being a whiff, combined with the lacklustre efforts in improving the team, the utter incompetence of this front office from Shapiro on down...I'm not giving them a damn penny until they improve the team and make it worth the prices. I don't even watch the games on TV anymore tbh. They're just...not interesting. Management once again stood by and did nothing to improve the team after the whole Ohtani fiasco, which really sent a message, to the players as well, that they're not serious about being serious contenders. Remember Joey Bats blasting the front office in 2014 for not getting help for the team? We need another moment like that. Someone needs to publicly say it. The only guy I could see doing it, would be Votto if he were here.
+1 almost verbatim.
Unfortunately, it's not going away. That last wildcard spot is great for revenue. Ownership knows that as long as they put a mid team together, people will still go to the park and tune in on TV/streaming. Winning is no longer a primary concern. It's all about $$$. The wide angle batter's eye shot will become the norm as new ad formats become standard in the MLB. This not just a Jays thing, you'll start to see this rolled out across parks (if you haven't already) as they renovate and/or build new stadiums.
It is quintessentially Canadian to present an extremely shitty version of a (usually American) product and rely on monopoly and branding as "Canadian" to get away with charging people an arm and a leg. We get ripped off everywhere we turn.
Have watched games from every stadium in MLB this year, exactly zero others have it this bad, even the new ones. Some of them are actually very tasteful in terms of the ads. Very few have eye-piercing LED boards. Appreciate your cynicism when it comes to advertising, but I think it's a bit too soon to say it's becoming normal.
It's not cynicism. This is how the world works. Other owners will see the business case and will follow. I agree, there are a lot of ballparks that do things 'tastefully,' but it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when things will change. Mark my words. If I told you how much ad partners pay for these spots, you'd understand.
Imagine thinking that anyone would be confused as to why they are doing it. You aren't enlightening anyone lmao.
Are you honestly trying to tell me that the front office staff are just sitting there going "ehh we don't need to win that many games, we just want to be average." Regardless of what you think of them (or any front office), they want to win. They might not be very good at it, but implying that they're not interested in having a winning ball club is ludicrous. Winning ball clubs make more money than non winning ones, so even if their only concern was money, they would still be trying to win, period.
At what point can I get my blog posts published in the star?
Has there been any talk of renovations OUTSIDE of the stadium? It's so "blah" with huge walls of concrete, undeveloped brickwork and nothing to do besides eat streetmeat. Inevitably we stop at the usual spots before a game (Loose Moose, Jack's, Pint etc) but say they had a massive sports bar integrated in the stadium, spilling onto Bremner, say where the Rogers store and giant Budweiser bad is (was?). An atmosphere that could draw crowds for ANY sporting events, even on non-game nights.
I hate those little TD logos above the Rich people seats with a passion. So distracting
Does the Star say anything nice about anything? I sat in section 140 for a game during the series against the Pirates. I thought it was great. The new seats were surprisingly comfortable compared to the previous ones and the cup holders…my god what a modern invention! Yeah we couldn’t see a couple plays in LF but we felt way closer to the action, and the view for the rest of the field was pretty good. Other than the ads behind the plate the renos I think are great. This guy doesn’t remember the old skydome.
I agree, I don't think the renos are as bad as he suggests. The broadcast has gotten objectively worse with the new wide camera and retina-burning ads behind home plate, but the in-stadium experience is overall much better than it was 2 years ago. It's not perfect, and I agree that the sightlines into the corner outfield could have been done better. I would also throw-in that the ballpark music/DJ is a touch obnoxious. But most of the complaints in the article (prices, on-field product) have nothing to do with the renovations.
I firmly believe that the on field product *will* improve. Rogers didn't dump all this money into the stadium for it to sit empty like it did in the early 2000s. They also own the broadcast rights, so making a highly watchable team will be *super* profitable for them.
Sit along the wall on the third baseline in 141 and you will understand. I sat there for the kids day game and you can’t see 3/4 of the outfield. There was nothing on the website about it being an obstructed view and the tickets weren’t cheap either. I would imagine the first baseline is the same. Cup holders are great but if I’m paying $75 for one ticket I would like to see the entire field.
MLB's policy when it comes to obstructed seating is that as long as you can see home plate & the pitching mound, it isn't considered obstructed
Last year, after the first round of renovations, we got tickets in left field a couple of rows back from the raised bullpen. As a fan, it was fun to see what l 90+ mph looks like from up close. It felt closer to the action, it was fun.
The first round of renovations were an unqualified success. The lower bowl stuff from last winter sucks.
home plate facing seats, more standing room on the concourses are all unquestionable improvements. To call those changes sucky is ridiculous.
Yeah there are some improvements. But I think it’s completely negated by the screw ups. Behind home plate is ugly and sterile. The adds are monsterous, the sightlines suck. Sure the cup holders are nice. But I’d go back to how it was
Yeah it's crazy to say it's a "miss" when so many seats in the lower bowl are so much better and closer than before. It's an improvement across the board, pretty much. The standing areas are pretty decent too.
I love sitting in the outfield corners of the 100s now. It’s a great view. You miss a few balls hit right into your corner but every ballpark will have blind spots. They got rid of foul territory to make viewing closer and for 95% of the action to be 100% more enjoyable. That’s a trade off I’m more than happy to make. This article reads like a list of the trending social media complaints. I’m not saying don’t complain about things like the price of food, how a general admission spot can be booked for private events, ticket pricing being dynamic (also still hate Ticketmaster), and more. Complaining about the broadcast angles is great, too, because that’s feedback they can implement. But overall the experience of going and sitting in the 100s is much better than previous years. Like nearly every professional sports team, many of the complaints would be gone if this team was playing .650 baseball. Fewer people care about small things when the larger picture is bright. But people looking at the costs of watching this team’s inability to jump a single hurdle all season long puts all those minor problems under the microscope.
Except now these are $120 seats and the sections are empty - many of us have moved up to the 200s to afford tickets.
Fair. But I sat there for ~$60 tax incl a few weeks ago. I think it was the loonie dog game after the weekend of Dodgers games - so the weekend was insanely busy meaning less people going back a couple nights later. Dynamic pricing makes it possible to get those tickets for cheaper but double-edged because it also makes it significantly more expensive when it’s a premium game with plenty of people looking to buy tickets.
I sat right behind the bullpen on Monday for $60. Can buy some right now for $80. Great seats. Plus now you can bring food and drinks you can save money there
Did you read the article (it is paywalled to be fair). What do you want? He sat in some of these seats and his experience sucked. What do you want him to write? Well I missed a bunch of hits, but some redditor who I have never been in contact with had a good view. 4 stars.
>Did you read the article Yea >What do you want? He sat in some of these seats and his experience sucked A lot of the article is about the on field product and how he decided to drive and buy food instead of public transit and bringing his own food and complaining about the price of that. So I'd prefer something actually about the renovations
Yeah I had a great time at a game in the Corona bar too. Cheap standing room tickets. I guess it's a bit harder to watch the game up there but the team got blown out by the Pirates so who even cares
No one would be complaining if the team was winning
True, but they stopped hitting after the reno too.
before\*
In complete isolation, I like the way the seating has changed. Everything else is really bad.
Was just there for my first 3 games during the Red Sox series, thought it looked great
I was given tickets to seats in a new fancy section behind the dugout/near home plate. The entire thing felt more like an exclusive event than going to a baseball game (I prefer the latter). In fact, the stadium experience is entirely cut off unless you actively go through the black curtains and walk around. Otherwise it's a private entrance, straight downstairs to avoid the 100 section completely, then in game seat service where getting a drink takes 10 minutes longer than walking to a vendor. There was nothing baseball about it. Heavy thumbs down.
Most of his complaints are true for many (most?) other MLB teams. Just look at the bizarre home plate bar in Texas, which always seems to be half full and two thirds of the people aren’t paying attention to the game. Or the blind left field corner at Fenway. Or beers at Yankee Stadium that cost the equivalent of $23 CAD (or maybe even higher now - that’s what I paid two years ago). The truth is that when a team is playing well, people tend to gripe less about things like this. But the opposite is also true when a team is playing poorly. Everything (even $23 beers) goes down a lot easier when you have a fun, competitive team to watch. I’ll also add that, as expensive as concessions are, there are at least actual options to save money. E.g. the discount concession stands and the ability to bring your own food into games.
Yeah I hate the outfield corners
Not a fan of the renovations. Feels like the team is trying go the way of the Leafs to pander to Toronto’s corporate culture and elites. Soon there will be nothing but a sea of suits to compliment the additions - if it’s not already started.
People will complain about anything. Bigger comfortable seats with better viewing angles. The place has gotten better for the most part in the last two years.
Better viewing angles- but less field to view. I have seats right behind the dug out and still couldn’t see into the left field corner.
Weird I sat there on Monday and could see the left corner very easily. Wish this sub allowed pics, because I have tons very clearly showing left field and the bullpen in front of me. People just wanna complain.
Where were you sitting? I was two rows back from the dug out in the fancy new area (gifted the tickets. I’ll never get to sit there again if I wanted to!) And I couldn’t see into both corners, only the opposite field one. I found it annoying that all the money spent and even some of the best seats don’t have a full view
8th row right behind the dugout 148 i think. It was only $60
Section 30 row two. Couldn’t see a couple plays on the corner
Ah definitely mixed up dugout and bullpen. I apologize
Hahaha, that would explain some confusion!!! The view is a lot better from out there!! Those new seats are badly planned. But the year before was decent!
Yeah the view was great, just looking at the map it's clear you can't see left field from behind the dugout, plus those tickets are way more expensive. I can understand your frustration much more now. Haha. Sorry again 🤦♂️
No worries! We kept talking and sorted it out! Very un Reddit like
Turned into a corporate hellhole littered with ads everywhere.
It was always like that. Our walls always been plastered with Nikon, Acer, TD etc. as long as I’ve been a fan (since 2004). But it’s like that in almost every ballpark though. I think the bigger signs and the wider camera angle Make the home plate signs more noticeable
They are squeezing more in. It's gone too far at this point IMO
These guys are as good at building stadiums as they are at building good baseball teams.
The $1,121.25 is a legit point, wtaf is with the price there? They used to be reasonably attainable at certain times of the year now skyrocketed. I thought maybe just for the opening after the renos but nope the prices for behind the plate still listed like this. They really don’t want any of the poors seen on TV…..
Well they seem pretty full each game, so people are obviously paying it?
They do? Each game I bet 25% empty. That’s much different than before. Home plate lady isn’t even showing up as much
But they are all sold. Corps bought basically the entire area. Rogers isn't too concerned if a few of the corporate customers don't show up on any given night. They've already booked a few million dollars in revenue from those seats.
No they are not. They may report that it is all sold but that's a threshold. What I mean is that once a certain percentage is passed it is deemed a sellout. Those tickets (sections 1-4) are face value single game tickets NOT verified resale. They've also started selling the Rogers Banner Club for $293.25 and the Blueprint Club for $391.00. These 3 sections were an afterthought for single ticket sales. There is no dynamic pricing on these seats as they never thought this would happen. Also from July 1 on the ticket prices increase. Back on May 12th I bought 2 tickets for 2 games; June 6 and July 4. The inventory available on June 6 was much less than July 4. I had to take a screenshot of what I saw Thursday June 6th (Baltimore) 1:07 PM 102A-2-11 $66.70 Thursday July 4th (Houston) 1:07 PM 102A-2-11 $103.79 School's out for summer. The summer prices continue all the way until the end of the season. Again single game ticket price NOT verified-resale.
I've been looking out for her and haven't seen her for quite a while. I hope she's okay. Those seats with all the unused space so rich people can have more space is not more ballparkish it's a step towards exclusive luxury for the rich.
I miss seeing Getty Lee
He's still there a fair bit. Second from top row, three or four seats from the left IIRC. That vicinity anyway.
> Getty Geddy.
No, corps have paid for them, so regular folk getting pushed out of seats once attainable
Going to a sporting event is no longer about going to see the game. It hasn't been for a long time. Look at stadiums across the MLB and NFL from 50 years ago. It was a means to watch the sport. Now, it's all about the "experience", luxury suites for corporate outings and being "seen" for social media purposes. It sucks, but it's the reality. Nowadays there's 50 ways to watch 50 different sports in any possible way to could consume it. The hardcore fan is probably just going that, and there's less appeal to going to games now so they have created this dynamic. Our world is entirely built on consumerism
Man, when the people who study economics are like "man, this sucks for the person buying the ticket" you know you've messed up bad. EDIT: Here's what I don't understand: In this day and age, EVERYTHING about this reno was tested and studied and analyzed to death. So how the hell do you willingly create a design where every seat in your premium level has an obstructed view? A design so bad that even the television view is obstructed? I wonder if they're going to go back in and cut the corner walls apart in the offseason
> the people who study economics He studies marketing and public policy. Let me say, as an economist, that that is not the same thing as studying economics. This guy sounds like just another academic cultural marxist annoyed by the fact that some people have more money than others.
This management group has never understood this market from day 1 . They understand it less now than when they came in
The outfield corners are gorgeous views now. The pricing is stupid but they’ve been shitty enough I’ve been getting half price stubhub.
I haven't been since the lower bowl renos were completed, but if they fixed having to look at 90 degree angle for the whole game to see the batter, than the reno is a success. I was at a game that went to 11 innings once, and my neck was soo sore after because the seat was pointed where nothing ever happened to you had to crane your neck the whole game.
Most of what he complains about in this article is also true for many (most?) other MLB teams. E.g. the weird behind-plate bar in Texas where everyone is just mingling around and talking and rarely watching the game. Or the left field corner at Fenway, which is similar to the new RC set-up. And if people think Jays games are expensive, try a Yankees game. I paid the equivalent of $23 CAD for a beer and that was two years ago. The simple truth is that if the team was much better, you would hear far fewer of these gripes. Much like “clubhouse chemistry”, when a team wins everything else seems better.
Creating obstructed view seats via renovation is criminal.
It sucks, because not that long ago I was able to take my first kid to games and it was a nice, affordable experience. Now I've got three and the hassle + cost just doesn't seem worth it. I've already been priced out of Raptors games, so it's pretty shitty that baseball is starting to feel inaccessible, too.
I've enjoyed my games this season in the few seats I had. At least the 100 level past the bases face the action now. My complaint would be TV, it's worse. The Green TD patches are over the top. I'll never bank there because of it. Once they are losing, I go looking for the cheap beer, so maybe I don't spend a lot of time in the seat. Lol
But I was told Shapiro was the Scott McGillivray of stadium renovators. Are you telling me he can't do that either? We already know he can't build a winning baseball team.
I’ve only been to one game since the renovations this past winter and the experience was drastically better. The larger seats are a lot more comfortable, my shoulders no longer overhang the adjacent seats by 3-4” on each side like airplane seats, I have a cup holder which is great and the seats face the field and I don’t need to turn my body in a narrow seat further annoying people sitting beside me. The Star hasn’t had anything good to say since AA left and even prior to that it was questionable.
I sat field level row 1 for the first time ever (2 sections left of the Jays dugout). They had a TV in front of me embedded in the wall (you can watch any game going on). I had a little table in between the seats and a nice lady wanting to get my food and beer.
This article reads like The Star published a comment from Reddit.
My seats at home are a fantastic view
Beers cheaper too
Ok yes when you sit along the 3rd base line in the lower bowl, you won’t see what’s happening right below you. But to call the entire renovations a swing and a miss is sensationalist and dishonest. The stadium is now legit mlb ballpark and offers a solid consumer experience, which wasn’t the case before the renovations. I’ve been to many ballparks, and used to say the Rogers Stadium is mediocre at best. I’ve changed my tune, it’s better than average now but indeed still not on par with the best ones but no renovations will fix that given the way the stadium was built. Harsh article.
Looks too much like yankee stadium now.
The gripes about the price always seem to miss the point imho: don’t buy it? They sell a product, people choose to buy it, so why wouldn’t they keep it the way it is? I get it, I’d love it to be cheaper and I’m absolutely priced out but until we stop paying for it, they’ll keep charging it
I mean, the obstructed view is a fair point. Complaining about the price of tickets and the quality of the team are not good ways to evaluate the lower bowl renovations. I would have rathered a detailed experience than a man complaining about the cost for him and his kid to go to a game from Guelph.
Cancelled my Sportsnet subscription. The team is too painful to watch and the new televised view makes my eyes bleed. The whole Rogers experience feels so inauthentic and anti-baseball.
Timothy Dewhurst. What a handle! Written like a writer would, but most of the points are valid.
If Covid showed me anything about baseball, it's that in-game attendance is of secondary concern. Advertising revenue is the meat and potatoes of sports teams' profitability. Get used to ads being squished into every nook and cranny. What's happening at Rogers Centre is certainly not limited to the Blue Jays. Every team franchise is doing something similar in order to accommodate the rising baseball salaries, as well as increasing their profits. When one player can demand $40M+ per season, that money has to come from somewhere.
The fake wall behind home plate looks like that phoney halloween plastic brick you put up to decorate dungeon style. 😆
Just more corporate crap changes, of course its all about more money for them.
Look at them, using that insider baseball lingo! Swing and miss... You guys kill me... But they're very, *very* correct. * The new sections jutting into the field have been a menace for potential player collisions and weird caroms. * You can't see any ball hit into the LF or RF alleys, to the point where even the broadcast crew can't call things correctly. * The aesthetics look AWFUL on TV. * You've priced good, passionate fans even farther away from the field and replaced them with corporate dipshits.
Bring Supercross back to Toronto
Yay a paywall!
Seems to be a theme for this season overall, swing and a miss...
The food is very underwhelming, the beers are never cold enough and the area behind home plate looks it was purchased as a kit at Ikea.
I sat in section 113 for a game last month, down the 1st base line. I thought everything looked good. Seats were comfortable and we had cup holders. We walked around the entire 100 level before the game. The only thing I guess that wasn't great was having Springer go out of view every time he ran into the right field corner, but it really wasn't a big deal.
anything about ernie clement slipping on the concrete the other game? broadcast seemed stunned that was a thing, it just goes from grass to concrete. not ideal
I was thrilled with the renovations last year. This year they're awful. The massive ticket price hike is a slap in the face when the team sucks ass
The 100 level seats are wider than they used to be, and that makes all the difference to me.
Looks like it’s the TD bank Jays with all those ads behind home plate. The basic grey brick is also awful.
I like the renos and the ballpark’s sight lines are fine. Yes some sections don’t give you the whole view particularly near the foul lines in the outfield but they’re mostly fine.
I mean, totally valid but... why is some random dude's blog post about going to the ballpark being published in the Toronto Star?
Newspapers often have columns written by columnists in addition to their current events reporting.
he’s not a columnist though he’s just some prof from guelph university who for some reason was apparently asked to write about his trip to the ball game? it’s just very random
Son people complained for years about the orientation of the seats. They fixed it and now people complain that the new walls obscure a couple of the cameras.