Game Experience at the Skydome

This is to serve notice to all Toronto Blue Jay Game Day employees and all Toronto Blue Jay front office staff.

There are three main issues that I want to address here, because frankly I was disappointed with the game day experience for the 2010 season.

1. Ticket Service Fees and Ticket Prices
Heading into the 2010 season, the Blue Jays had a rebuilding phase program going, the team themselves were not expecting to do anything magical, now seven weeks into the season, the team is doing really well, but when the ticket prices went up this offseason it is outrageous. In 2005 with a BETTER Jays team on the field, I could buy 500 level seats for $9, it was the best deal in sports, now 5 years later with a team that has not made the playoffs since, and has only come close once or twice in those 5 years, and a rebuilding team, those same 500 level seats are $14. What the hell? No seriously, What the hell? A Worse team is charging more for the same seats? I don't quite get it. Now when I ordered these tickets I was living in St. Catharines, some two hours away from the dome, therefore I went to TicketMaster through the Jays site. Now I don't know if the Jays set these prices or if TicketMaster does, but it reflects piss poorly on both of them. The fee to order tickets online was it's usual price, but then they wanted either $5 to mail them (Standard mail, not express) or $2.50 for the privilege of printing your tickets at home. I had to pay $2.50 to use my own printer? Are you kidding me? Standard mail has been free in the past, there were only two options, either pay $5 or $2.50, what happened to customer service?

Now for 2 tickets, the total cost was $32, so I paid about $4 in convenience fees above and beyond the price of the ticket. It is discouraging to have to pay to use your own ink, and then you have print a page long ticket, that is awkward, and has lots of graphics on it, to drain your ink.

2. The Lines at the Concession Stand/Prices
Granted I was in the 500 level, and yes I realize that the experience may be different, but there were about 8 stands open for business, which was suitable, but the beer line was huge, if you wanted to spend $9.50 on beer, good luck, you will miss a third of the game. Now beyond that the lines were long, but they were moving quickly, and the service people were friendly, but the prices there are outrageous, yes I know stadium food is going to be more expensive, they have you over a barrel. But I mean there is the usual rip off, which is expected, and then there is the rip off that makes you want to bring in your own food. A bottle of Coke was almost $4, just a regular 541 ml bottle. Hotdog was like $5, and the worse part about it, the Hotdogs are not cooked in front of you in the 500 level. That is reason one not to have a Hotdog at a stadium. Reason two is they are better outside the stadium and they are cheaper.

If the Jays were not so profit driven in the concessions, people might come and buy more food there. But $14 is the minimum for two things and it is terrible. I went to a Minor League Park, and a Supreme Nacho was $4.75, and a Collector Cup Coke was $4, so that is $8.75 for the game, and plenty of profit there, and people will pay those prices.

3. Between Innings
There is nothing to do, seriously. The between inning items: Home Hardware Fastest Grounds Crew in the 5th, the 7th Inning Stretch, and Some Bruce Power animated Race, that is 3 out 18 inning breaks with nothing but commercials playing on the big screen. Before the game there is the FedEx game ball delivery, and the Move to better seats promotion, but really the rest of the time it is like watching a game on TV without the commentators or replays. Want to see that close call at first one more time, not in the Skydome. It is quite embarrassing that the Jays have managed to suck the energy out of their fans. There were 14,400 on a Friday Night in April when the Jays hosted the Angels (a playoff team last year), and really they won't be drawing huge numbers with their experience.

When I was kid, the first Jays game I went to, we were given seats right above the Jays Bullpen, front row in Left Field, what a great game, the Twins were in town, and it was just fascinating. That was in 1991, from that point until 1995 we could only get seats above the light stands in the 500 level, but the place was packed and energy was in the air so the game moved so quickly. I did not go to a Jays game regularly until probably 2003, when I started purchasing Flex Packs, and even then the service was better, concession prices were still stupidly high, but the team was worse, but that was alright because the game day experience was better.

Now the team is worse, and the experience sucks, in my eyes. Why go back? I love baseball, I love watching the best baseball, however it looks like the best fan experience is in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, where they know how to treat their fans.

Blue Jays, you have been put on notice- fix your game day experience.