Photo of a poorly attended New York Mets game at Citi Field.

Image Credit: Takahiro Nagao (CC BY 2.0)

If you have ever used Groupon, you know what great deals and discounts one can receive on gift certificates. But did you know you can also purchase tickets to Major League Baseball games as well?

The New York Mets are enduring another losing season once again in addition to financial woes both inside and outside of Citi Field. Believe it or not, the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme has a little bit to do with the club's financial situation at the moment. Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz had more than $500M invested with Madoff; all of which was lost when Madoff's scheme was discovered.

Photo of New York Mets players meeting on the pitcher's mound at Citi Field.

Image Credit: John Wisniewski (CC BY-ND 2.0)

New York Mets fans will now be able to purchase their tickets through Groupon at nearly half price. For example, box seats along the baseline are $60 at face value. However, you could purchase those very same seats through Groupon at $36 a piece. Baseball fans that purchase their Mets tickets through Groupon can expect to pay other small processing fees as well. Does this move devalue the Mets? Some seem to think so, particularly Don Vaccaro, founder of TicketNetwork. The Mets are the first Major League Baseball team to place their tickets on Groupon but not the first sports franchise.

While I disagree that using a resource such as Groupon devalues the Mets, I find it disappointing that the team struggles to draw decent crowds in a city of 8 Million people. Sure, there are more New York Yankees fans in the city but the fans need to regularly fill up Citi Field if they want to the Mets to be competitive once again. New York Mets fans should observe the fans of their division rival Philadelphia Phillies. Every game at Citizens Bank Park is a sellout and thus, the team boasts one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball. As of today, the Philadelphia Phillies have a record of 88-46. 

 

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