Derek Jeter’s jersey may have been #2, but his May 14 jersey retirement is the #1 most in-demand game of the 2017 MLB season, according to ticket sales figures on StubHub.
Current and historical data from StubHub demonstrates that Jeter’s star power has endured:
To this day, Jeter’s last home game on September 25, 2014 is still StubHub’s best-selling regular season MLB game of all time.
In addition, his last home game is the second most in-demand regular season game of all time across all major sports leagues, with Kobe Bryant’s last NBA game at home in Los Angeles taking the top spot.
As his legacy and drawing-power endures, the commemorative game on May 14 (Yankees-Astros), for Jeter’s jersey retirement is the most in-demand game of the 2017 MLB season– even ahead of all Opening Day games.
Total ticket sales for Jeter’s jersey retirement ceremony are more than triple the total sales for David Ortiz’s Retirement Ceremony on June 23, the second best-selling upcoming MLB game.
The Major League Baseball season kicks off in earnest today and plenty of fans, who just can’t bear missing out on the action of this American pastime – seeing their favorite players, hearing the crack of the bat, adding to the roar in the stadium as they’re hoping for a chance at the pennant, are planning to skip work or school to support their favorite teams on Opening Day.
Click here to view StubHub’s Full 2017 Opening Day Report
Results of a Survey, announced today – conducted online by Harris Poll and commissioned by StubHub surveyed among over 2,000 American adults – finds that nearly one-quarter (24%) of American adults say they would make up an excuse to get out of school or work to attend MLB Opening Day and 23% have actually skipped school or work in the past to attend a baseball game!
Millennials (18-34-year-olds) are the most likely to skip for Opening Day:
Nearly one-third (30%) of millennial males say they are planning to skip work/school to attend an MLB Opening Day game this year.
17% of millennials (male and female) say they are planning to skip vs 4% of those ages 45+.
The survey asked Americans what their top excuses to skip work or school for an MLB Opening Day would be:
24% of Americans said they would make up an excuse
13% said they would take a “sick day”
7% said they would take a “mental health day”
25% said they wouldn’t make up an excuse – they’d just be honest about where they were going
Sometimes, Opening Day is about more than just baseball. The experience is truly a myriad of scents, tastes, sounds and energy that make it one of the most quintessential American traditions.
StubHub asked Americans what their favorite part of attending a baseball game is:
47% of Americans cited the game itself
The other 51% are there to enjoy their afternoon or evening
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans (18%) chose either “the food” (9%) or the “people watching” (9%) as their favorite part of attending a baseball game
Hot dogs (38%) and alcoholic beverages (21%) topped the list of favorite ballpark treats Americans look forward to
Peanuts, the traditional 7th-inning stretch favorite, was further down the list at 15%
Survey Methodology:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of StubHub from March 23-27, 2017 among 2,201 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact PR@stubhub.com.
Get your excuse ready before your team’s home opener!
MLB’s 2017 Opening Day Set to be Most Global Attendance In Recent Years; Cubs Maintain Strong Demand off Championship Win; Blue Jays, Mets and Royals Are Trending
MLB Opening Day and 2017 regular season games are set to be the most global in attendance in recent years.
The Chicago Cubs home opener and season show strong demand off of last year’s World Series win.
The New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants have all seen a considerable increase in international sales from last season.
Cubs franchise set to hit record-breaking 2017 Opening Day and season.
The Chicago Cubs’ 2017 Home Opener is set to be the most successful opener in the franchise’s recent history based on ticket sales over the past five years.
Demand for Cubs tickets has seen consistent year-over-year growth since 2014 based on season game ticket sales.
Half of MLB’s top 10 most in-demand games for the 2017 season are Cubs home games.
Where sales are coming from for Cubs 2017 season:
More out of state fans as demand based on tickets purchased outside of Illinois has increased by nearly 5% from last season.
International interest for Cubs games has increased by 157% compared to this time last year based on tickets purchased by international fans (buyers outside of the U.S.). Cubs fans from 26 different countries have already purchased tickets for games this season compared to 21 countries last season.
Where are fans coming from for Opening Day?
Tickets for MLB’s 2017 Opening Day have been purchased by fans in a total of 30 different countries, significantly higher than last year’s count of 18 different countries for MLB’s 2016 Opening Day.
These international buyers make up 5% of the total number of tickets purchased on StubHub. After the U.S. and Canada, strong international MLB interest is also coming from Australia, UK, and Mexico.
Based on highest growth in ticket sales in the last three years on StubHub.
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs
New York Mets
Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros
Most popular pre-season MLB teams:
Demand based on highest growth in ticket sales on StubHub from 2016 to 2017 (pre-season sales).
San Francisco Giants – Ticket demand has nearly doubled compared this time last year.
Chicago Cubs
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
The most tech-savvy MLB fans:
Based on fans that purchase tickets on the StubHub app and mobile site the most since 2014.
Dodgers
New York Yankees
SF Giants
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
What games are trending for teams after their Home Opener?
Top six most popular teams: Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees, Giants, Cardinals, Dodgers. Includes the increasingly popular Royals team and 2016 World Series contender, the Cleveland Indians.
Yankees are the MLB team with the highest jump in international sales compared to last season.
International interest for the Yankees has nearly doubled in terms of the number of fans from different countries purchasing tickets. Pre-season sales for 2016 saw tickets purchased from a total of 24 countries while for this season to date, sales have come from 47 countries.
Top three most in-demand New York Yankees games of 2017:
Houston Astros at NY Yankees (Derek Jeter Jersey Retirement Ceremony) on May 14th – #1 selling event by far
Baltimore Orioles at NY Yankees on April 30th – Lowest Average Ticket Price, $49
The top three most in-demand St. Louis Cardinals games of 2017 are when the Chicago Cubs come to town from May 12-14. Lowest Average Ticket Price on May 14th at $81.
As fans hope to stay dry this week in Cincinnati, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game festivities have kicked off. StubHub has seen strong demand for tickets throughout the season as this year’s contest will be the highest selling MLB All-Star game StubHub has had outside of 2013’s game at Citi Field in New York. Let’s take a look at the numbers:
Up Year Over Year
Sales for the MLB All-Star Game are up 31% on StubHub compared to last year.
Keeping it Local
Percentage of Tickets Sold by State:
36% Ohio
9% Kentucky
6% California
6% Indiana
4% Florida
Price Drop
The get-in price has dropped from $370 a week ago down to $300 as of this afternoon.
Range
Fans have purchased tickets for as low as $220 for Standing Room Only tickets to as high as 6k for Diamond Club seats. The average ticket price sold is around $733, down from $816 last week.
Breaking news: the Kansas City Royals are good. After getting Bumgarner’d in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series and losing their ace, James Shields, to free agency, many were skeptical about Kansas City’s chances of repeating success heading into the 2015 season. Well, the men in blue are 44 – 30 and it looks like they’re going to get a bonus game this year when their lineup takes on the National League All-Stars in Cincinnati on July 14th.
Through All-Star Game voting, it’s easy to tell how popular the Royals are this season. But just how popular? Let’s take a look at StubHub’s numbers:
Heading into the season, Royals Spring Training tickets were up 308% year over year on StubHub. The highest jump of any other MLB team.
Regular season tickets for the Royals are currently up 117% year over year on StubHub. Again, the highest jump of any other MLB team. The next highest? The Seattle Mariners with a 62% jump.
The 2015 season is already the highest selling Kansas City Royals season we’ve had on StubHub and it’s we haven’t even reached the All-Star break yet.
The Kansas City Royals are hot and their fans are showing up. If they make another magical run to and through the postseason this year, we could see demand reach astronomical proportions.
