Is Spring Training still affordable?

I've only been going to spring training for the last three years, which means that I’ve missed the truly affordable era of spring training when lawn seats were only five dollars and beers were presumably that price too, but even the price difference between visiting Arizona last year and this year during spring training has surprised me.

The first big sticker shock was the cost of my ticket to see the Angels versus the Dodgers over at Camelback Ranch. My single lawn seat ticket cost me a whopping $60, which means that sitting on the grass to watch the Dodgers without a chair is more expensive than a regular seat during a regular season game. And considering that most of the spring training games only feature the major leaguers for a few innings (if at all), the regular season game looks like a much better deal.

Now, as concert tickets and even movie tickets seem to explode in price, maybe sixty bucks doesn’t seem too bad for a diehard baseball fan trying out a new experience. But spring training has traditionally been a budget-friendly, affordable way to get close to the players. And if you consider that some of these stadiums don't even let you bring in outside meals, you can see how a spring training game can make for a pricey day out for a family.

Now, of course, as is true during the regular season, even in spring training, Dodgers tickets are more expensive than the tickets from other teams. I attended five games during my time in Arizona, and outside of Camelback, I spent around 35-60 dollars per ticket, with the cheaper range being lawn tickets and the more expensive ones being in seats. While these prices aren’t as crazy, they’re not quite good deals either. And if you’re traveling to Arizona or Florida from elsewhere, that bumps up the budget too. With the prices of the local hotels, which are usually bumped up quite a bit around spring training time (the Holiday Inn in Tempe costs around $300 a night during this season) and the price of car rentals (with a special tax that is used to pay for Chase Field) bumped up, it all starts to add up.

Of course, one big aspect that still sets Spring Training apart from the regular season is that you do get the experience of going to see the players practice in the mornings (though this is not true of all teams) and that there’s more access to the players for autographs and photos (again, not true of every team, but most). That is a special part of Spring Training that is completely free and open to the public, and it is why I attend each year. But with the rising costs, it does feel like spring training is no longer an affordable experience for an average fan or family, especially compared to the regular season and considering the difference between the quality of the stadiums and gameplay. For the experience you’re getting, a family might even have a better time spending that money on a more luxe regular season game experience.