MSG Screws Ranger Fans in the Playoffs

[RichieNextel305]

First off, I truly apologize for this super long post. But it needs to be said.

When I had my season tickets, as is customary when the playoffs roll around, your tickets get bumped up per round of the playoffs. Not much of a surprise there. Back in the day, when prices and cost were all lower, everything was a lot more minimal, average, affordable and fair.

 

However, through the years, specifically since the renovation, it is no surprise that the heart and soul of that building have been torn from the foundation. Back in the day, as you find in most arenas, you can walk around and find a bunch of people from all different sections and areas of the arena who had seasons, went consistently, met up with before and after, and became friendly with. I, myself, can attest to that. I know not all of us were the most loved people on the planet, but in the old 305, many of us knew each other, each other’s families, knew that on any given night a good majority would be at games, and so on and so forth. And then life happens, the ride ends, people get married, grow up, move away, start families and that same routine becomes difficult to keep pace with. All well and all understood. It’s like this in every arena I’ve ever attended a game. It’s family friendly.

 

However, what is happening inside that building anymore is borderline disgraceful. The casual fan has been pushed out, and basically told to stay out. Suits only.

 

I gave my season subscription up because the prices were getting wild. I’m not different than many others. It was hard to flip tickets, to make all the games, my whole section (98% of them) had gone. It was time. 
 

I have, over the last few days, spoken to cousins, friends, former season ticket holders I know who have all said that for all of the money grabs that MSG has done, that this years playoffs by far take the cake. Back in 2014 when we went to the Finals, my Stanley Cup Final tickets (in the 200s) cost around $225 per ticket. Now? That is the season ticket holder price…for the 2nd round! Stanley Cup Final tickets? In most areas of the 200s, are well north of $500 a ticket. And that is for season ticket holders; the people who endure the price of season tickets just to not have to get crushed like a rock come playoff time and the people who fill the seats for most of the 41 home games.

 

Since 2014, this team has made the playoffs 3 times in 8 seasons; none in the last 5. Like most, we are thrilled at the teams success. But the Garden, in typical fashion, couldn’t wait to take this teams success and make the cost to make it to these playoff games borderline insanity. Because these STH that will flip these games will be flipping for cost; and for what they are paying, their up charge will be through the roof.

 

I remember going to Chicago in 2015 and talking to a Hawks ticket holder. That’s Chicago, a big market with a team coming off 2 Cups in 4 years, and going on their 3rd in 5. His eyes popped out of his head then when he heard the way MSG charges through the roof. This Rangers team is going on 1 Cup in 82 years yet they charge us as if we are going to watch a team with the success of the Yankees.

 

I get it. It’s New York. It’s MSG. But, they don’t need to absolutely kill the everyday fan like this. All teams upcharge for the playoffs, but this is lunacy. The cost to go to a game, even in the regular season, is wild. The playoffs will be absolutely foolish. And it’s a shame. Because when that team hits the ice for Game 1, they deserve to hear a deafening roar from their loyal fans. And unfortunately, 85% of the building will be people who rarely watch hockey; suits, who used to just occupy the lower bowl, now will also be upstairs.
 

There is no home ice advantage because the fans are priced out. And it’s a travesty.

 

Larry, I hope you read this and make it public. What the Garden is doing to it’s loyal “true blue” fans is truly sad.

Edited April 15, 2022 by RichieNextel305

[VegasRanger]

Unfortunately, that is happening in many venues across all the major sports.  The fans that support the teams are the ones that are penalized.

[Blue Heaven]

It’s not just the Rangers/MSG…..Nets are gouging their fans too, their were a handful of Nets fans complaining last week about the cost of the playoff tixs. One dude who I’m assuming is well off was complaining that his seasons were like $25000, but the playoffs are costing him $80000 if they make the Finals.
 

Sports entertainment has drastically changed the last 5 years, and have to take into account the covid factor where teams made zero revenue for almost 2 years. 
 

As far as these playoffs, my seasons were about $6800 this season, playoffs north of $8000. It’s a steep price to pay and when it’s playoff time someone is pretty much willing to pay it. I already sold Home Game 1 and 2 which almost paid for the entire first round if the NYR would play 4 home games.  It sucks bc I want to go to a game here and there in the playoffs but I have made the decision to sell the first 2 rounds so if they do make the ECF and/or SCF that the cost wouldn’t kill me….as much. 

[RichieNextel305]

Just now, Blue Heaven said:

It’s not just the Rangers/MSG…..Nets are gouging their fans too, their were a handful of Nets fans complaining last week about the cost of the playoff tixs. One dude who I’m assuming is well off was complaining that his seasons were like $25000, but the playoffs are costing him $80000 if they make the Finals.
 

Sports entertainment has drastically changed the last 5 years, and have to take into account the covid factor where teams made zero revenue for almost 2 years. 
 

As far as these playoffs, my seasons were about $6800 this season, playoffs north of $8000. It’s a steep price to pay and when it’s playoff time someone is pretty much willing to pay it. I already sold Home Game 1 and 2 which almost paid for the entire first round if the NYR would play 4 home games.  It sucks bc I want to go to a game here and there in the playoffs but I have made the decision to sell the first 2 rounds so if they do make the ECF and/or SCF that the cost wouldn’t kill me….as much. 

I remember back in the day, the option was round by round or pay in full, and whenever they got bumped, you’d be credited toward next year.

 

Now, since they know the prices are absurd, if you commit to even one round, you’re on board for the whole playoffs.

 

The building has never and will never care about the fans, and that’s what makes it different than everywhere else. Big market teams included, the fans aren’t treated like shit the way they are with MSG and then told to pay the equivalent of a wedding fee to go to the playoffs.

 

Every other team has tickets that, while pricy, are affordable for people who don’t make $1.5 Million a year. That’s why those buildings have a home ice advantage, and MSG sounds like a morgue. It’s just sad, and there has to be some type of middle ground, because this just insanity.

[Blue Heaven]

12 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

I remember back in the day, the option was round by round or pay in full, and whenever they got bumped, you’d be credited toward next year.

 

Now, since they know the prices are absurd, if you commit to even one round, you’re on board for the whole playoffs.

 

The building has never and will never care about the fans, and that’s what makes it different than everywhere else. Big market teams included, the fans aren’t treated like shit the way they are with MSG and then told to pay the equivalent of a wedding fee to go to the playoffs.

 

Every other team has tickets that, while pricy, are affordable for people who don’t make $1.5 Million a year. That’s why those buildings have a home ice advantage, and MSG sounds like a morgue. It’s just sad, and there has to be some type of middle ground, because this just insanity.

The option to pay per round or to pay in full has been around since Rangers made the playoffs after the several dreadful years. Once you committed to the playoffs you were on the hook to pay per round back then and same as I am doing this year. You could never pay for the 1st round and then say f it I’m not buying the 2nd round, etc…..

 

I can almost guarantee you that the Maple Leafs will have much higher ticket prices than the NYR for the playoffs. I would love to find out the comparisons of playoff ticket prices for similar seats at all the venues. I’m going to guess that it won’t be much different than the NYR except for a handful of teams like Florida, and Carolina. 
 

100% agree that MSG is a morgue since the renovations, it was a good idea and needed to update MSG but it did take the oomph out of the atmosphere.  

[RichieNextel305]

11 minutes ago, Blue Heaven said:

The option to pay per round or to pay in full has been around since Rangers made the playoffs after the several dreadful years. Once you committed to the playoffs you were on the hook to pay per round back then and same as I am doing this year. You could never pay for the 1st round and then say f it I’m not buying the 2nd round, etc…..

 

I can almost guarantee you that the Maple Leafs will have much higher ticket prices than the NYR for the playoffs. I would love to find out the comparisons of playoff ticket prices for similar seats at all the venues. I’m going to guess that it won’t be much different than the NYR except for a handful of teams like Florida, and Carolina. 
 

100% agree that MSG is a morgue since the renovations, it was a good idea and needed to update MSG but it did take the oomph out of the atmosphere.  

I remember what bothered me most was back in 2016-2017, when I decided to not renew for the following season, they wouldn’t let me get my playoff tickets for that season. I’m like, excuse me? I went to 36 of 41 home games, was forced to eat a few games completely because I couldn’t get rid of them last second and now, because I don’t want to commit to next season, I can’t see THIS seasons playoffs? It was absurd.

 

But, that’s another story for another time. I just cannot believe the prices anymore to go to that place. It is absolutely insane. It just sucks seeing places like the Coliseum rock during the playoffs, and I know it’s a different bowl of wax here as far as cost, and it being the Rangers and MSG, and all of that. But we will never have that type of atmosphere again.

[Sod16]

It is unconscionable to not give playoff rights unless a fan renews for the following season, and they lost a lot of season ticket holders due to that five years ago.  I'll always just have to savor the memory of '94, going to every home game and at least one road game in each of four series.  The spontaneous pile of people who knew each other in my section upon the Mattau goal.  There can't be anything like it again.

[Blue Heaven]

For shits and giggles I just checked tixs for Caps @ Golden Knights, 2 teams vs each other in opposing conferences so not really any rivalry…..sec 207, Row Q (3rd row from the top), $187 face value including AXS fees. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by Blue Heaven

[Pete]

Live pro sports are a luxury item. 

 

And that said you can't have it both ways...just stop going. Everyone complains about the experience or lack thereof...I had seasons and I gave them up and never looked back. Watching on TV is just fine.

 

I've been to games in Newark, Chicago, Boston, etc and frankly I just don't get the allure anymore, period. But I also find the televised experience much better. It's not like trying to find the puck on a 27" tube TV in 1992. 

[Cr00zng]

18 minutes ago, Pete said:

Live pro sports are a luxury item. 

 

And that said you can't have it both ways...just stop going. Everyone complains about the experience or lack thereof...I had seasons and I gave them up and never looked back. Watching on TV is just fine.

 

I've been to games in Newark, Chicago, Boston, etc and frankly I just don't get the allure anymore, period. But I also find the televised experience much better. It's not like trying to find the puck on a 27" tube TV in 1992. 

 

On the 55" and < TVs it's easy to find the puck, or the pimples on the rookies.

 

The hard part is to find what channel your game will be on. Will it be on the cable TV channel, ESPN+, FUBO, Hulu, etc? Not long ego, it used to be that you only needed cable TV to watch your team. Now, with ESPN+, FUBO, HULU, TNT, etc., you're head going to spin to find the game. Mind you, it isn't that bad yet, but watching the team on TV can turn into luxury item as well. As more and more streaming channels, like Amazon, AppleTV, etc., are already taking some of the games of MLB and NFL, it won't take long before other streaming services join the fray and jump on NHL.

 

I had most of the streaming channels at one point or other in this season and that can be costly proposition. Next season, I'll just keep my cable TV that already cost a bundle and fuck the streaming channels. Doing so it somewhat applies to the Rangers too, but so be it...

 

 

[Blue Heaven]

Eventually you'll end up being able to pay just to watch your favorite team.  

You can sort of do that with mlb.tv, instead of paying for the full subscription, you can pay just for one specific team.  I think within the next 5 years you'll be able to pay a "premium" (ex. $20 a month) to be able to just watch the NYR. 

[Pete]

14 minutes ago, Cr00zng said:

 

On the 55" and < TVs it's easy to find the puck, or the pimples on the rookies.

 

The hard part is to find what channel your game will be on. Will it be on the cable TV channel, ESPN+, FUBO, Hulu, etc? Not long ego, it used to be that you only needed cable TV to watch your team. Now, with ESPN+, FUBO, HULU, TNT, etc., you're head going to spin to find the game. Mind you, it isn't that bad yet, but watching the team on TV can turn into luxury item as well. As more and more streaming channels, like Amazon, AppleTV, etc., are already taking some of the games of MLB and NFL, it won't take long before other streaming services join the fray and jump on NHL.

 

I had most of the streaming channels at one point or other in this season and that can be costly proposition. Next season, I'll just keep my cable TV that already cost a bundle and fuck the streaming channels. Doing so it somewhat applies to the Rangers too, but so be it...

 

 

I don't really agree at all. There has been 1 Ranger game in the last few years that I couldn't get and I missed one period because of a Hulu fuck up. It's on cable. It's $200/mo which is cheaper than tickets and something most people already pay for. 

 

Watching the Rangers locally is not a challenge the way watching local games can be in other markets. 

[ThirtyONE]

"It's New York" and "It's MSG." Is a bullshit excuse for anything. I know we've all been trained to think that that's fine and it's the price you pay to live/work in new york, but I'm sorry, MSG isn't some kind of special experience. The Rangers have not been selling out this year, even though they're the best they've been in years. Maybe some of that is due to covid but I'd argue it has mostly to do with prices, considering the empty seats are the ones in the lower bowl.

[Go Blue]

PSLs destroyed the Giant fans too

 

its a morgue with tourists buying the good seats

 

ifound it funny when taking the bus to the game there were always German tourists on board

[The Dude]

2 hours ago, ThirtyONE said:

"It's New York" and "It's MSG." Is a bullshit excuse for anything. I know we've all been trained to think that that's fine and it's the price you pay to live/work in new york, but I'm sorry, MSG isn't some kind of special experience. The Rangers have not been selling out this year, even though they're the best they've been in years. Maybe some of that is due to covid but I'd argue it has mostly to do with prices, considering the empty seats are the ones in the lower bowl.

I think it's more to do with the surroundings of the arena at this time and the last year and a half. People have always paid the price to go to MSG. But the crime, drugs, sex, and homeless make going to MSG a less desirable event.  

 

 

[Blue Heaven]

36 minutes ago, The Dude said:

I think it's more to do with the surroundings of the arena at this time and the last year and a half. People have always paid the price to go to MSG. But the crime, drugs, sex, and homeless make going to MSG a less desirable event.  

 

 

Not necessarily true.....Knicks sell out or were a near sellout this season and they have sucked for 30 years.  

[siddious]

Msg is recouping what they put into the renovation. On top of inflation and the fact that they’re finally successful again. 

 

msg has always fucked it’s fans. It’s why I go to maybe 1-3 games a year and usually they’re gifted tix because fuck that place and it’s tiny seats. My 65” tv and cheap beer at home is almost always a better experience especially when I have people over to watch the game with. Even if the game is bad you can make fun of Sam Rosen. 

[Blue Heaven]

3 hours ago, ThirtyONE said:

"It's New York" and "It's MSG." Is a bullshit excuse for anything. I know we've all been trained to think that that's fine and it's the price you pay to live/work in new york, but I'm sorry, MSG isn't some kind of special experience. The Rangers have not been selling out this year, even though they're the best they've been in years. Maybe some of that is due to covid but I'd argue it has mostly to do with prices, considering the empty seats are the ones in the lower bowl.

Here is my perspective as a current season ticket holder.  There were plenty of empty seats in the upper bowl too.  Yes its been hard to sell tixs this year which I am still kind of scratching my head about b/c the NYR are relevant again.  Rangers do dynamic pricing just like pretty much every other team in every league these days.  So there were "affordable" games to go to this year, for instance, Panthers, top team in the East this year, tix prices for those games at MSG were about $60, I had to give one game away b/c I couldn't sell them, other game I went to b/c again I couldn't sell them.  There were games vs. the Sabres, BJs, Flames, Ducks, and a few others that I can't think of off the top of my head that were in the $60 range.  Then of course the most expensive games are/were vs. the Caps and TBL, same seats $110 per tix.  Rest of the games were $76, and $90.  I couldn't even give a single tix away vs. the Pens last week.  Overall my average ticket price was $78 per game.  

 

Now the reasoning IMO why people haven't been going to games, prices is definitely one especially vs. the rivalry teams.

2. Covid, beginning of the year their was a mask/vaccine mandate turning off people.  

3. People were/are WFH.

4. People don't want to take mass transportation

5. There were hardly any European tourists, whenever I would go to the game in the past it was all European tourists around me, especially from Sweden....No more Hank in net probably also affected the Swedish tourists buying tixs for a game.  

6. People who do work in the city, after a full day, they just want to go home.....I know their were plenty of nights I wanted to go home but had tixs to a game.  

 

I can't tell you the reasoning why the Knicks would sell out and not the Rangers other than the fact that basketball is more popular than hockey.  Also, Knicks tixs are about the same if not more expensive than Rangers tixs.  

[Sod16]

I just looked at a season ticket holder thread on another site where holders were comparing their per ticket costs for all four rounds.  They didn't look different to me than the rates from 2014 and 2015, with which I was familiar.  Obviously, they were crazy high then as well as now.

 

TV timeouts and between periods (which have crept up from 15 to 18 minutes over the years) make in person viewing a bit trying.  You can always switch channels or go to the frig if you are watching on TV.

[Cr00zng]

7 hours ago, Pete said:

I don't really agree at all. There has been 1 Ranger game in the last few years that I couldn't get and I missed one period because of a Hulu fuck up. It's on cable. It's $200/mo which is cheaper than tickets and something most people already pay for. 

 

Watching the Rangers locally is not a challenge the way watching local games can be in other markets. 

 

I seem to recall more than one game this season that was on other channels, including one exclusively on NHL.NET, but I digress since I did not keep a tab on them...

 

The MSG+ included in my cable subscription, cost about the same as yours. Plus I have Disney+  (for the grandkids ) that includes ESPN+ and HULU, so I didn't miss any games. TNT also owns the broadcast right to the "B package" of NHL games, that is also part of my cable subscription.

 

Going to MSG would take me more than an hour each way; that's what preventing me going there. It's enough for me to escort my wife two-three times a season to the MET to see some operas.....

[4EverRangerFrank]

MSG - Make Sure to Gouge

And while we’re at it, fuck Harry M. Stevens and his shitty overpriced food. (Thankfully they did away with that vendor and have some real food now, albeit costly.)

 

Anyone driving in to games? I pay GW Bridge, gas and $44 parking. That’s almost $75 just to go to the game. Crazy.

 

Oh yeah, fuck Ticketmaster fees. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by 4EverRangerFrank

[jsm7302]

13 hours ago, 4EverRangerFrank said:

MSG - Make Sure to Gouge

And while we’re at it, fuck Harry M. Stevens and his shitty overpriced food. (Thankfully they did away with that vendor and have some real food now, albeit costly.)

 

Anyone driving in to games? I pay GW Bridge, gas and $44 parking. That’s almost $75 just to go to the game. Crazy.

 

Oh yeah, fuck Ticketmaster fees. 

Exactly. Add some food and beer to that total and we are looking at $125 (at least) before tickets. Let's say $200 for two tickets in the upper tier with fees. So we are at $325 (and that is a conservative estimate) for the possibility of them throwing up a stinker against the Devils. Thats a big nope from me.

 

Its a luxury for sure but the cost is out of control. If I could go for less than $200, I'd probably make a couple of games per year but not at that cost. No way, not worth the aggravation of going into the city plus the cost. 

Edited April 16, 2022 by jsm7302

[Vodka Drunkenski]

I was looking to take my wife and kids to todays afternoon game but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend close to 1K on tickets

[Cr00zng]

1 hour ago, Vodka Drunkenski said:

I was looking to take my wife and kids to todays afternoon game but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend close to 1K on tickets

 

For that kind of money just for the tickets, plus all of the hustle of getting there, food and drinks, etc., I cannot blame you...

[RichieNextel305]

I’m at the point where I’m just trying to finish up visiting all the road arenas. I try and get to at least 1 or 2 new ones a year. I’m on 21 of the 32. Maybe try and finish up over the next few years