Paying $3,000 For That Cubs Ticket? Ah, Remember the Good Old Days …
As the Chicago Cubs make their return to Wrigley Field for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday, a quick perusal of the Wrigley Box Office website shows you can land one standing-room-only ticket for the bargain price of $1,932.
That’s as cheap as it gets as of Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016.
Slide down the page just a bit, and you’ll find, on the higher end of the spectrum, a dugout box seat for $16,800. As much as I love the Cubs, I tried to keep my cursor as far from the blue “BUY” box as possible.
I bring up these fun facts only by way of comparing then to an image shared with us today by an alert Kane County Connects reader, who was rummaging through old Cubs memorabilia, most likely for some voodoo ritual that might break the 108-year-old curse.
Take a gander at the image at the bottom of this article. It’s a Cubs program from 1972. I’ve also embedded screenshots showing some of the detail.
Granted, it’s not the World Series. (The Cubs finished second in the National League East that year, with a record of 85–70.) But for the sake of comparison and just for fun, look at the going rate for a ballgame in those days.
The box seat price? A heady $3.50. Reserved grandstand seats were a whopping $2.75 apiece. Bleacher seats, of course, went for a buck.
More joy comes on the concessions menu. “Lunch Well — and Economically,” the program invites. “You’ll enjoy a snack at Wrigley Field, where we serve only the best food and drinks, and at prices lower than you’ll pay elsewhere.”
Just in case the print on the embedded images is to too fine for you to read easily, here are just a few of the food prices:
- Oscar Mayer Hot Dog — 40 cents
- Vienna Corned Beef Sandwich — 60 cents (outrageous!)
- Hamburger Sandwich —50 cents
- Maxwell House Coffee — 15 cents
- Coca Cola (or Fresca!) — 15 cents and 25 cents
- Heileman’s Old Style or Schlitz Beer — 55 cents
- Borden’s Frosty Malt (my favorite) — 25 cents
- Salted In-Shell Peanuts — 15 cents and 25 cents
- Popcorn — 15 cents
Want a souvenir?
- 1972 Autographed Team Picture — 75 cents
- Cubs Sweatshirt (Adults) — $3.50
- Autographed Baseball — $3
- Bobble Head Mascot Doll — $1.25
- Cubs Jacket (Adult) — $12
And the item we’re looking at now, the Wrigley Field program, cost 15 cents. (Although they nicked you for another dime for the pencil.)
Here in Kane County, we have an affordable professional baseball entertainment option with the Kane County Cougars. The first game of the 2017 season is set for April 6. You can follow the Cougars on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for promotional updates and ticket information.
If you do land one of those World Series tickets, or if you’re just watching on TV at home, you can take a little extra hometown pride knowing that three of those Cubs on the roster played right here (no doubt, at greatly reduced prices) in Kane County, IL.
