‘Riding the hype': Fans paying a premium to see first-place Toronto Blue Jays

Winnipeg Free Press

2 days ago

TORONTO – Heather Gardiner couldn't give her seats away.
The Blue Jays owned a record under .500 back in the spring, and looked poised for another middling campaign with little playoff hope.
Things then drastically turned around on the field. Toronto now sits first in the American League East.
And tickets are a hot commodity — often at a hefty price.
Getting into Rogers Centre to see Canada's only Major League Baseball team has quickly morphed into a costly endeavour this summer that has surprised some fans.
A recent sold-out series against the New York Yankees saw the cheapest seats on resale sites going for more than $200 apiece, while a ticket in the 500 level for Friday's series-opener with the Kansas City Royals was in the neighbourhood of $80 as of Wednesday afternoon — more than double face value.
Gardiner and her family have two season tickets near the visitors dugout. The tech consultant, who's had seats since Toronto's 2015 playoff run, sold most of her extras at cost to friends last season.
After the Jays' underwhelming start to 2025, interest dropped to near zero.
'We were posting on social media three days before a game saying, 'We can't make it and if you want the tickets let me know and they're yours,'' Gardiner said. 'They were free and people weren't taking them.'
Toronto's surge up the standings signalled a drastic shift across the ticket market.
Fans can make purchases directly from the team through Ticketmaster, while the website also has verified resale options — usually at an inflated price — similar to other big-hitters like SeatGeek and StubHub when supply is scarce.
Jagger Long, who runs Toronto-based resale website Karma Tickets, said a number of factors, including summer holidays, tourism and a winning team are contributing to the spikes.
'We're riding the hype of the Jays,' he said. 'People are spending the money. If they weren't, the prices would come down.'
A multi-million dollar renovation of Rogers Centre that improved sightlines, added more bars, communal areas and other amenities has also raised the stakes, Long said.
'They've done a great job of turning it into more of a social event,' he said.
That mainly happens in the common areas where general admission tickets — standing room, without a seat — can be purchased for a face value of roughly $20.
But those tickets — along with blocks of seats in the 500s — are often snapped up by scalpers or fellow fans looking to make a quick buck, Long said. General admission seats for Toronto's opener against Kansas City were priced around $50 and up for resale Wednesday.
'People are watching the market,' said Long, who added website algorithms can boost prices automatically when tickets are at a premium. 'Even average fans, professional ticket sellers, part-time ticket sellers, they watch. They treat it like a part-time job or a full-time job.'
The Jays said in a statement the club encourages fans to plan ahead and purchase tickets well in advance of games. The team noted there are plenty of seats available for series later in August and September.
Long agreed getting tickets early is the best practice, but added scanning resale options for popular games can still garner good results.
'Jot down the price and then go back in a few days,' he said. 'If the prices haven't really moved, that's an indicator … you eventually might find a hidden gem.'
The face value of Gardiner's tickets sit at just over $100 each per game. She hasn't looked to make a profit in the past, but sold for as much as $350 apiece for the Yankees series, and got $450 this weekend.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Prices for season-ticket holders jumped significantly following the Rogers Centre renovations. Gardiner said she knows a number of fellow fans — including some with tickets since Day 1 back in 1977 at Exhibition Stadium — who have gone that route to maintain their small pieces of baseball real estate.
The financial calculus of attending Jays games aside, Gardiner said the energy at the ballpark is comparable to when she first bought in a decade ago.
'It's like being there in 2015,' she said. 'There was something different, and that's what it's feeling like in that building.
'Everyone keeps saying it's like a playoff game. It is electric.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.