SCANDAL: US OPEN TICKET PRICES - THE OPPOSITE OF FAMILY-FRIENDLY
My quest for finding reasonably priced tickets for a particular day uncovered an unsettling fact: the US Open is not family-friendly!
For reasons unrelated to this story, I had to be in New York around the middle weekend of the US Open. So I decided to search for US Open tickets for Saturday, September 2. For some reason, this seems to be a weekend where ticket prices soar and Ticketmaster, the unfortunate choice of the USTA for managing ticket sales, looks like a common street robber.
While I soon realized that tickets before that date were cheaper, I dug in some more and want to just list some that I found for September 2
GROUNDS PASSES
On the USTA website, under "Make the most of your 2023 US Open experience" they state, "During the day, grounds passes are just $70, and a grounds pass gets you into every court and stadium except for Arthur Ashe Stadium. See what I unearthed for September 2.
Note not only the price for the Grounds Pass but also the Ticketmaster fee of $45.71 plus another mysterious processing fee! Now I decided to search for the lowest and highest priced tickets in Arthur Ashe stadium that day. And look what I found.
That $288.92 ticket is up there in the nosebleed section. And check out the $742.50 Ticketmaster fee for the obscenely high best seat in the house. Can you say "US Open for the rich?" Do you not find this outrageous?
Then I decided to look at ticket prices for kids. Why? Because I always look out for kids and fight for them wherever I can. And guess what I unearthed: The best-kept secret in U.S. Tennis: The USTA seems to not want kids at the US Open. Look at the ticket policy:
Now look at the other Grand Slams and their kids' policies.
Australian Open?(where Finals Weekend Ground Passes without arena access begin from $59, while a night ground pass (without arena access) is available starting from $19.)
All persons aged?15 and over?as at the date a ticket is presented for entry at the AO may only attend the AO on an adult ticket.
Children aged 3-14 as at the date a ticket is presented for entry at the AO may purchase a Kids Ticket. Kids tickets are $10.00 each.
French Open
Children?under 6 years old?can enter the stadium for free.
Children and teenagers under 25 years old can buy half-price tickets for the outside courts during the last week of the tournament.
Wimbledon
Children?over 5 years of age?are required to have their own ticket, which will be charged at the full price. A ticket is not required for those under 5.
Is that why they created the Arthur Ashe Kids Day and make kids over 2 pay full price so they don't have to deal with pesky children during the rest of the tournament? My conclusion: The US Open is family-unfriendly! The USTA Board should be ashamed of itself. Arthur Ashe would turn in his grave knowing about this scandal!
Imagine, a working family with two adults and two young children over 2 years of age. They have to go on that Saturday. The parents want to take the kids to the biggest tennis tournament in the world. They can only afford Grounds Passes. They go on Ticketmaster and find the following prices:?
2 Adults $277 ea = $554
2 Kids $277 ea = $544
Ticketmaster fees are $182.84
Total cost $1,290.84
What are the chances that family will come to the US Open? Zero? I think you guessed right.
Owner at Tennis Dynamics< inc.
1 年Stunning
Mortgage Loan Officer Assistant
1 年Thursday's climate protests were awful. Did the protestors stop and think that by delaying the match for over 50 minutes, the lights (fossil fuel, oil-based??) had to be left on for that much longer while security dealt with them? I don't see the logic here. There is a time and a place for protests, thank you 1st amendment, but to the spectators and athletes who were put on hold during your shenanigans, tough night. Hope the guys' feet are ok after the solvent had to be applied in order to remove him from the facility.
It's so sad. As a small tennis merchandise vendor, I used to be welcomed at US based pro tournaments (all but the Open). This year, Cincy was the last to fall. After 18 years of being part of the tournament, we were no longer welcomed. This year in Cincy small business was replaced by a stage, a bar, a miniature court and a photo op. Owners don't care about what interests the fans/patrons, they are only concerned with funneling every penny into their own coffers. It seems local CTAs are trying to make tennis available to everyone, while pro tournament owners only wish to cater to the elite.
USPTA Certified Tennis Professional
1 年Their coffers are overflowing!?
Founder and President at Tenicity
1 年Tennis will grow amongst the masses as we are doing via our programs in Minnesota when we make the sport accessible, affordable, and deliver quality experiences. Efforts to grow the game and reach new and broader audiences need to combine the above 3 key elements. I find that awareness of tennis and its major tournaments including the US Open is low amongst the masses and in the heart of the country. More needs to be done to get children involved, playing and learning the sport from trained instructors in their neighborhood parks and schools where the facilities need upgrading and long term planning. One of our initiatives is to take tennis to where the communities are such as via the Try Tennis Clinics in parks, apartment complexes, and schools. It is through such programs that we will reach the masses, get them learning about and playing tennis, and build future generations who will play, benefit from, and spread the joy of the game. We need resources behind such efforts as a priority to grow the game. Programs, events, initiatives that are associated with a high cost of entry or participation will fall short of making new inroads and growing tennis with the masses.