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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 01: A general view of the field during the 2024 World Series Celebration Show at Dodger Stadium on November 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing to pursue a third straight World Series title next season and the team’s fans will have the chance to cheer them on in person soon.
The team will be hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day on Thursday, and fans will be setting their own records to watch a team that just paid the highest luxury tax penalty in history.
“According to the ticket site TickPick, prices for the team’s Opening Day game on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks are hitting record highs, with an average purchase price of $392 on the resale market,” Jack Harris reported for the New York Post. “That marks the highest price for an MLB home-opener on record, according to TickPick. It is also the most expensive price ever for a regular-season game played at an MLB ballpark.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers Fans Paying Record Prices But Stadium Loses Video Boards
Given the Dodgers’ exorbitant payroll, it might not be a surprise that tickets to their upcoming game are highly priced as well. But fans will be expecting a lot from the team in exchange, including another stellar regular season, a World Series championship and some unprecedented highlights from two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
But if Dodgers fans are expecting to see Dodger Stadium’s video ribbon boards on Opening Day, they are going to be disappointed.
“For anyone wondering about the missing ribbon boards at Dodger Stadium, they won’t be here for opening weekend because of a shipping mishap,” the Los Angeles Times’ Maddie Lee reported. “But they could be installed as early as next week.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers Brand Field Amid Dodger Stadium Changes
The Dodgers replaced the stadium’s auxiliary scoreboards with video ribbon boards in 2006 and the digital display has become a key feature for events at the venue ever since. But now, after the team agreed to brand the stadium’s baseball field for the first time in its history, things will look quite different for fans.
Dodger Stadium will have its new Uniqlo Field sponsorship signage in place for Opening Day, though the ribbon boards will be missing.
Between the rising prices, additional sponsorship signage and lack of the long-time ribbon boards, some hometown Dodgers fans might have some reason to complain despite the success of their favorite team.
“If tickets to sporting events have gotten too expensive for the average fan — and 86% of sports fans say they have, according to an Ipsos poll released last month — then Dodger Stadium is a flash point in the debate over whether teams should pursue every dollar they can or sacrifice a few bucks so they can better nurture a new generation of fans,” Bill Shaikin wrote for the Los Angeles Times last year.
The Dodgers seem to be growing in popularity as they rack up the titles, but the changes coming on Opening Day could begin to alienate some of their biggest fans.
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