American Theater Takes a Trip to London- Page 2

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 12:07pm

kdogg36 said: "Zeppie2022 said: "Should the Mayor of NY get involved with the price of sporting events in NYC (Yankees, Rangers, Knicks, US Open etc.) Tourist come to see sporting events in NYC. I find it hard to believe many casual theater goers or first timers have never heard of TKTS. My goodness, it is heavily advertised and is in the middle of Times Square. Of course, it is outrageous for the Mayor of NY to have anything to do with the price of entertainment. Seeing a Broadway show is not a life-or-death thing, it is for entertainment."

Professional sports are heavily subsidized by state and local governments, which often cover most or all of the cost of new facilities. (I don't know much about NYC's arenas and stadiums, but both the Orioles and Ravens stadiums in Baltimore, where I live, were fully paid for with government money.) I know there are (or were) tax credits for Broadway shows, but I doubt that amounts to very much in comparison. The equivalent would be for the city to build new Broadway theaters, or municipalize existing ones,to be rented at minimal cost to productions.

Note that I'm not endorsing this idea; in fact, I think corporate welfare is pretty disgusting.I'm just pointing out that cities across the country have paid billions of dollars to reduce the costs of professional sporting events, so it's not absurd to suggest that NYC do something about the costs of live theater."

The US Open tennis tournament had a 1.2-billion-dollar impact on NYC in 2025. Over 750,000 visitors came to the three-week event with hotel occupancy up to 95%. Restaurant revenue during this period went up 25-30%. In addition, the USTA pays NYC over 5 million dollars a year to rent the Flushing Meadow facility. Ticket prices are not cheap but once again the USTA is looking to make a profit from this major event. The money the USTA makes supposedly helps fund junior tennis programs and other things to promote the sport.

As for the sports teams you mention, I agree. Baseball teams like the Orioles do not make a significant profit for the city. While they provide revenue to the city every year, most of that is offset by funds for building and maintaining the stadium. Even with government helping to pay for the stadium costs, I do not think they should be able to dictate ticket prices. I have been to Camden Yards a few times (love Boog Powell place) and find the seat ticket price very reasonable. Last time I was there was 2018 so don't know if that has changed.

 

Updated On: 3/13/26 at 12:07 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 12:15pm

Is sports just "entertainment"?

I’ve always found it sad that sport is sacrosanct, revered, hero-making… but arts and culture is just unimportant colorful fluff. Societally speaking. ☹️

Updated On: 3/13/26 at 12:15 PM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 1:24pm

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Is sports just "entertainment"?

Yes, viewing sports is just entertainment and nothing else. Actually, playing a sport can teach you sportsmanship which is a good life lesson to learn. Working/playing together as a team is another good aspect of playing sports.

I’ve always found it sad that sport is sacrosanct, revered, hero-making… but arts and culture is just unimportant colorful fluff. Societally speaking. ☹️"

It is all media driven due to money. Media heavily promotes sports teams/stars which in turn makes money for them. People in the arts/culture are revered it is just on a bunch lower scale due to it is not as commercially popular.