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In Major League: Back to the Minors, the manager of the Twins' Triple-A affiliate orders a couple of hot dogs and sodas at a game. The total was four dollars. Adjusted for inflation, that 1998 total would cost $7.75 today. Not bad. Figure a buck for raw costs, a couple bucks for labor, and then a couple bucks each for the vendor and the ball club toward operating expenses and profit. Reasonable, right?
How much do you suppose that same order would cost at Target Field today? Between $20 and $25, if you keep the sodas small. Like beer? A large craft beer will set you back around $20, after tip. (God forbid you forget the tip; they're not paying the workers helping you anything to speak of.) Want a kosher hot dog? Eight bucks, plus tax. For a hot dog. A decent brat will run you $11 after tax. Adult meal-sized food options range from $15-20, and some options go even higher. For a family of four, it’s not uncommon for the concessions bill alone to sit in the $150 range for a single game. Adding in ticket costs (which have also increased a fair bit over the past handful of years), you're looking at maybe $300 a game to sit in mid-range seats and have a meal.
That’s a lot, and it limits the number of games a casual fan will attend each season. For fans who have been unable to watch games on TV, going to the ballpark may be the only option they have to watch the game, and if it’s cost-prohibitive to do so, many of them just won't go. Fandoms are dying in their cribs, all over Twins Territory.
Concessions prices have steadily increased at Target Field since it opened. That’s to be expected. But, the degree to which they have increased is excessive, to the point of price gouging. Now, the Twins aren’t alone in this scenario. I go to half a dozen games at Kauffman Stadium each year, and their prices have gone through the roof, too. But, there’s one dynamic that’s markedly different between the Twins and some of the other teams across the league, and that’s fan sentiment.
Reading through Twins Twitter, it’s clear that at least a portion of the Twins fan base feels alienated by many of the business decisions over the past couple of years: the heavy slashing of payroll immediately following a 2023 playoff series win, the tone-deaf comments blaming fans for declining payroll due to declining attendance, the re-upping with DSG preventing many fans from watching games on TV, failure to allow moves to supplement a talented-but-flawed 2024 roster at the trade deadline—the list goes on and on. For fans feeling some level of apathy or even disgust toward ownership and the business side of the Minnesota Twins, it’s clear that something needs to change.
Since the offseason began, there has been an effort to address some of these concerns. Ownership went on record saying payroll wouldn’t be cut (you know, again) going into 2025. The Twins signed on with MLB for streaming distribution, ending local blackouts so fans can watch on TV (if they're willing to pay "Target Field chicken tenders meal" dollars each month for the privilege). Dave St. Peter has given much of his portfolio to Derek Falvey. The Pohlads are selling the team! Now, it’s up to the Twins to keep making decisions that can bring some wary fans back into the fold.
One of the easiest solutions would be to decide to profit slightly less off concessions at the ballpark. By lowering concessions costs even slightly, the organization would send a message that it hears fans’ concerns, and wants to take action to bring fans back to the ballpark.
Yes, the Twins have done a few things to make concessions more affordable over the past few years (under certain, limited parameters), but there’s room to do more. There’s Dollar Dog Night, but that often sells out shortly after the game starts. There are family sections with budget-friendly options, but those are limited to pretty mediocre offerings, and they really only bring the prices down to what they should be throughout the park—and maybe not even that far. There are simple tweaks that could demonstrate they are interested in meeting fans where they are: they could double the number of dollar dogs, and increase the number of days those are offered. They could also add a couple slightly more premium options in the family sections, say in the $7-8 range, or spread family-targeted meal deal options to all stands throughout the park.
The ballpark group could look to get creative as well. Perhaps they could do something like offering concessions promo codes — for every ten game tickets you buy, you get a single-day promo code for 40% off all concessions. Or, a concessions promo code for anyone who orders tickets for at least three games before the season starts. Or, they could do “deal of the day” type promotions where each game could feature a different vendor offering a discount for the day. There could be theme days throughout the season, similar to Dollar Dog Nights, but for burgers, pizza, or beer — you name it. The possibilities are endless, if the team is willing to look beyond their short-term bottom line.
It seems likely that for every dollar the team would lose in their concessions take, they would earn at least double that in the medium term through increased ticket sales, and probably also increased TV subscriptions. This fan engagement will also make it easier to get top dollar from the eventual buyers of the Twins. Longer-term, fans attending more games will lead to an increase in fan goodwill, and will give the Twins a chance to create more fans for life. The window to re-engage fans is open, but closes a little more with each passing tone-deaf season. The time is now to show fans that the team wants them to care.
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