HomeAthleticsATHLETICS: How about a $1,000 ticket for the USATF Indoor Championships in February? Sure, why not?

ATHLETICS: How about a $1,000 ticket for the USATF Indoor Championships in February? Sure, why not?

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≡ USATF INDOOR CHAMPS ≡

The 2025 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships are heading back to the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York, a $93 million facility opened in 2015 and host to the 2019 USATF National Indoors.

The two-day meet is slated for Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 February 2025, with seating for about 2,500. Ticket sales are underway, with fairly typical pricing for a top-class meet in the U.S. (also the selection meet for the 2025 World Indoor Championships in March in Nanjing (CHN)):

$65: Gold §§106-107-108 (home straight finish area)
$45: Silver §§103-104-105-109 (middle of home straight)
$30: Bronze §§101-102 (end of home straight)
$20: General Admission (backstraight)

But then there are two special packages, in the corners of the backstraight, at very special prices:

Platinum VIP:
● $1,000 covers both days
● Trackside seating
● Hot buffet with beer and wine
● A limited-edition Championships souvenir
● A meet-and-greet and photo opportunities with top athletes

Gold VIP:
● $250 covers both days
● Trackside seating
● Appetizers with beer and wine
● A Championships souvenir

What? $1,000?

Don’t seem surprised; this is where ticket marketing is headed, everywhere.

Yes, this is an astonishing sum for a track meet, but it is more and more the norm. Consider that for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, the “Cadence Club” from Daimani hospitality offered tickets at varying prices depending on the day, and which came down as the meet got close:

Cadence Club: home straight §§123-124-125:
● Apr. 2022 prices: $450-550-975-450-875-450-650-1,250-1,250-1,250
● July 2022 prices: $395-495-695-395-650-400-550-850-895-895

Cadence Club: finish line §§ 121-122:
● Apr. 2022 prices: $950-1,050-1,450-950-1,770-950-1,150-2,250-2,250-2,250
● July 2022 prices: $650-875-1,050-750-1,250-750-950-1,395-1,495-1,495

These included a hospitality area with food and drink and hard-to-get parking for Hayward Field; these did not sell out, but there were plenty of takers, nonetheless.

And while the $1,000 Platinum VIP price for the USATF Indoors is pretty wild, the “Gold VIP” level is hardly out of bounds. Consider pricing for the third Grand Slam Track meet at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, the closest venue to New York, scheduled for 30 May to 1 June:

● $25-40-60 General Admission for 1-2-3 days
● $60-80-150 Premium Admission for 1-2-3 days
● $75-100-200 VIP finish Line for 1-2-3 days

There are people who have the money, inclination and willingness to enjoy a promised premium experience, with proceeds going to the benefit of the Ocean Breeze Park Alliance.

In the race for money from tickets, high-cost hospitality and premium services are a major part of every major sport in the world. Track & field now, too.

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