The ticket prices are a given, but nobody buys just a ticket at a ballgame. You have to get the pretzel, the soda, the popcorn and, of course, the hot dog. And not just one hot dog. Nobody stops at one.
Add it all up, and a trip to your local ballpark can end up costing around $80 to $100. Multiply that by a family of four, and you’re breaking the bank to have your wife and kids enjoy America’s greatest pastime.
But what if there were a way to have your cake and eat it too? Literally.
According to Sports Illustrated, a majority of MLB teams have figured out a way for fans to come to the park, enjoy as much food as they want and not go home with empty pockets.
Nineteen out of the 30 major league teams offer an all-you-can-eat buffet for certain sections at some games in 2010, up from 13 in 2008 and six in 2007, Sports Illustrated reports.
At Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, fans in the left-field sections can enjoy an O’s game in addition to all-you-can-eat food at the incredibly affordable flat rate of $40.
"It's a great deal, especially for the teams that aren't selling out every game," Orioles fan Matthew Cavalier told Sports Illustrated. "The Phillies, Yankees and all them are always going to be fine. They don't need to do this. But for fans of, say, this team, it's a good plan."
Whenever there’s an unlimited amount of hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, soda, lemonade, peanuts and ice cream — yes, ice cream — saying "it’s a good plan" might just be the understatement of the year.
Lona Sandon, a registered dietician and American Dietetic Association national spokesman, probably wouldn’t agree.
"Anytime you have an open buffet, people are more likely to eat more and drink more," Sandon told Sports Illustrated. "It's perceived as cost-effective. Well, not when it comes to your health."
Last time I checked, the only health anyone cares about at a baseball game is that of the home team. All-you-can-eat or not, cotton candy and crackerjacks aren’t on anyone’s weight-loss plan.
The Cleveland Indians understand the notion that people like to eat, and when it comes to a baseball game, they like to eat food that tastes really good, and a lot of it. They promote their section on their website with the tagline, "How much food can you eat?"
But the Orioles are truly the glamour of gluttony in Major League Baseball.
Mary Lee has been an usher in a section of Camden Yards’ Picnic Perch for 17 years, and has seen her fair share of culinary piggishness in her days since the Orioles began their all-you-can-eat promotion in 2007. That includes, but does not end at hot dog eating contests.
"There were two kids from Virginia," she told SI. "One had eaten 16 hot dogs, and the other wasn't far behind."
Who wouldn’t want to scarf down 16 hot dogs, wash it down with as much soda as you want, all while taking in your favorite big league team, and all for a price that wouldn’t make your accountant cringe?
Meanwhile, heart surgeons everywhere can start planning their retirements. Business is absolutely booming.
Nearly 34 percent of all American adults and 17 percent of children are obese, according to the American Medical Association.
Hold on a minute. Hot dogs are bad for you?
The Orioles, along with the Pittsburgh Pirates, apparently knew this. They’ve started adding salads to their ballpark menus — the same menus that contain cheesy, beefy nachos and chili-laden frankfurters. You know, to please the health-conscious fans. Even Cavalier tried the salad, or in ballpark terms, “that green thing.”
"I didn't eat all of it," Cavalier told SI. "It's nice that they're trying for healthier stuff, but I'm at a ballpark."
Exactly. Most fans everywhere know the value of a salad at a baseball stadium. And that value is little to none.
The ballpark is a place to get away from the daily struggles of life, including a healthy diet. So unless that salad has croutons, ranch dressing, cheese and bacon — lots and lots of bacon — keep it out of the bleachers.
