Average baseball playoff ticket prices down on StubHub

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ticket prices for Major League Baseball playoff games are down from last year as much as 50 percent in the secondary market as the weak economy has left consumers wary of spending.

The most drastic example is in Los Angeles, where the average price for the Dodgers' home playoff games in the first round are selling for $74, about half the $149 they fetched last year, according to market leader StubHub, a unit of eBay Inc. In fact, fans can even buy playoff tickets there for as low as $13.

"The climate will not support exorbitant prices right now, period," StubHub spokesman Andrew Pray said.

All leagues have been hurt by the recession as fans have curtailed attendance and spending, and corporate sponsors have trimmed budgets for pricey seats and sponsorships. Many sports, including baseball, have seen a decline in attendance.

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels will play each other in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year and prices have fallen every year.

"It's a recognition of the economic conditions we're faced with," said Michael Cramer, professor of sports management at New York University. "They mirror what we've seen throughout the (baseball) regular season and what we're seeing in the fall sports that have just started."

However, Cramer expects average prices for World Series games will not suffer as fans always are willing to pay for premium one-time events.

Tickets at Red Sox home games are selling for an average of $167, down 5.6 percent from $177 last year, StubHub said. The same tickets sold for an average of $303 in 2007.

For the Angels, the average price dropped 8.7 percent to $94 from $103 last year. Those tickets sold for $146 in 2007.

Fans in Philadelphia can buy tickets for first-round games of the defending champion Phillies for an average of $131, down 11.5 percent from $148 last year, StubHub said. They sold for $270 in 2007.

Even in New York, the Yankees are seeing less this year than they did in 2007, when they last made the playoffs, as the average price has dropped 19 percent to $170 from $210, according to StubHub.

The Colorado Rockies also missed the playoffs last year, but their average price is down 23 percent to $86 from $112 in 2007, StubHub said.

Other first-round average ticket prices include Detroit ($126) or Minnesota ($170), which are playing a one-game playoff on Tuesday to advance to a series against the Yankees; and St. Louis ($108), StubHub said.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman, editing by Matthew Lewis)