Take me out to the ballgame (on the cheap) By Jeff Mills • Staff Writer two adult tickets, two child tickets, four hot dogs, two sodas, ast month, Minor League Baseball crunched the numbers two beers and a game program. Lfrom its 14 leagues and 160 ballparks and found that a So what does it cost around here? family of four could go to a game for an average cost of $63.55. A look inside the numbers, before you dig inside your wallet: The “Fan Cost Index” formula includes the price of parking,

FAN COST INDEX There are eight teams in North Carolina within 100 miles of Greensboro. SEASON ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE PER GAME The Fan Cost Index for those eight. Greensboro 222,655 5,301 Team/Class Cost Grasshoppers Charlotte Knights 411,690 9,574 Burlington Royals $45.00 Short season A Durham Bulls 320,195 7,446 Greensboro Grasshoppers $46.00 Winston-Salem Low A 155,705 4,208 SEASON ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE PER GAME Dash Kannapolis Intimidators Gr eensboro $50.00 5,301 Grasshoppers Low A 222,655 Charlotte KnightsDurham Bulls 411,690 $61.46 9,574 Burlington Royals $45.00 AAA Short season A 7,446 Durham*Carolina Bulls Mudcat s 320,195 Greensboro Grasshoppers $60.00 $46.00 Winston-Salem High A Low A Dash 155,705 4,208 Hickory Crawdads Kannapolis Intimidators $61.00 $50.00 Low A Low A Winston-Salem Dash $70.80 Durham Bulls $61.46 High A AAA Charlotte Knights *Carolina Mudcats $72.00 PARKING $60.00 AAA High A Greensboro *Stadium in Zebulon $4 Source: Minor League Baseball Grasshoppers Hickory Crawdads $61.00 Low A Charlotte Knights $5

Winston-Salem Dash $70.80 Durham Bulls $4 High A BY THE NUMBERS THE BIG FOUR Winston-Salem Charlotte Knights Dash $5 $72.00 PARKING Breakdowns of the four North Carolina franchises with the highest average attendance this season: AAA Greensboro HOT DOGSATTENDANCE PER GAME *Stadium in Zebulon Grasshoppers $4 SEASON ATTENDANCE Source: Minor League Baseball Greensboro Greensboro 222,655 5,301 $3 Charlotte Knights $5 Grasshoppers Grasshoppers Charlotte Knights 411,690 Charlotte Knights $3 9,574 Burlington Royals Durham Bulls$45.00 $4 Short season A Winston-Salem Durham Bulls 320,195 Durham Bulls 7,446 $3.25 Greensboro Grasshoppers $5 Dash$46.00 Winston-Salem Low A Winston-Salem 4,208 $4 HOT DOGS Dash 155,705 Dash Kannapolis Intimidators Greensbor o $50.00 Low A $3 SODA Grasshoppers Greensboro Grasshoppers $2 Durham Bulls Charlotte Knights $61.46 $3 GREENSBORO DURHAM AAA GRASSHOPPERS Charlotte BULLS Knights $4 Durham Bulls $3.25 *Carolina Mudcats Summary: At $46, Summary: Winston-Salem $60.00 the home team is the Durham Bulls $3.25 High A $4 The Bull City’s Dash cheapest date in the Winston-SalemAmerican Tobacco Hickory Crawdads $61.00 Dash $3 Low A SODA South Atlantic League, Historic District in Greensboro costing 28 percent less is the midst of a Winston-Salem Dash Grasshoppers $70.80$2 than the minor-league BEER renaissance, and the modern 10,000-seat High A national average. Greensboro Charlotte Knights $4 GrasshoppersDurham Bulls Athletic Park$3 is smack in the Charlotte Knights Average cost in the $72.00 PARKING middle of it all. Arguably the best-known AAA 14-team Sally League is $60.56, and average cost Charlotte Knights $7.50 Durham Bulls $3.25 Greensboro minor-league team in America, thanks to a *Stadium in Zebulon nationallyGrasshoppers for a Class-A game is $63.47.$4 1988 film starring Kevin Costner. Source: Minor League Baseball Winston-Salem Durham Bulls $3 $3 Speaking: “What makes this the most im- Dash Charlotte Knights $5 Program: Free pressive is that we have a significant mortgage Winston-Salem MilitaryDash discount: Yes $3.50 (at box office BEER paymentDurham that Bulls none of these other teams$4 have, only) Greensboro but we still find a way to keep affordability at $3 Winston-Salem Senior discount: Yes (at box office only) Grasshoppers the top of our priority list.” — Donald Moore, $5 TICKETS Dash Greensboro Charlotte Knights $7.50 president and general manager Grasshoppers $4 Child* $6 Adult HOTProgram: DOGS Free Durham Bulls $3 Greensboro Charlotte Knights $8 GrasshoppersMilitary discount: No $3 Winston-Salem Senior discount: Yes Durham Bulls $7.99 Dash $3.50 Charlotte Knights $3 Winston-Salem Dash $9.20 TICKETS Durham Bulls $3.25 Greensboro Winston-SalemCHARLOTTE KNIGHTS *Ages 6-12. AgesWINSTON-SALEM 5 & under get in free. DASH Grasshoppers $4 Child* $6 Adult Dash $4 The other parks don’t have seperate child prices (children under 2 get in free.) Summary: Summary: Opened in 2010, the 5,500- Charlotte Knights $8 SODA After languish- MOST EXPENSIVEseat BB&T Ballpark TICKET is cut into the hillside ing for years in a overlooking Business I-40 and is owned by Durham Bulls Greensboro Greensboro $7.99 Grasshoppers $2ballpark across Grasshoppersthe city of Winston-Salem.$10 Pretty but pricey, Winston-Salem the state line, the the project faced delays and cost overruns $9.20 Charlotte Knights $4 Charlotte Knights $25 Dash Knights opened and wound up costing $47 million. *Ages 6-12. Ages 5 & under get in free. Durham Bulls shiny new $3.25 BB&T DurhamProgram: Bulls Free $23.99* The other parks don’t have seperate child prices (children under 2 get in free.) Ballpark this Winston-Salem Winston-SalemMilitary discount: No year in $3 uptown $18.40 MOST EXPENSIVE TICKET Dash SeniorDash discount: No Charlotte and *Includes $5 merchandise credit Greensboro instantly became the state’s top-drawing minor- Grasshoppers $10 BEER leagueGreensbor franchise.o Charlotte Knights $25 Grasshoppers $3 Program: Free HOPPERS TONIGHT Charlotte Military Knights discount: Yes (at box office only) $7.50 Durham Bulls $23.99* When: 7 p.m. Senior discount: Yes (at box office only) Winston-Salem Durham Bulls $3 Opponent: West Virginia. Dash $18.40 Winston-Salem Homestand preview: Page C4. *Includes $5 merchandise credit Dash TIM RICKARD/ $3.50 News & Record

TICKETS Greensboro Grasshoppers $4 Child* $6 Adult Charlotte Knights $8 Durham Bulls $7.99 Winston-Salem Dash $9.20 *Ages 6-12. Ages 5 & under get in free. The other parks don’t have seperate child prices (children under 2 get in free.)

MOST EXPENSIVE TICKET Greensboro Grasshoppers $10 Charlotte Knights $25 Durham Bulls $23.99* Winston-Salem Dash $18.40 *Includes $5 merchandise credit