5/7/2013
By Ivan Pereira
They don’t have Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson or Mark Texiera in the lineup, so the Yankees have called upon Groupon to go to bat for them.
As of Tuesday, the popular coupon site was listing tickets for weekday home games against the Indians and Mariners for $22, down from their $48 face value.
After 19 home games this season, the Yankees have an average attendance of 37,414 compared to 40,710 at the same point in 2012.
Groupon spokesman Tim DeClaire said the site has partnered with Major League Baseball since 2009 and is working with 13 teams to sell tickets so far this year. He added that the Yankees didn’t put up tickets on Groupon until June 13 last year.
The Yankees didn’t return calls and emails for comment.
Steven Goldman, the manager of the Yankees blog Pinstripe Bible, said a lot of fans were put off by the injuries to stars like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and the fact that favorites like Nick Swisher were let go.
“They seemed to have missed the market,” he said. “It became clear they were a team that was putting a product that wasn’t worth the price.”
Despite the depleted roster, the Yankees were tied for second place in the AL East going into last night’s games.
Attendance at Yankee Stadium has declined over the years since the team moved to their new home.
The Mets, who have an average attendance of 26,344 at Citi Field this season, said the team sometimes uses discount sites as well.
“Like many sports and entertainment entities, we use daily deal websites on a limited basis to promote special offers and one-off events to reach different audiences beyond sports,” the Mets said in a statement.
