Viz Media/Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Naruto wearing a Yankees hat
Every professional sports team relies on promo nights and free giveaways to try to lure fans to the game. That includes the New York Yankees, who have sparked a bit of a frenzy based on how much people are paying to get their hands on a Naruto trading card.
The Yankees are currently one of the three teams in the American League that would punch their ticket to the playoffs as a wild card if the season ended today, and all signs point to the guys in pinstripes vying for the top spot in the AL East over the next couple of months.
As things currently stand, the get-in price for the majority of the games they’ll be playing in the Bronx during that span is in the low double-digits, including more than a few contests where the price of a ticket will run you less than what you’d spend on a beer inside Yankee Stadium.
That includes a couple of showdowns with the Rockies at the start of September, but there is one game in that series that will set you back significantly more thanks to a promotion linked to a popular anime.
A Naruto trading card has led to a spike in prices for tickets to a Yankees game
On September 8th, the Yankees will kick off a six-game homestand that will get underway when they host the Rockies for a three-game series. According to TicketData, you won’t have to shell out a ton of money if you want to attend the showdowns scheduled for the 9th or the 10th, as the cheapest tickets are currently going for $10 and $11, respectively.
However, that is not the case for the opening game, as the get-in price for the one that will unfold on Tuesday night is hovering around $115 as of this writing, which means it’s around 1000% more expensive than the other two.
TicketData
Why? Well, all signs point to the price being linked to a promo right that revolves around the anime series Naruto, as the first 18,000 fans to pass through the gates will receive an “exclusive card” (there was also an option to purchase a ticket package that included the signature Naruto headband and ensured you’d get the trading card regardless of when you arrive).
The game is still more than a month away, and while the team hasn’t revealed what the card looks like, that hasn’t stopped people on eBay from posting listings that are priced between $600 and $1,000 (including some that include the headband that are going for even more).
This isn’t the first time a popular Japanese entertainment export was responsible for a similar spike in ticket prices, as a One Piece promo had a similar impact at some college basketball games last season.