The second-most valuable sports team in the world showed just how loyal its fanbase is this past week.
A municipal bond disclosure revealed that New York Yankees fans deferred $94 million in tickets purchased from the shortened 2020 season to attend games this season, as opposed to asking for a refund.
The team sold an additional $63.3 million in 2021 tickets as of June 30, totaling 1.37 million 2021 tickets sold, or $157.2 million in revenue.
The Yankees were among several pro teams that deferred tickets for fans.
- The NFL’s New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans deferred season tickets.
- NBA teams that deferred all or some tickets included the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.
In 2019, the last non-pandemic MLB season, the Yankees tallied $321.4 million in ticket and suite revenue. They’re not alone in their financial losses — Major League Baseball reported operational losses of $3 billion last season.