Stigma Seats

Interesting thought - is there a stigma now associated with the premium seating at the new stadiums in New York? The idea was raised in a column in the Washington Times:

"I have no empirical evidence to support this, but there may be a stigma attached [to premium seats]," [Maury] Brown said. "You realize there's a bunch of people looking around. You're flaunting it to an extent. Not that long ago, box seats didn't seem unreasonable. Now the haves and the have-nots have become extremely evident. A bleacher seat is $10, and in most of these new ballparks, you're cordoned off - you can't get past the 300 level. There's a clear caste system - part of it is by design, and part of it is how things are being priced. But I can't imagine people aren't saying, 'Look at that guy down there. What's he doing [to make so much money]?' "

I agree. The "rich guy" in the rich guy's seats will be the object of scorn as much as the guy at Yankee Stadium wearing a pink Red Sox hat. I guarantee you that incidents will rise to the point that extra security will be needed for people with seats inside what some New York writers are calling "the moat".