Democracy Strikes out at Dodger Stadium
The L.A. Ballpark Was a Diverse and Inclusive Public Space. Then Prices Took a Bad Hop.
When Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley opened Dodger Stadium on April 10, 1962, his ticket price structure was simple, straightforward, and inexpensive: $3.50 for box seats, $2.50 for reserved seats, and $1.50 for general admission and the outfield pavilions. That was for every home game, regardless of opponent—whether it was the hated San Francisco Giants, with whom the Dodgers were engaged in an epic pennant race that year, or the hapless expansion Houston Colt .45s.
These prices remained the same until 1976. As late as 1997, the last full …
