Where can I watch baseball and football in Boston in August?
July 16, 2016 8:10 AM Subscribe
I am a European going to Boston and Philadelphia in August, and would like to watch a baseball and American football game. Help me!
I am going to the US with my girlfriend from August 16-26. We land in Boston and will be staying there until August 22, when we go to Philadelphia. We will stay there until August 26, when we'll travel back to Boston and fly home from there.
I want to attend a football and baseball game during our stay.
- For football, it looks like the Patriots week 2 (Aug 18) preseason game vs the Bears is the only option. When I go to Ticketmaster to look for tickets, it looks like there's only single seats left in all the sections. We'd naturally like two adjacent seats. Is it really already almost sold out, or might some more tickets be released later? Are there any other options than scalpers?
- Unfortunately, both the Red Sox and Phillies have road series during our stay, so MLB games won't be an option. Are there any Minor League teams in either city that are scheduled to play during those dates? We're willing to travel, but we will only have access to public transportation (not renting a car), so that limits the options somewhat.
I am going to the US with my girlfriend from August 16-26. We land in Boston and will be staying there until August 22, when we go to Philadelphia. We will stay there until August 26, when we'll travel back to Boston and fly home from there.
I want to attend a football and baseball game during our stay.
- For football, it looks like the Patriots week 2 (Aug 18) preseason game vs the Bears is the only option. When I go to Ticketmaster to look for tickets, it looks like there's only single seats left in all the sections. We'd naturally like two adjacent seats. Is it really already almost sold out, or might some more tickets be released later? Are there any other options than scalpers?
- Unfortunately, both the Red Sox and Phillies have road series during our stay, so MLB games won't be an option. Are there any Minor League teams in either city that are scheduled to play during those dates? We're willing to travel, but we will only have access to public transportation (not renting a car), so that limits the options somewhat.
The Boston minor league team is the Pawsox and they don't play in Boston, they play in Pawtucket which is in RI not MA so won't be possible for you.
The Phillies' minors is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and they play in Allentown, Pennsylvania, so again no.
These are both unfortunate since the Pawsox is a great stadium and experience, very different than going to the Sox. I dunno what else is around for farm league or minors but if you can't make that work, any baseball game will do: kids, camps, whatever.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:37 AM on July 16, 2016
The Phillies' minors is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and they play in Allentown, Pennsylvania, so again no.
These are both unfortunate since the Pawsox is a great stadium and experience, very different than going to the Sox. I dunno what else is around for farm league or minors but if you can't make that work, any baseball game will do: kids, camps, whatever.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:37 AM on July 16, 2016
Best answer: Check Stubhub for the Patriots-Bears game, and MILB.com for lower-tier baseball.
posted by Etrigan at 8:44 AM on July 16, 2016
posted by Etrigan at 8:44 AM on July 16, 2016
I'm surprised it's not sold out, both teams in the Boston area are incredibly popular, be very very careful about counterfeit tickets.
The "PawSox" play outside of Providence RI at McCoy stadium which would be the closest at about an hour drive. I looked at the commuter rail and it would not be bad to get to the South Attleboro station and then a 3-4 mile Uber ride but the return on public trans is not practical late at night.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough has a charter train but there are mixed opinions. Other than that it's really only 'burbs/car accessible.
posted by sammyo at 8:46 AM on July 16, 2016
The "PawSox" play outside of Providence RI at McCoy stadium which would be the closest at about an hour drive. I looked at the commuter rail and it would not be bad to get to the South Attleboro station and then a 3-4 mile Uber ride but the return on public trans is not practical late at night.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough has a charter train but there are mixed opinions. Other than that it's really only 'burbs/car accessible.
posted by sammyo at 8:46 AM on July 16, 2016
Football is going to be tough. College football doesn't start until the first weekend of September, and the NFL the week after. NFL preseason games are an option, but not a good one. Star players don't play, and nobody takes them seriously. You're mostly going to be watching players who will be cut by the start of the regular season. To use a soccer analogy, it's like watching a friendly between second-division teams, but paying Premier League ticket prices.
Your only other option is high school football. It generally starts a week earlier than college, but it's highly dependent on the area. The good: you get a real sense of how the game matters to the community, and it's super cheap ($5 each usually). The bad: even the best teams are pretty lousy if you're used to watching higher levels, the sight lines aren't good, it can be pretty hard to find, and you'll feel like an outsider. (I'm not saying that because you're European; I feel like an outsider when I go to games in my hometown. Generally, the only people who attend high school games are people who know a player on the team, so if you don't, it might be a little weird.) Just buy the local newspaper on Friday morning, and the Sports section will list games that night. Usually they'll have a "game of the week", too, so you can know which game is most likely to be worth watching.
Baseball, in the other hand, should be fairly easy to find, even if it's not the major leagues. Nearly every city of 100,000 people (e.g. Trier in Germany) has a minor league team. If you can travel a little outside Boston or Philadelphia, you should have no trouble finding a ballgame. Looking at a list of teams, Camden, NJ (across the river from Philly) has a team. That'll be the easiest option if they're at home during your stay. For what it's worth, I prefer minor league baseball to major league. It's a lot better experience.
How are you getting from Boston to Philly? If you're driving or taking a train, there will be tons of minor league teams in your way. Also, you'll pass through New York, so you might be able to catch an MLB or NFL game there. Philly is also a quick train from Baltimore and Washington, both of whom have pro teams in both sports.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:03 AM on July 16, 2016
Your only other option is high school football. It generally starts a week earlier than college, but it's highly dependent on the area. The good: you get a real sense of how the game matters to the community, and it's super cheap ($5 each usually). The bad: even the best teams are pretty lousy if you're used to watching higher levels, the sight lines aren't good, it can be pretty hard to find, and you'll feel like an outsider. (I'm not saying that because you're European; I feel like an outsider when I go to games in my hometown. Generally, the only people who attend high school games are people who know a player on the team, so if you don't, it might be a little weird.) Just buy the local newspaper on Friday morning, and the Sports section will list games that night. Usually they'll have a "game of the week", too, so you can know which game is most likely to be worth watching.
Baseball, in the other hand, should be fairly easy to find, even if it's not the major leagues. Nearly every city of 100,000 people (e.g. Trier in Germany) has a minor league team. If you can travel a little outside Boston or Philadelphia, you should have no trouble finding a ballgame. Looking at a list of teams, Camden, NJ (across the river from Philly) has a team. That'll be the easiest option if they're at home during your stay. For what it's worth, I prefer minor league baseball to major league. It's a lot better experience.
How are you getting from Boston to Philly? If you're driving or taking a train, there will be tons of minor league teams in your way. Also, you'll pass through New York, so you might be able to catch an MLB or NFL game there. Philly is also a quick train from Baltimore and Washington, both of whom have pro teams in both sports.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:03 AM on July 16, 2016
I think getting tickets to the preseason NFL game should be doable. A lot of people aren't particularly excited about preseason football for the reasons mentioned above. That coupled with the fact that NFL teams make season ticket holders buy tickets to all the preaseason games means that there should be a decent amounts of tickets available on the secondary market. You might have to wait until closer to the game day to acquire them.
I don't have a lot of suggestions for baseball except to note that Philadelphia and Washington DC is separated by a 2 hour train ride. Baltimore would be closer but it so happens that they are playing in Washington DC that week.
posted by mmascolino at 9:40 AM on July 16, 2016
I don't have a lot of suggestions for baseball except to note that Philadelphia and Washington DC is separated by a 2 hour train ride. Baltimore would be closer but it so happens that they are playing in Washington DC that week.
posted by mmascolino at 9:40 AM on July 16, 2016
Best answer: The Lowell Spinners, a minor league team located half an hour or so north of Boston (and accessible via commuter rail) are at home August 17-22nd. Tickets are cheap, the games are fun, and it's professional baseball.
posted by bowbeacon at 12:03 PM on July 16, 2016
posted by bowbeacon at 12:03 PM on July 16, 2016
Best answer: Is sitting for the football game a requirement? Whenever I go to Gillette, I buy the cheapest seats in the third tier and watch the entire game from the concourse behind the first tier seats, next to a beer cart. If you did that, non-adjacent seats wouldn't be an issue. Also, if you do go to Gillette, be mindful of the bag rules. No bag larger than a women's wristlet is allowed, unless it's a gallon sized plastic baggie or clear tote bag no larger than 12 in by 12 in.
posted by Ruki at 7:47 PM on July 16, 2016
posted by Ruki at 7:47 PM on July 16, 2016
Best answer: Seconding the Spinners. I biked up from Boston once; great relaxed atmosphere and Lowell was fun to walk around.
posted by sy at 8:08 PM on July 16, 2016
posted by sy at 8:08 PM on July 16, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers!
We haven't figured out how to get from Boston to Philly yet, but probably by train (might have to get a separate AskMe, but we'll look into it first).
The Spinners looks perfect! I'm guessing it's not the type of ballpark that usually sells out? Or should we try to get tickets beforehand?
sy: That's interesting, we really like biking. Do you think it would be possible to rent bikes in Boston and take them back on the train?
Ruki: No, sitting isn't a requirement. So is that something that would be frowned upon, or does nobody care? How's the view from behind the seats?
posted by Bukvoed at 5:58 AM on July 18, 2016
We haven't figured out how to get from Boston to Philly yet, but probably by train (might have to get a separate AskMe, but we'll look into it first).
The Spinners looks perfect! I'm guessing it's not the type of ballpark that usually sells out? Or should we try to get tickets beforehand?
sy: That's interesting, we really like biking. Do you think it would be possible to rent bikes in Boston and take them back on the train?
Ruki: No, sitting isn't a requirement. So is that something that would be frowned upon, or does nobody care? How's the view from behind the seats?
posted by Bukvoed at 5:58 AM on July 18, 2016
You don't have to buy tickets in advance to a minor league game, not at all. Buy em when you get there.
Go to Stubhub.com for Patriots tickets. I just glanced, you can get in the stadium for $31 each, you could get nice seats on the 50 yard line for $100, better seats if you want to splurge. No pre-season game ever, not even a Patriots game, will be sold out for real.
It should be noted that the play of a pre-season football game is nothing like a real football game; its glorified practice, and auditions for some of the players trying to make the team. The best players will play for a series or 2 and then sit on the sidelines. Nobody real cares, it won't have the intensity of a real game.
posted by RajahKing at 8:41 AM on July 18, 2016
Go to Stubhub.com for Patriots tickets. I just glanced, you can get in the stadium for $31 each, you could get nice seats on the 50 yard line for $100, better seats if you want to splurge. No pre-season game ever, not even a Patriots game, will be sold out for real.
It should be noted that the play of a pre-season football game is nothing like a real football game; its glorified practice, and auditions for some of the players trying to make the team. The best players will play for a series or 2 and then sit on the sidelines. Nobody real cares, it won't have the intensity of a real game.
posted by RajahKing at 8:41 AM on July 18, 2016
Best answer: Oh, one other thing to consider with minor league baseball: Because games never sell out (as RajahKing noted), teams are always looking for ways to get people into the ballpark. It's fairly common to come across free or reduced price tickets. When I was a kid, I used to get a bunch by eating at a Pizza Hut. I've also seen things where you can buy promotional Pepsi cans and bring one to the gate for free admission. When you decide where you're going, ask around about ticket promotions and you'll probably be able to make a cheap night of it. On the flipside, if you buy a ticket, often you'll be able to present your stub at a local restaurant for a discount on a meal.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:48 AM on July 18, 2016
posted by kevinbelt at 9:48 AM on July 18, 2016
Best answer: The Spinners don't sell out that much anymore, but from August 9, 1999, to August 31, 2010, the Spinners sold out 413 straight games.
I'd recommend buying tickets over the phone or online the day of the game, once you've determined that the weather looks good, before taking the train out there. Particularly if it's a weekend game on a nice day.
posted by bowbeacon at 10:56 AM on July 18, 2016
I'd recommend buying tickets over the phone or online the day of the game, once you've determined that the weather looks good, before taking the train out there. Particularly if it's a weekend game on a nice day.
posted by bowbeacon at 10:56 AM on July 18, 2016
Another thing to know about minor league baseball is that the park will likely have promotions like cheap hot dog day, or fireworks after the game, and brief on-field games throughout the game (between innings) - things like "dizzy bat" races (two audience members spin around until they're dizzy and then try to run in a straight line), plunger toss (two audience members compete to throw toilet plungers through a giant hoop in the shape of a toilet bowl - sponsored by a local plumbing company), that sort of thing. They might have a mascot, who might do wacky dances in the stands. The program for the day's game (which are optionally purchasable for $1-5) may have lucky numbers throughout, and the announcer will say "everybody check page ten on your program, and if you have number 236, come up to the ticket booth, you've won a prize"... that sort of thing. They often have "kids run the bases" after the game - after the game all the kids in the crowd can line up on one side of the field and they get a chance to run around the bases. Parks often have face painting, or bouncy castles, or small batting cages, or other small amusements for kids who are bored sitting in the stands -- it's normal to leave your seat and just walk around the stands/concession area during the game, see the field from a different angle.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:53 PM on July 23, 2016
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:53 PM on July 23, 2016
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posted by bitdamaged at 8:36 AM on July 16, 2016