It’s game on tonight in Toronto for the first meeting of the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. It’s expected to bring not only excitement, but also a huge economic windfall for businesses in Toronto and across Canada.
From game tickets, to Blue Jays gear, to patronage of bars and restaurants, it will likely mean hundreds of millions of dollars.
At last count a pair of prime Blue Jays tickets for Game 1, Friday night, was going for just under $25,000. Granted, that’s in the VIP section where it includes all the perks. But even the poorest seats are going at a premium on the resale list.
Kadence Bunke of Toronto was one of more than 235,000 fans who tried to buy tickets for a home game in the city. She was one of the lucky one.
“I was shocked by the face value” she said. “When I got through, it cost a lot. But everyone was messaging me they couldn’t even get through the queue. So I figured, well, I better buy these.”
Hundreds of thousands of others who hoped to see the game in person were left disappointed. Then tickets showed up on Ticketmaster for resale, at double and triple and even more over the original price. That left many fans disappointed and angry.
“It feels like we’re being excluded from something that we’ve been so dedicated for,” said one fan. “I got in at 10:33 and the cheapest single ticket was three thousand dollars.”
Even Ontario premier Doug Ford took notice of what was happening.
“My personal opinion? They’re gouging the people,” he said. “When you have one player in the market that controls the tickets, that’s not right for the people.”
Ford says he’s considering some kind of legislation to address the issue.
But hundreds of thousands of fans will still be able to enjoy watching the game in the company of friends and family, either at home or at pubs and sports bars. Many locations have already been booked solid for Friday night's game, and for them the beer will be flowing, meaning profits they hadn’t counted on.
“Seven percent doesn’t sound, on the surface, like a lot. It takes a significant number of transactions to move the needle a couple or three percent. For restaurants that are really nibbling around the edges on margins, seven percent can be the difference making money in a month or losing money in a month,” said Sean McCormick of Moneris, a company which provides merchant transaction services.
It could be even more. It’s not clear just how much money will come in. But flights in to Toronto are packed, hotels are booked up, as well as restaurants and bars. Retailers, especially those selling Blue Jays gear, are expecting big business.
“We hosted the NHL All-Star Weekend in 2024, and that alone brought in over $50 million worth of economic impact to the city,” said Kelly Jackson with Destination Toronto. “That would be a close approximation to when you’re bringing in a really exciting event that’s not typically seen in a location.”
As Canadians congregate for the World Series, wherever they are, it’s also become a high point for Toronto tourism.
“When people on televisions all across North America see the energy of the city, see the fan base, and see the gorgeous skyline on every broadcast, that has a long term build that’s so important,” said Andrew Weir of Destination Toronto.
No matter who wins Friday night's game, Game 2 Saturday night in Toronto, or the Series, the city will still come out a big winner.
“Let’s just enjoy the next few games, and be happy that we’re there,” said one fan in Toronto. “For me, it’s going to be crazy. I’m going to remember this moment for the rest of my life.”
