What It Really Costs to Propose on a Jumbotron (and Better Ways to Spend That Money)

Photo: Bill Murray - SNS Group / Contributor (Getty Images)

I’m not here to stop you from proposing to your beloved on the jumbotron this summer. If your dream is to ask your partner to spend the rest of your lives together in front of 40,000 people who share your fandom (or 3,000 people if you’re an Oakland A’s fan), I would never try to stop you.

I’m just here to offer some friendly alternatives for other ways you could spend that money, provided you are able to hear them. I promise this has nothing to do with my general aversion to grandiose public gestures, and comes purely from a place of financial literacy. After all, you’re about to get engaged! It’s no time to be spending your hard earned money willy-nilly. You’ve got a large and expensive party to plan.

Before I tell you how to better spend your public proposal cash, let’s find out how much it costs to rent out the jumbotron at various ballparks (per Swimmingly).

Low-tier stadiums (Under $100)

• Pittsburgh Pirates (PNC Park): $39
• Atlanta Braves (Truist Park): $50
• Cincinnati Reds (Great American Ballpark): $50
• Colorado Rockies (Coors Field): $50
• Chicago White Sox (Guaranteed Rate Field): $55
• San Diego Padres (Petco Park): $55
• Detroit Tigers (Comerica Park): $75
• Oakland Athletics (RingCentral Coliseum): $85

Middle-tier stadiums ($100-$250)

• New York Yankees (Yankee Stadium): $100
• Seattle Mariners (Safeco Field): $115
• Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field): $175
• San Francisco Giants (AT&T Park): $175
• Texas Rangers (Globe Life Park in Arlington): $200
• Minnesota Twins (Target Field): $209
• Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field): $250

High-tier stadiums ($250+)

• Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park): $350
• Cleveland Indians (Progressive Field): $400
• Philadelphia Phillies (Citizens Bank Park): $450
• Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park): $500
• Miami Marlins (Marlins Park): $500
• St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium): $500
• Tampa Bay Rays (Tropicana Field): $500
• Washington Nationals (Nationals Park): $1,500
• Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium): $2,500

Do not allow proposals

• Toronto Blue Jays (Rogers Centre)
• Los Angeles Angels (Angels Stadium of Anaheim)
• Kansas City Royals (Kauffman Stadium)
• Baltimore Orioles (Camden Yards)
• New York Mets (CitiField)

My immediate reaction is to tip my hat to the five MLB teams who’ve drawn a line in the sand and refuse to aid and abet the ultimate public display of affection. Secondly, I’m surprise at how much the price of proposing on the jumbotron can vary from stadium to stadium. Really, Pittsburgh Pirates? $39 to propose on your Jumbotron? I know you struggle to get people to the ballpark, but there has to be a better way.

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Now that we’ve had time to digest this information, let’s talk about alternatives. If you’re getting married, you’re presumably going to have a wedding. And with a wedding comes a variety of costs, big and small. Here are some costs you can get out of the way should you decide to reallocate your proposal budget to your wedding budget.

Low-tier wedding costs (Under $100)

Middle-tier wedding costs ($100-$250)

High-tier wedding costs ($250+)

Doesn’t seeing that all laid out in front of you make you think twice about the financial viability of proposing on the jumbotron? Remember, I just want to help you make a fiscally sound decision here. I’m doing this for you.

And if you’re flush with cash and still determined to propose to your partner on the big screen? Please be 100% sure they’re going to say yes. Because you can’t put a price tag on recovering from public humiliation. Beyond your therapy bills anyway.

from Lifehacker https://ift.tt/dry0Emj

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