Many of you who follow this blog know that I am not just a Royals fan who “reports” on the Royals through this website. I am also a Royals Season Ticket Member who has had a Royals ticket package for the last three seasons (it would’ve been four, had it not been for COVID).

Therefore, in addition to the emotional and writing investment I put into the Royals each season, there is also a financial aspect, as I shell out a lot of money for tickets, parking, merchandise, concessions, etc. There’s a lot of skin in the game for me as a Royals fan, and I think that kind of investment helps show fans who follow this site that I am a fan ultimately, just like them (I am not covering this club from the press box).

This season was a weird one, not just for the Royals on the field, but also as a fan.

I was able to attend 25 games this season, which is one less game than my 2022 total. It’s funny because I was probably on pace to obliterate my 2022 total going into August. However, professional life caught up in a major way, and I was not able to attend as many games as I hoped to during August and early September (I had tickets for four games that I had to miss).

For the year, my record at Kauffman was 8-17, which was a far cry from the 20-6 mark the Royals posted when I was in attendance a season ago. So I saw a lot of losing baseball this year, which is not a surprise for a club that went 56-106 and tied the franchise record for losses in a single season.

With that said, there were some bright spots from a fan perspective during this disappointing Royals season.

While the product on the field may have not been great, I think there were a lot of positive things in the stands this year that should be encouraging for Royals fans who are worried that the game experience at Kauffman Stadium is turning into what we see from Oakland-Alameda County Stadium in Oakland or Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

Here are three takeaways I had about the Royals fan experience at Kauffman Stadium from this most recent season, and what it could mean for Royals fans not just in 2024, but beyond as well (especially with the hazy stadium situation).

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The Royals Have Made the Game Experience Better

I have already renewed my season tickets for 2024. For some Royals fans, that would be crazy to do after a 56-106 season. After all, the Royals’ rebuilding process may not result in a winning season in 2024 or 2025, unless something dramatic happens in the offseason.

As a hardcore baseball fan though, it’s not always about the wins and losses. I certainly know the Royals’ history, especially in the post-Ewing Kauffman era. While wins have been plentiful across the M parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium for the past two decades, they have been few and far between over the same time span, with the exception of those 2013-2017 seasons.

What keeps me, and I imagine a lot of Royals season ticket members, coming back and renewing their packages depends on the fan experience at Kauffman Stadium. And thankfully, that continues to be top-notch.

The Royals have continued to grow and improve their in-game experience for fans since the pandemic.

In 2021 and 2022, it felt like the Royals were “gradually” bringing things back and implementing things that were commonplace prior to 2020. While it was great to simply have baseball back in 2021 and 2022, it also felt like the Royals organization was still trying to figure out how to connect with a diverse number of fans.

This year, it felt like the Royals were able to create a fan experience at Kauffman Stadium that reached and connected with everyone. Whether it was families with younger kids or young adults looking to socialize or passionate baseball nerds who bring their scorebooks to the K, the game experience truly felt like it had something for everyone.

The Royals had a “live” hot dog derby race every night and included a “mini hot dog” race with kids on Sundays. That was refreshing to see since it used to only be a weekend affair (during weeknight/day games, they would simply do a computer simulation race). In-game host Tyler seemed to be more comfortable in his role (this was his second year as the full-time host), which helped fans connect and feel more at home when they visited the K. And there seemed to be more promotions and “theme nights” that brought more and different groups of fans to the ballpark. It was nice to see UMKC and Rockhurst nights added to the mix, especially since those universities are actually located in the heart of Kansas City.

Granted, there are some aspects of the Kauffman experience that may not make it for everyone.

While I get a discount on parking prices as an STM, they still remained high, though the Royals “Four-pack” deal offered “discounted” parking in a package that included four game tickets, hot dogs, and sodas. There would be deals for tickets that could get Royals fans cheaper tickets on occasion, but the Royals team fees often negated the premium discount Royals fans thought they would be receiving when they initially selected their seats. And of course, concessions remained pricey, though dollar dog nights on Tuesdays and Happy Hour Wednesdays ($4 hot dogs and draft beers at the Quirk stand) proved to be saving graces for Royals fans who wanted to enjoy the experience at the K on a budget.

On the other hand, I was able to visit Oracle Park in San Francisco for the first time post-pandemic and while I understand California prices are much different than Missouri’s in nearly all aspects, the high prices of San Francisco Giant concessions did make me realize that things aren’t as bad at the K comparatively.

My visit to Oracle also made me realize how easy it is to walk around Kauffman Stadium.

If you go to the K early enough, you can probably walk around the stadium and visit most attractions of note within an hour. I am not sure if you could do that at Oracle, as some areas of the park are less accessible depending on where one sits. While my view in the upper deck at Oracle was immaculate, it was tough to get to see more of the park due to the more “compartmentalized” nature of the ballpark (compared to Kauffman which feels more open).

There’s a lot to see and do at Kauffman and this year they seemed to make it more worthwhile to explore compared to the past couple of seasons.

Whether it was autographs in the Royals Hall of Fame on Sundays; the 610 AM radio pregame show with Josh Vernier in the Craft and Draft; or numerous sales in the Royals Team or Authentics Store, there seemed to be a lot to do and see prior to first pitch, even for someone who goes to 20+ games a year.

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Royals Ticket Packages Offer Flexibility (But Concerns Still Remain)

It’s obvious that a priority for Sherman and the Royals organization as a whole is to really promote ways to bring young professionals to the ballpark on a more regular basis, especially during the week. That is mostly due to building up goodwill with this demographic once the downtown ballpark is built, but with the way baseball is consumed in person these days, it’s important to nab this demographic in order to maximize revenue in other areas (especially food and drink sales).

In terms of ticket options, the Royals did offer more ways to help reach this demographic this season, which was a plus.

The Royals brought back the Fountain Pass right from the get-go and also offered a ticket where for $10 fans could get a beer and a standing-room-only ticket to a game. The ticket also gave access to the Blue Moon Taproom, which seemed to have more action in it than in the past.

In addition, the Royals have seemed to focus on “flexibility” when it comes to tickets, whether it’s a package or just for an individual game.

The general admission section returned with open seating in a section in the 200 area. Flex memberships were offered as a season ticket package which allowed fans to choose games and seats based on their preference. A friend of mine who usually does a traditional membership opted for a Pick 64 package this year for her and her group and she remarked how she enjoyed the flexibility of the package and how it resulted in fewer wasted tickets.

Granted, there still are some things that could use some refinement.

I had the Fountain Pass for a few months and while I enjoyed the flexibility, it was still tough to go more than I wanted to due to the parking prices. One has to wonder if the Royals would ever consider a Fountain Pass model but for parking, which would make the process of going to a game more seamless and perhaps, affordable. Ask any Royals fan, and 9 times out of 10 they will remark that parking was a huge deterrent to them attending more games.

In addition, it would be nice to see the return of some kind of “member fan section” like the Keep a few seasons back (which ended up getting discontinued last season).

It feels like the Royals need to find a way to build a fan community among passionate and hardcore fans again and perhaps give them some benefits and flexibility for being part of this loyal fan group (such as flags, special banners, drums, or other noisemakers). The A’s and White Sox have fan sections that utilize this model, and it would be cool to see something similar happen at Kauffman now that could eventually transition into the new stadium, whether it’s downtown or in North Kansas City.

I am not sure how the Royals would exactly do this, but I know I would be interested in purchasing a membership or package for this kind of section should the Royals make it a reality, and I could see there is an opportunity for more perks outside of the season (much like the Cauldron).

I know that’s a huge commitment, but if the Royals are set on trying to build up this demographic of fans, creating some kind of “members” section/group would certainly help in their endeavor.

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Will the Experience at the K Continue With the Promise of a New Stadium Coming Soon?

I try to stay away from stadium discussion on this blog. Honestly, I like my focus on this blog to be about advanced analysis of players and trends that I am seeing from the Royals team, coaches, and players or I like to talk about “hot stove” and roster stuff.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have thoughts about the future of baseball in Kansas City. I just don’t get as charged up about it as some Royals content creators or those on Twitter (or X).

To be honest, I support the move not because of Kauffman Stadium but rather due to the commute to and from the Truman Sports Complex.

Kauffman is great and I love the park more and more with each game I go to. I think in terms of the stadium itself, it’s one of the best ballparks in baseball. My brother-in-law, who hails from New England and is a hardcore Red Sox guy, came to Kansas City and visited Kauffman for the first time during Labor Day weekend and he couldn’t stop gushing about how much he loved the stadium and how easy it was to walk around inside the stadium and affordable it was compared to Fenway.

My main gripe though with Kauffman continues to be location.

In an ideal world, there would be some kind of transit that would go into or through the Truman Sports Complex, much like the BART with Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem a transit of that sort is ever going to come to fruition and that means a commute and parking in the stadium has to be a reality, even if there are considerable downsides to that.

For Royals fans who only go to a few games a year, I get the whole “tailgating” experience and know that makes it unique and different from other stadiums. For those going to 20+ games a year though, it is more of a hassle and honestly deters one from wanting to go to more games. A transit system going to the park would motivate fans like myself to go to more games, honestly.

Thus, I think moving the stadium downtown gives fans more options to get to the park beyond just driving to Truman Sports Complex, paying for parking, and trying to get out among the sea of drivers who have probably consumed too much alcohol and shouldn’t be behind the wheel. That’s why I support the downtown stadium because I think it gives fans more options when it comes to getting to and from a game.

I just wish they would make the new stadium exactly like Kauffman or Kauffman but with a “few” more upgrades. Kauffman with a robust downtown (or even ballpark village like the North KC site) would be a phenomenal experience for casual and hardcore Royals fans alike.

That said, while I do know that a move from the Truman Sports Complex is on the horizon, I do wonder how the experience will continue at the K in 2024 and beyond.

Will the Royals still treat home and opposing fans well? Will ushers still be friendly and accessible? Will stands and the attractions of the K still be kept up, even with a new Royals stadium on its way? Will STMs still experience those great benefits? Will the promotions still be top-notch, as they were this season?

We have seen the Oakland and Tampa organizations pulling away from a stadium in ways that go beyond just “facility maintenance”. The fan experience and value have also deteriorated with the promise of a move looming, and that is a big reason why attendance has stagnated and/or declined at those stadiums.

Let’s hope that Sherman doesn’t follow the lead of the A’s or the Rays…

There may not be a lot of time left at the K, but that doesn’t mean the experience should suffer.

Photo Credit: Myself