While reviewing our course requirements and taking an inventory of the things that I had either not done or not done well, I realized that I very nearly missed an excellent opportunity to put together a great diary post. On Monday of last week I had the opportunity to watch the afternoon Red Sox game in the State Street Pavilion luxury boxes at Fenway Park. The picture to the right is one taken from my seat of a David Ortiz base hit in the fourth inning of the game. As you can clearly see, these seats provide an exceptional vantage point to watch a baseball game. While these seats are not the most expensive available at Fenway, the $170 face value is high ensure that most fans will never see a game there. The State Street boxes and the $309 per ticket EMC club allow the wealthiest of fans the opportunity to enjoy the game without the risk of any physical contact with the people who live in the bleachers ($12-$18 per ticket) Exclusivity is a very important selling point in these seating areas. Many are corporately owned and used for the purpose of wooing wealthy clients- a task which is made infinitely more difficult in the presence of "bleacher creatures" who have a industry-wide reputation for unseemly behavior at the park. In fact, the "creatures" at Yankee Stadium have just regained their right to drink beer during the games!
The exclusivity of such seats is displayed prominently their advertizing. A brief perusal of State Street Pavilion page shows how prominently this "exclusivity" is displayed in their promotional efforts. "Members" are provided with an "upscale dining experience" with a menu that includes a carving station (beef when I was there), a "raw bar", fresh local produce and (my personal favorite) Chef James' "pasta of the day". There was also a $40 buffet, a wide variety of "top shelf" liquors and an even wider variety of craft beers. The purchase of any of these a fore mentioned items, which would earn you a well deserved ass kicking in the bleachers, puts a strain on the wallet but, more importantly, distinguishes you from those who are watching the game "below" you.
The prices in these seating areas probably serve as a sufficient bulwark against the possible encroachment of the masses below (I bought a round of beer as a thank you to my neighbor who acquired the tickets- 3 domestic beers- $26.88) but the Red Sox err on the side of caution and make it a real pain in the ass to get to these seats. On three occasions between the exclusive entrance to the seats on Yawkey Way and the Pavillion Club bar I had to produce a ticket verifying that I was not an imposter. When in our seats, we were very politely approached by a "member" inquiring how we managed to be sitting where we were. This man was extremely friendly and polite but his message was clear- this is a protected area- we are glad to have you but.... The "club" concept is important to consider in this case. Clubs are defined by their exclusivity and ability to define their membership based on a set of desired characteristics. The August National Golf Club exemplifies this protected exclusivity as well as any such organization. Its membership list is "exclusively" male, "exclusively" rich, and almost "exclusively" white. (First African American member in 1990) Membership at Augusta is by invitation only and limited to approximately 300 of the most powerful and wealthy men around.
This price tags for access to exclusive clubs are effective in limiting access nearly exclusively to wealthy whites but a possibly more important limiting factor is access to the social capital that is often linked with considerable wealth but not limited to the wealthy. This explains my ability to enjoy a Red Sox game in an area where I was unquestionably the poorest person in a 1000 seat radius. This was also not the first time that I had watched a professional sporting event in a luxury box. I have also watched a Celtics playoff game in a center-court luxury box that with tickets owned by the owner of a Rhode Island liquor distribution company. My social capital at this stage in life far exceeds my economic capital and this has afforded me opportunities that are largely unavailable to those who lack access to networks of wealthy and powerful individuals. I think one of the interesting elements of social capital is that it isn't something that is extremely visible. Wealth is often made visible through the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy in the form of expensive cars and luxurious homes. I drive a Hyundai Elantra and live in a 988 square foot ranch house that would fit comfortably into a single room in the houses of most of those who who shared my State Street Pavilion experience with. What I have is a store of social capital that has afforded me opportunities to share some experiences typically not available to those who share my social/economic "class". My education and affiliation with a college has provided me with access to established networks of graduates who have "made it" and have assumed positions of power. This access is unearned and is directly related to my having certain advantages associated with the color of my skin. I will trace that link in a later post as this one is reaching a length that will likely keep most people from actually reading it.
The title of this post refers to the fact that the hot dogs sold in the luxury boxes at Fenway Park are entirely different from those that are carted around on the shoulders of vendors in the seats below. In my opinion, the bleacher dogs are vastly superior. One win for the bleacher creatures!
This price tags for access to exclusive clubs are effective in limiting access nearly exclusively to wealthy whites but a possibly more important limiting factor is access to the social capital that is often linked with considerable wealth but not limited to the wealthy. This explains my ability to enjoy a Red Sox game in an area where I was unquestionably the poorest person in a 1000 seat radius. This was also not the first time that I had watched a professional sporting event in a luxury box. I have also watched a Celtics playoff game in a center-court luxury box that with tickets owned by the owner of a Rhode Island liquor distribution company. My social capital at this stage in life far exceeds my economic capital and this has afforded me opportunities that are largely unavailable to those who lack access to networks of wealthy and powerful individuals. I think one of the interesting elements of social capital is that it isn't something that is extremely visible. Wealth is often made visible through the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy in the form of expensive cars and luxurious homes. I drive a Hyundai Elantra and live in a 988 square foot ranch house that would fit comfortably into a single room in the houses of most of those who who shared my State Street Pavilion experience with. What I have is a store of social capital that has afforded me opportunities to share some experiences typically not available to those who share my social/economic "class". My education and affiliation with a college has provided me with access to established networks of graduates who have "made it" and have assumed positions of power. This access is unearned and is directly related to my having certain advantages associated with the color of my skin. I will trace that link in a later post as this one is reaching a length that will likely keep most people from actually reading it.
The title of this post refers to the fact that the hot dogs sold in the luxury boxes at Fenway Park are entirely different from those that are carted around on the shoulders of vendors in the seats below. In my opinion, the bleacher dogs are vastly superior. One win for the bleacher creatures!
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