Brewers' plans for new premium home plate seating gets blowback from fans, including Front Row Amy
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee Brewers' plans for a new premium seating area behind home plate drew criticism from a number of fans following their Monday reveal. Those displeased include perhaps the team's most famous fan, "Front Row Amy."
The new "Truss Club" will cover the first six rows behind home plate, installing padded seats from dugout to dugout. The 375 seats will be reserved for members of the club, who can only join by purchasing half or full season ticket packages in the section.
The club will also include a new luxury lounge, which is currently under construction along the first base side of American Family Field.
Outside the ticket office Tuesday, Janice Olson of Grafton was proud to share her fan credentials, calling back to when she'd walk over from her old south side home to Milwaukee County Stadium.
"Since they were the Braves," she said. "Since the Braves were here. That's how long I've been coming."
Olson said she can appreciate any fan who's followed their team through thick and thin, but when contemplating the new premium section behind home plate, she spoke of one fan in particular.
"I was happy for those who can participate," she said. "I wanted my Front Row Amy to not be moved, what can I say."
Olson referred to Amy Williams, who has developed a following over the years for attending nearly every home game and sitting in a prominent front row seat.
"Front Row Amy keeps score. She cheers when it's appropriate, and we all keep score together," Olson said. "And she's just a person who cares about the Brewers and drives down for the games."
Williams did not immediately respond to an interview request Tuesday. In a post to the social media platform, X, Williams shared the Brewers scheduled an in-person meeting with her for Friday.
"I don’t have all the details yet, but it doesn’t look good," Williams wrote. "Fans are not first in Milwaukee."
The Brewers referred CBS 58 to comments Marti Wronski, the team's chief operating officer, made to MLB.com and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“We are endlessly focused on ensuring that the ballpark remains first in class,” Wronski said. “Not just in terms of being clean and maintained, but in terms of the fan amenities and the experiences for all fans here at the ballpark.”
Truss Club tickets will start at $245 per game, and they'll include parking, food and drink. For a half season package of 41 games, that would come out to a cost of $10,045 per ticket. For a full season package, the minimum would be $20,090 per seat.
The Brewers have noted they're one of only two teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) that do not currently have a premium seating area behind home plate. The other team is the Athletics, who are currently playing home games in Sacramento while their new stadium in Las Vegas is under construction.
Matthew Mitten, a sports law professor at Marquette University, said smaller market MLB teams are more dependent on stadium revenue because their local television deals pay hundreds of millions of dollars less than big market teams receive in New York and Los Angeles.
Milwaukee is the smallest MLB market. Mitten said since MLB doesn't have a salary cap, small market teams must maximize stadium revenue in order to field competitive teams.
"The Brewers want to increase their revenue share," he said. "And they're gonna use a significant part of it to pay higher player salaries."
The Brewers also noted a new outfield plaza is also under construction outside the park, and that will be open to everyone. The UW Credit Union Plaza will open later this month, featuring a stage, a beer garden and a mini golf course.
Olson said she gets where the Brewers are coming from and is willing to see how the new section comes together.
"I understand the business part of it," she said. "So, I'm willing to let them try things that will work. As long as I can keep affording to come!"