This is Buying Sideline — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of sports hospitality.
Let’s get to it.
In the email today:
🔥 Chicago Fire Create Invite-Only Hospitality
The $750M McDonald’s Park, where the Chicago Fire will call home in 2028, is as exclusive as exclusive gets. Only 600 premium seats will be offered in the 22,000+ capacity stadium, with prices ranging from $10,000-$25,000 a seat.
Only 80 individuals will be invited to the Chairman’s Club. A club official told Buying Sideline the invite-only offering will be available to friends of the Club and loyal or early stadium luxury buyers.
The members-only club includes access to ALL stadium events as well as:
100-Level midfield heated seats
World class chef-driven dining
VIP Parking
Premium F&B
Not one of those lucky 80? The Fire also unveiled Field Seats which provide access to 19 matches, heated premium seating on the sideline, VIP parking, and two Tunnel Clubs; one a speakeasy and the other a high-end bar. Loge suites are also available and feature a heated semi-private seating area for 4-6 guests and other premium amenities.
The Chairman’s Club isn’t a first-of-its-kind concept. The Florida Panthers a few years ago opened a similar invite-only club for 35 members called The Panther Bar fans have to apply to. “Membership is intentionally limited and earned” it says on the website. It seems successful enough they did a pop-up version in LoanDepot Park at the 2026 Winter Classic.
The hospitality spaces were designed by Gensler, who is also the lead architect of the entire stadium, and Levy Restaurants was named the club F&B operator last December.
Our Take: How do you increase the quality of the experience when creative premium amenity ideas have been maxed out? Social access. The Chairman’s Club is a status symbol. Plenty of venues offer world class dining, VIP parking, and premium F&B. Not many venues make it so exclusive no amount of money can get you in.
This limited inventory McDonald’s Park will offer creates scarcity. Scarcity makes good premium hospitality perceived to be more valuable. When hotel rooms or restaurant seats are limited consumer behaviors change and people react.
Scarcity can also elevate the experience and allow service providers to invest more in each guest. There’s an opportunity for a more personalized experience from ingress to egress. Learning names, personalities, likes, and dislikes over the course of the season now becomes easier and the service more consistent, which in turn gives a customer a more quality experience and the space a stronger demand.
The Orioles are betting that less will be more at Camden Yards next season.
Ahead of Opening Day 2027 (whenever that may actually be with a potential lockout looming) fans will find a new social space in the left field upper deck in place of 2,000 traditional seats.
The social space will include:
Standing-room viewing areas
A central bar
Multiple concession offerings
Gathering zones with tables and chairs
Rather than limit entrance to premium ticket-holders, the yet-to-be-named space will be open to anyone with a ticket.
“We’ve listened to our fans, who have expressed a desire for more social spaces that offer a vibrant atmosphere to gather, connect and cheer on the O’s together,” said Catie Griggs, Orioles President of Business Operations. “We’re confident this will quickly become a popular destination inside our gates next season.”
Beyond gameday, the Orioles plan to use the space for private events and rentals, providing the team with another way to generate revenue from the area across the calendar.
Following completion of the project, Oriole Park will have a capacity of approximately 40,232 seats.
Our Take: The Orioles have struggled filling the left field upper deck in recent seasons, so transforming the area into a social space figures to be well received. More importantly, the Orioles are testing the idea that entertainment real estate can provide more value than the seats that once occupied it.
That feels like a low-risk experiment. Per ESPN data, the Orioles averaged 22,865 fans per game during the 2026 season (22 of 30 MLB teams) and haven’t eclipsed 30,000 fans per game since 2014, meaning the team is failing to fully utilize its current capacity. If the new space generates incremental F&B spend and draws non-gameday event revenue, the Orioles to score an easy win.
☘️ TD Garden Unveils First Phase of Premium Reno
The first phase of TD Garden’s $100 million premium makeover opened Sept. 29 during the Bruins’ 3-0 victory over the Rangers in their home opener.
The arena debuted 24 of 83 redesigned Boston Garden Society suites, which pair a modernized layout with subtle tributes to the original Boston Garden. Among the touches are refined millwork, archways, marble finishes and gold accents.
The reworked spaces are optimized for hosting and dining with emphasis on improved sightlines. Food options are provided by Delaware North’s Patina Group.
The next phase of the renovation, set to begin next year, will target Level 3 event-level clubs. The Bruins and Celtics are working with Rockwell Group on the project.
The arena also upgraded its broader F&B concepts with popular Boston food brands and collectible concession vessels, such as this Bruins hockey-glove cup.
Not a bad way to get your gloves on a cold one.
🏀 Atlantic 10 Hires Playfly to Sell Premium Inventory
The Atlantic 10 announced a multi-year partnership with Playfly Sports. What's notable is that Playfly will have a dedicated seller responsible for the entire menu of tickets.
A10 Commissioner Dan Leibovitz connected the move to Barclays Center's recently renovated hospitality areas, saying, “We will be playing in a world-class facility that has recently undergone significant renovations, particularly in its hospitality areas.”
Our Take: As a former member of the A10 (Go Temple Owls) I have a soft spot for the conference. That’s why I hate seeing the attendance issue the conference tournament has experienced YoY in NBA-sized arenas.
That being said, I like this partnership.
Now this deal won’t directly solve the lower-bowl being half-filled during a #12 vs. #13 weekday matchup. But Playfly can use segmentation, outbound sales, group sales, and of course hospitality to make the economics work even when Barclays isn't close to full.
The Brooklyn arena is currently in Phase 3 of a $150M renovation that’ll increase club spaces, have an Amex entrance/lounge, and re-designed 9,000 sq. ft. Event Level that can hold 360 people this fall. Barclays’ own research told them fans wanted fewer suites and more club access. The Great Premium Unbundling™ continues and now more inventory on all rungs of the ladder for Playfly to sell.
This will be a fun experiment to keep an eye on.
🔗 Sports Hospitality Links
🤳 Follow Buying Sideline on Social
We’re new— help us build up our social media accounts by following along:
See you on the field.