Blue Jays say renos make baseball a 'premium experience,' but fans worry they'll be priced out

The Toronto Blue Jays may be tied at the bottom of the AL East standings, but that's not the only reason some fans are upset. 

After an April email was sent out to season ticket holders on the next phase of the $300-million renovation of Rogers Centre, some longtime Jays fans were dismayed to realize their coveted seats in the lower bowl will no longer exist, and that they face a steep price increase if they want to continue to be season ticket holders and select new seats. 

Some fans relayed to media outlets that they were told new seats would cost 10 times as much as their current spots. One family noted in the Toronto Star that they'd paid about $15,000 for two tickets, but would likely now have to spend more than $137,000 for two new seats.

The changes to the ballpark include three new "premium clubs" that will open in the 2024 season, according to a news release. The clubs promise an "extraordinary and elevated sports experience." 

The Home Plate Club, for instance, not only offers seats directly behind home plate, but membership "includes dedicated staff to attend your every need, optimum ease of arrival and departure from a designated Home Plate Club location, first access to a private dining space, a private bar with members-only service and the intimate champagne room." 

Just the 2024 premium club membership deposit (for "priority access") costs $1,000. The clubs will be located beneath"a completely reimagined lower bowl," where some devotees in the 100-level sections have been watching games in the same seats for years.

On social media, jokes swirled about the Blue Jays "renovicting" their fans; others called Jays baseball an "elitist sport."

"The Jays are catching up to what other teams have been doing; a