Baseball made "even more affordable"

Watching baseball on the cheap is the American past time.

With that in mind the Tampa Bay Rays would then be the most patriotic professional sports franchise.

At least according to ESPN The Magazine.

The magazine for the entertainment and sports network heralded the Rays the most affordable ticket in sports during its Ultimate Standing rankings.

Celebrate the achievement at "Even more affordable night" Aug. 19 where vendors at Tropicana Field will sell a limited supply of hot dogs for .50.

Tickets for the game against the Baltimore Orioles start at $10. Tailgating in the parking lot before can help cut down on the purchase of many $9 beers in the stadium. And cars with four or more fans can park for free.

The team ranked no. 1 in affordability out of 122 professional sports franchises from MLB, NBA, NFL and the NHL. Factors for affordability included ticket and apparel price and costs for parking and concessions. Sum it up as the price to pay to be a fan of the franchise.

There were seven other factors ESPN used to rank the Ultimate Standings including bang for buck, fan relations, stadium experience and title track or how committed ownership is to winning.

The Rays made one of the biggest jumps in the overall standings, up 70 to no. 16.