I did get some tickets from a MLB player two seasons ago - and it was, who else, the IRS who decided that free tickets were a taxable item. So now the player gets charged rather than having the team have to track exactly how many "free" tickets each player got per pay period and then having to tax them on the value of those tickets.
Found this link - http://usatoday30.usatoday.com...0-ticket-taxes_x.htm
I can now report with complete confidence that this in fact true. Not that there was any doubt.
I guess one thing to note is that it can cause the player some amount of anxiety. Stuck between "Yes, I'm making a lot more money than I've ever made but not as much (take home) as one might imagine" and "How the heck can I say 'no' to the dozens of requests from good friends, aunts and uncles that come in daily sometimes."
The charge for our son's debut weekend back in June was hundreds of dollars for 3 seats (mom, dad and girlfriend) to 2 games in Atlanta earlier this year. Imagine being in a family with 30 aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins who live all over the country in various MLB cities. Thats the situation our son finds himself in and you can imagine its a tough one to navigate...that my wife and I are trying to help him...well, navigate.