Do you ever want to go see your favorite sports team play at their home arena but then you remember you’re a working college student and you can’t afford it? You’re lucky if you can get one ticket that’s not more than $50. This may be frustrating but people have to understand that there are reasons certain sports are more expensive than others. I think it’s a fair system of determining ticket prices, though I don’t agree with the amount the ticket costs.
In four of the major sports, hockey, baseball, football and basketball, ticket prices fluctuate throughout their seasons. These prices differ from sport to sport and from team to team. This may seem crazy but there is a method to their madness.
It’s rare to find two games with the same priced tickets. The sport with the most expensive ticket for a game is usually football, followed by basketball, then hockey and baseball. The reason for the price difference here is that each league plays a certain number of games. Football has the least games per regular season (16 games). The tickets are pricier since the teams only play at home eight times out of those 16. Basketball and hockey each have 82 games a year (41 at home), thus the tickets are cheaper than football. But there’s a catch. Basketball tickets actually cost more than hockey tickets because of popularity. Hockey is actually the least popular of the four, as it receives the least amount of airtime on television. But baseball is still cheaper. Baseball has 162 games per year (81 at home). The ticket prices are correlated to the number of home games per league. Thus, football is the most expensive. I understand that certain games are more expensive than others but some numbers are just ridiculous.
Even though football is technically the highest priced ticket per game of the four, this is not always the case. This is because inside the major sports leagues, each team can set their own prices for tickets. The ticket prices are contingent on a few things. First off, it comes down to location, location, location. A team in a big market, such as New York or Los Angeles, can price their tickets higher because they will have a larger number of fans. For example, this is why tickets to see the Florida Panthers (NHL) play is a lot cheaper than going to see the LA Kings or the New York Rangers play. This also goes for seeing the Miami Marlins play as opposed to seeing the New York Yankees. There tends to be more fans because there are more popular players on the team and the sports market tends to be larger in certain areas. The sports industry needs to make their money. I think this is what sports are about if a game is more exciting, more people will be willing to pay higher prices to see the game and that’s how they make money from the tickets.
The better the team is performing, the higher the ticket prices will be. For example, since the Miami Dolphins have made a huge splash in free agency by signing the best defensive player available for signing, their ticket prices will increase this year because the team is projected to be better. If a team is on the decline, the tickets will be cheaper. Tickets may also be offered in a package with food and drinks or a promotional shirt.
Like any other merchandise, when the demand is higher, the prices will rise. Gone are the days of determining a price and locking it in months in advance. Leagues want their fans to buy tickets early. It’s a win-win for both. The ticket prices are cheaper for fans and the company gets their money sooner. According to ESPN, this is called dynamic pricing. Teams don’t want to take every last dime from the fans because they know that fans keep them going, and they want to develop a lasting relationship. Prices are constantly changing based on numerous things including pitchers, tickets being sold on secondary websites (StubHub, eBay, etc.), current standings, high-demand games (Yankees vs. Red Sox), weekend dates, planned promotions or holidays. If you haven’t experienced this with your team yet, you will soon.
Ticket prices should not be outrageous. Teams should find a happy medium price that suits them and this is a good system. I mean, hey, it’s working fine so far. People aren’t boycotting games. There is a fine line that teams have to consider when setting ticket prices, but, in the end, it comes down to their location and their success. Being a fan of a good team is great, but if you can’t afford the tickets, you’ll have to watch them from your television screen.
