The Glitter of New Glitzy Stadiums..........

[CloakNNNdagger]

........are making it less and less affordable for the ordinary fan to enjoy the "live" (and sometimes the TV) football experience.

New stadiums are resulting in dramatically increased ticket prices

As the Falcons continue their efforts to replace the Georgia Dome (which has been deemed obsolete despite being used by the team roughly 200 times) with a retractable-roof venue, Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points to a trend that should be regarded as troubling in any city that will be opening a new stadium.

The three new stadiums opened in the past five years have in turn hiked ticket prices. Significantly.

For the Giants and Jets at MetLife Stadium, the Cowboys in their new home, and the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, the three new facilities have experienced a 26-percent average increase in ticket prices.

Specifically, the Jets and Giants increased ticket prices by 32 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The Cowboys increased ticket prices by an average of 31 percent. And the Colts increased ticket prices by 14 percent.

Tucker offers up many more interesting details about the impact of new stadiums on ticket prices. Still, in the end the question boils down to basic economics. Supply, demand. If the tickets will sell at higher prices, so be it. If they won’t, then the prices need to come down.

Of course, the process of jacking up prices can screw fans in more ways that one. Apart from charging more for the privilege of attending the games in person, a failure of sufficient fans to buy tickets at the selected prices will prevent the fans who prefer to watch the home games on television from doing so.

So before chugging champagne to celebrate the end of a 10-plus-year effort to build a new stadium in Minnesota, Vikings fans may be wise to toast with tap water instead. They’ll likely need their Mumm’s money to pay for tickets to the new stadium that the taxpayers already are paying $500 million or so to build.

 

[infantrycak]

........are making it less and less affordable for the ordinary fan to enjoy the "live" (and sometimes the TV) football experience.

...and this observation is by a surgeon. It certainly is not the "take me out to the ballgame" era when it's $400 to get in the door per game.

Pretty soon they are going to sell corporate naming advertisement rights to each seat so Coca Cola can label the seats next to ours and I can't remember but whatever oil company who owns the seats on the other side can advertise. What do they care? - they write if off as an expense anyway. So now we are paying for a good part of their tickets as well.

It would piss me off already but then they pass the tickets out to customers and employees who aren't fans and so there is a constant dildo on a table drone of drivel observations being made during the game.

 

[Playoffs]

I wonder what the average ~30-yard-line/~20 rows up ticket price is for field & second level seats in the NFL is now? Gotta be redunkulous.

 

[infantrycak]

I wonder what the average ~30-yard-line/~20 rows up ticket price is for field & second level seats in the NFL is now? Gotta be redunkulous.

I can't speak to second level and in some stadiums that has become club level so that is going to swing wildly. I would guess field level averages around $110-130 for the seats you are describing.

I guess to follow up on my earlier point. It is incredibly tough for people to take their kids to the game to learn to love it. A lot of kids at first are just there to eat the popcorn and hotdogs. It may take years for them to appreciate the game. So to have a family event, to try to get one child to enjoy your passion for football you're looking at $1300 a year - tickets plus the popcorn and hotdogs.

 

[GlassHalfFull]

Speaking of glitzy stadiums, we went to a Skeeters game on Friday night. We went with some friends that have a 2 yr old, it turned out to be a really fun outing. We got $8 general admission outfield seats, which is a grassy hill. They have a water park and fancy playground with a carousel also in the outfield, along with an ice house. There is a picnic area for group outings that has a pool.

The place was sold out and it was a really fun night. Great fireworks show at the end. Oh and yeah, I think there was a baseball game going on too.

But I couldn't help thinking while there about what it takes to draw a crowd these days. The game on the field was the least important part for most people there, the glitz was the draw. Granted, this is a minor league team.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

...and this observation is by a surgeon. It certainly is not the "take me out to the ballgame" era when it's $400 to get in the door per game.

Pretty soon they are going to sell corporate naming advertisement rights to each seat so Coca Cola can label the seats next to ours and I can't remember but whatever oil company who owns the seats on the other side can advertise. What do they care? - they write if off as an expense anyway. So now we are paying for a good part of their tickets as well.

It would piss me off already but then they pass the tickets out to customers and employees who aren't fans and so there is a constant dildo on a table drone of drivel observations being made during the game.

Take Me Out to the (Foot)ball Game

When was the last time you woke up on a Sunday morning and said, "You know what? Let's go to an NFL game today." Probably not recently, if ever, because attending an NFL game is not usually a spur-of-the-moment decision.

One of the reasons is there are only eight home games in a regular season, as opposed to the relatively endless opportunities to attend an NBA or MLB game. Knowing how few games there are to root for your home team, the NFL charges a hefty price to be in the stadium where your team could rack up a "W."

Team Marketing Report, a sports information publisher, released its 2011 survey of how much it would cost, on average, for a family of four to attend an NFL game per team. They use a measurement called the Fan Cost Index, which takes into account four tickets at average price, two small beers, four small sodas, four hot dogs, parking, two programs and two adult caps.

According to the report, the average amount it would cost to take a family to an NFL game for this season is $427.42. While that's up only 1.6% over 2010, it's still the kind of amount you'd usually plan ahead to spend. Since that's only an average, you would be right in assuming some stadiums cost significantly more. So, which five teams are leading the NFL curve in high-stadium prices?

Stadium: Soldier Field

Where located: Chicago
Team: Chicago Bears

With the NFL record of more than 700 wins in one of the country's largest metropolitan areas, the Chicago Bears may have earned their right to be one of the more expensive fan experiences in the league. "Da Bears" rank as having the fifth most expensive stadium for 2011 with a Fan Cost Index of $557.18.

"We are the largest single-team market in the NFL with the smallest stadium capacity," says Jim Christman, spokesman for the Bears. "Those dynamics would normally lead to the most expensive tickets in a league."

The most recent version of Soldier Field opened in 2003. The third version in the stadium's long history, it accommodates a relatively small 61,500 fans. While the average ticket price of $101.55 is an 8.5% increase over 2010, second only to the San Francisco 49ers' 9.4%, the concession prices fall closer to the NFL average. Beer for $8 and hot dogs for $5 are something even the "Saturday Night Live" Super Fans could stomach.

"We need to set pricing so that we stay competitive within the NFL but make sure we retain our customers," Christman says. "We make efforts to compare (concession) prices to other venues to ensure they are comparable each season."

For fans who aren't looking to spend even that much money for an NFL experience, the Bears offer an annual Family Fest, allowing fans an up-close look at a team practice for around $8 per ticket with special pricing for kids.

Fans don't seem to have too much of a problem with the prices, though. The Bears have a 98% season ticket renewal rate and have sold out every game since 1984.

Stadium: MetLife Stadium (formerly Meadowlands)

Where located: East Rutherford, N.J.
Team: New York Giants

Another one of the oldest and most-successful franchises in the NFL comes in fourth in Team Marketing Report's research, with the New York Giants having a Fan Cost Index of $592.26, up nearly 3% over last season.

The new MetLife Stadium opened last season as a joint project between the Giants and the New York Jets and is capable of hosting a league-high 82,500 fans. The $1.6 billion stadium is actually in New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from the teams' namesake, but that's splitting hairs -- one long, smelly, polluted hair.

Buying a beer at a Giants game will cost $8.75, tied for second-highest in the league behind the St. Louis Rams, who have the moxie to charge $9. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon says that, as is common in professional sports, the team does not establish concession prices and instead goes through a third-party concessionaire.

However, chances are you won't be scoffing at the beer or hot dog ($5.75) prices if you are seating in the premium area -- the other price standout at MetLife Stadium. The average premium ticket is listed at $464.75, second-highest in the league, and about 16% more than the third-highest average. Hanlon says the ticket prices are determined two years in advance, and there hasn't been an increase over last season.

"We are essentially sold out on a season-ticket basis, so we don't scale pricing for individual games," Hanlon says.

For a franchise that once gave away thousands of tickets per game in its earliest days, the Giants are clearly not the little guys.

Stadium: Gillette Stadium

Where located: Foxborough, Mass.
Team: New England Patriots

The Patriots hail from a part of the country that produces teams fans tend to either love or revile. In sports parlance, this region is referred to as "Boston." Perhaps in an effort to nip the stigma in the bud, 40 years ago the Patriots moved to a more ambiguous "New England" location with arguable results.

What is not arguable is the Patriots' success and draw among fans, which have helped catapult them near the top in fan cost, according to Team Marketing Report. As one of the most successful teams in recent years and a regular sellout at their home field, Gillette Stadium, the Patriots have the third most-expensive Fan Cost Index for the season at $597.26.

Their average ticket price of $117.84 is unchanged over last year, when it was tops in the NFL. The real standout of Gillette Stadium is the premium tickets, which Team Marketing Report defines as "any ticket with attached amenities or opportunities to partake in exclusive clubs." The average ticket there is a whopping $566.67, more than $100 over the nearest premium average. To be fair, the Patriots pull out the stops for its premium fans. The Putnam Club is three stories high, complete with high-definition TVs and "plush" seats, which translates to "comfy" for the average fan.

Whether paying average or premium prices, fans continue to come in droves. The 68,756-seat stadium has been filled to the brim this year and has a season-ticket waiting list.

Stadium: Cowboys Stadium

Where located: Arlington, Texas
Team: Dallas Cowboys

In one respect, it's rather remarkable that the Dallas Cowboys are not the most expensive fan experience; its Fan Cost Index is second-highest at $613.80 in Cowboys Stadium. That's not exactly an alternative to taking the family to the movies, but this is Texas and this is the Cowboys. The Texas Rangers may have made the last two World Series, but in this state, that qualifies as "quaint." The Cowboys have appeared in a record eight Super Bowls, once sold out 160 consecutive games, and with a team value of more than $1.8 billion, are second in worldwide sports franchise value only to some "futbol" club known as Manchester United. Even so, the average ticket price of $110.20 for a game at Cowboys Stadium is second-most expensive in the league.

"Our fans seem fine with the price point, and we believe we have something for everyone with our pricing structure," says Brett Daniels, spokesman with the Cowboys, adding that the prices are unchanged since the stadium opened three years ago.

While a league-leading $6 for sodas may seem exorbitant, fans are probably less likely to scoff at a gilded pop than the $75 needed to park the family ride -- nearly $30 higher than the second-highest parking rate.

Daniels assures that while high prices are contingent on market demand, the Cowboys also offer "Party Passes" for $29, allowing fans a standing-room view of the game from corner and end zone platforms. Bet you didn't know that sitting is for party poopers.

MetLife Stadium (formerly Meadowlands)

Where located: East Rutherford, N.J.
Team: New York Jets

The New York Jets share the same stadium as the New York Giants, the same average concession prices, and have an average premium ticket price that is $172 less than the Giants', yet they come in as the most-expensive fan experience in the league for 2011, according to Team Marketing Research. This is not a riddle, unless you're still confused about how neither team plays in New York. The Jets and Giants each set their ticket prices independently.

The difference in pricing doesn't even count the cost of premium tickets, which is excluded from the Fan Cost Index. With the average ticket price for a Jets game at $120.85, that pushes the Jets' FCI up to $628.90. That figure is 5.1% higher than their 2010 fan cost, one of the largest team increases, and nearly double the Fan Cost Index of the Jacksonville Jaguars' $319.06.

The average ticket to see a Jets game rose 5.4% -- the third-largest increase in the league -- to $120.85, and now the most expensive average ticket in the NFL.

That kind of cash won't even buy you a high-five in the Jets' West Great Hall Club, though. Along with seats near the 50-yard line, a private lounge, VIP parking, and bottomless food and soda, members get on-field access behind the visiting team's bench. Want to surprise your favorite Jets fan with something a step up from a personalized jersey? The minimum price for two seats in this club runs $24,340 for five years. Did we mention that soda is included?

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/12/20/5-pricey-nfl-stadiums-that-will-sack-your-wallet/#ixzz1wAz2jKuk

 

[paycheck71]

Nothing will change, and it's questionable whether it should, as long as communities are willing to subsidize major league team facilities. Houstonians have first hand knowledge of what happens when you stand up to a greedy owner. There will always be someone else our there willing to pay the price. As far as Atlanta goes, didn't they build Georgia dome around the same time Bud Adams wanted his new venue? In a way I'm so glad Houston didn't build the Bud dome to be shared with the rockets, which iirc was the most popular project at the time. No doubt, it would have been deemed obsolete by now.

I lived in Dallas when they built the "Death Star". While it is a wonderful feat of engineering and luxury, anyone with a brain up there understands how ridiculous and over the top it is.

 

[StarStruck]

I lived in Dallas when they built the "Death Star". While it is a wonderful feat of engineering and luxury, anyone with a brain up there understands how ridiculous and over the top it is.

Aren't most of the stadiums built, over the top? The Astrodome, fondly referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, certainly was. Think about it, dome, astroturf, the bull show with each score, other perks unheard of at the time, list of places to see when company came to town. Also, there was a lot of money spent on retractable roofs for both MinuteMaid and Reliant for the amount of time the roofs are open.

 

[paycheck71]

Aren't most of the stadiums built, over the top? The Astrodome, fondly referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, certainly was. Think about it, dome, astroturf, the bull show with each score, other perks unheard of at the time, list of places to see when company came to town. Also, there was a lot of money spent on retractable roofs for both MinuteMaid and Reliant for the amount of time the roofs are open.

I wasn't around when the Astrodome opened, but I imagine you're right. It's hard to imagine that everyone will demand a 60 yd HDTV, buy we may look at the Cowboys' stadium in the future as the trend setter. I personally like facilities like the Steelers and Eagles new stadiums. I think the Reliant would fall into the same category if it weren't for the retractable roof. Is it a luxury? yes. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But I still like that it's there, and that there is an option to play an open air game when the weather is right.

 

[StarStruck]

I wasn't around when the Astrodome opened, but I imagine you're right. It's hard to imagine that everyone will demand a 60 yd HDTV, buy we may look at the Cowboys' stadium in the future as the trend setter. I personally like facilities like the Steelers and Eagles new stadiums. I think the Reliant would fall into the same category if it weren't for the retractable roof. Is it a luxury? yes. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But I still like that it's there, and that there is an option to play an open air game when the weather is right.

I like the closed roof on hot or rainy days as well, but it comes with a price. My first tickets for the Texans were $44 and now the same seat is $78. So far my tickets haven't increased since the move to Cowboys stadium, but I know it's coming. I like the conveniences there as well, so I guess there's no point in complaining.

 

[Double Barrel]

...and this observation is by a surgeon. It certainly is not the "take me out to the ballgame" era when it's $400 to get in the door per game.

Pretty soon they are going to sell corporate naming advertisement rights to each seat so Coca Cola can label the seats next to ours and I can't remember but whatever oil company who owns the seats on the other side can advertise. What do they care? - they write if off as an expense anyway. So now we are paying for a good part of their tickets as well.

It would piss me off already but then they pass the tickets out to customers and employees who aren't fans and so there is a constant dildo on a table drone of drivel observations being made during the game.

My prediction is that we will eventually reach a point of corporate sponsorship of TEAMS.

And each corporate franchise will sign an exclusive, timed deal with individual cities. So if you have a shiny stadium but no team, sign a deal with the FedEx Cowboys or Coca-Cola Seahawks for a ten-year deal.

I think it's a natural economic evolution for corporations to pick up the slack as cities continue to slide down the rabbit hole to eventual insolvency.

And it works well with the on-going drive to globalize the product.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

My prediction is that we will eventually reach a point of corporate sponsorship of TEAMS.

And each corporate franchise will sign an exclusive, timed deal with individual cities. So if you have a shiny stadium but no team, sign a deal with the FedEx Cowboys or Coca-Cola Seahawks for a ten-year deal.

I think it's a natural economic evolution for corporations to pick up the slack as cities continue to slide down the rabbit hole to eventual insolvency.

And it works well with the on-going drive to globalize the product.

That's actually a kind of a throwback to the old days when you had teams sponsored by Meat Packing companies and Food Starch companies.

 

[paycheck71]

That's actually a kind of a throwback to the old days when you had teams sponsored by Meat Packing companies and Food Starch companies.

So, when do you think the NFL will cave into the pressure, or run out of other new revenue streams, and we will see a big Reliant Energy (doesn't have to be, could be McDonald's) logo on the front of the Texans jerseys?

 

[The Pencil Neck]

So, when do you think the NFL will cave into the pressure, or run out of other new revenue streams, and we will see a big Reliant Energy (doesn't have to be, could be McDonald's) logo on the front of the Texans jerseys?

That's just it, though. It's not about the NFL running out of revenue streams, it's about the owners of the clubs running out of revenue streams and having issues with the stadiums and fanbases.

Imagine someone like a Paul Allen getting fed up with their city's support so they rename the team the Allen Seahawks, or the McNair Texans, or the Mara Giants and then each season they make deals with individual cities/stadiums for the rights to host their team's home games.

Back in the old days, you had corporate sponsorship of teams because the "owners" of those teams were guys who didn't have much money. Now many of the owners of the teams are guys who have tons of money. As the rich become richer, we'll probably see more and more instances of single person or family ownership instead of corporate ownership.

Although those people or families might start selling advertising space on their jerseys and helmets so that the players start looking like racecar drivers. We've already had a taste of that at training camp.

 

[Double Barrel]

That's actually a kind of a throwback to the old days when you had teams sponsored by Meat Packing companies and Food Starch companies.

Yep, exactly. A prime example of that history is the Green Bay Packers. The Indian Packing Company gave $500 for equipment and uniforms. The condition was that the team be named for its sponsor.

All it takes is one owner down the road to see the new gold mine. Cities and fans will eventually have a financial ceiling, and we are starting to see that now. The most logical path is to tap into corporate pocketbooks, which is a trend that has been well under way with stadium naming rights.

Mix in that with the NFL's current globalization plans, and the league might look completely different in a matter of decades.

And we will be those old people talking jibberish to the young fans about how teams used to be about city pride and part of a community (based on our perceptions, of course).

 

[The Pencil Neck]

Yep, exactly. A prime example of that history is the Green Bay Packers. The Indian Packing Company gave $500 for equipment and uniforms. The condition was that the team be named for its sponsor.

The other example I gave was for the Decatur Staleys named after the Food Starch company that gave the team money to get started. That team later moved and changed its name to the Chicago Bears.

 

[Hookem Horns]

Yep, exactly. A prime example of that history is the Green Bay Packers. The Indian Packing Company gave $500 for equipment and uniforms. The condition was that the team be named for its sponsor.

I am surprised they did not become the Green Bay Indians.