NFL raising Super Bowl ticket prices to more than double what they were in 2013

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**Breotan**

Filing this story under, "Price Increases That Make GW Look Like Pikers".

Eric Edholm wrote:NFL raises Super Bowl tickets to New York-level prices for XLVIII

If you're planning on attending Super Bowl XLVIII, you might want to bring a heavy winter coat. Then, after the game, you might consider selling that coat to help pay for your pricy tickets to the game.

The NFL is planning to approve a plan, per the Wall Street Journal, to raise the face value of Super Bowl tickets this season to more than double the prices from New Orleans — from $1,250 to $2,600. These high-priced seats will be in the club level of MetLife Stadium with access to indoors restaurants.

The next-highest tier of seats for the game in the lower bowl of the stadium would cost $1,500, reportedly — up from $950 for equivalent seats sold Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans this past February.

According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, the league figures that ticket brokers are going to mark up prices anyway, so why not middle out the middle man?

"We are looking to close the gap between the face value of the ticket and the true value of a ticket to what has become the premier sports and entertainment event," McCarthy told WSJ.
Of course, the NFL also will point out that the proposal includes some tickets with lower prices, too. The cheapest tickets for the game will be $500, down from $600 last season, and about 39 percent of the roughly 77,500 tickets that will be issued will have a face value under $1,000. Of course, the pool is bigger as well; the Superdome only sat 73,208 people, per the NFL.

As many know, the Super Bowl isn't really a true fan experience like with other games. The NFL controls a quarter of the tickets, many of which end up in the hands of corporate sponsors and the like, with about 35 percent of the tickets going to the participating teams.

It's no shock that prices are going up. But it's stunning just how much they have increased over the years, and even in recent years. The first Super Bowl ticket cost only $6, and as recently as 2001 the lowest-priced ticket was $325. The demand apparently is there, so the NFL is more than willing to adjust accordingly.

And if you want a suite? Fuhgetaboutit. Even New Jersey governor Chris Christie might have a hard time landing one.

So get ready to open your wallet if you're planning to go. Otherwise, stay home and watch the commercials. Either way, the dollars will flood into the NFL.

Well... this certainly curbstomped my musings about purchasing tickets.

**Frazzled**

Good for them. I'd support increasing prices by 397.585%.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Yet another reason why other sports are vastly superior to Football.

**whembly**

No way in hell I'd be buying tickets if I could afford it.

At home is the way to watch the SB.

**cincydooley**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Yet another reason why other sports are vastly superior to Football.

Yeah?

I mean, other big time sports in the US have super high prices too. Final Four, NBA Finals (especially involving the Heat), BCS Championship Game....

And why shouldn't they? If people are going to be willing to pay those prices, charge them for it. The Super Bowl has been less about fans of those two teams than rich people and bucket lists for the past 10 years anyway.

**Chancetragedy**

So they increase prices because brokers would do it anyways. Only to have the brokers still do it anyways raising the prices even further? Good job NFL, not that I was ever going to be able to afford to go to the SB. But dang that's just wild.

**cincydooley**

Well if the tickets are going to go for those prices at the brokerages anyway, why should the NFL miss that action?

**d-usa**

You can't even watch the commercials if you actually go to the game.

What's the point of going?

**Chongara**

Yikes. That's one expensive game of handegg.

**kronk**

So, it's going from "Only corporations can afford super bowl tickets" to "Only corporations can afford super bowl tickets"?

Sounds about right.

**Frazzled**

Exactly. Charge $25,000 per ticket.

better yet, eliminate the deduction for entertainment as an expense.

**d-usa**

This might mean absolutely nothing to Americans, but here is why the Superbowl prices are crazy:

Club level seating to the one Superbowl game is $2,600.

Category 1 (highest category) "follow your team" tickets to the World Cup are $2,998.

So I can watch a single game in New York and freeze. Or for only $400 more I can watch my team play 4 group games, the quarterfinal game, the semi-final game, and the final in lovely Brazil.

$2,600 a game for the Superbowl vs. $430 a game in the World Cup package.

Even if you wanted to only watch the final championship game of the World Cup it would only cost you $990.

**juraigamer**

Because the american football players and coaches need to be paid more then they already are.

**Spacemanvic**

I hail from that area of New Jersey. I'd be gobsmacked if the mafia wasnt involved....

**Alfndrate**

d-usa wrote:
This might mean absolutely nothing to Americans, but here is why the Superbowl prices are crazy:

Club level seating to the one Superbowl game is $2,600.

Category 1 (highest category) "follow your team" tickets to the World Cup are $2,998.

So I can watch a single game in New York and freeze. Or for only $400 more I can watch my team play 4 group games, the quarterfinal game, the semi-final game, and the final in lovely Brazil.

$2,600 a game for the Superbowl vs. $430 a game in the World Cup package.

Even if you wanted to only watch the final championship game of the World Cup it would only cost you $990.

Does that follow your team include airfare and hotel? I'm assuming no, just curious.

**djones520**

cincydooley wrote:
Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Yet another reason why other sports are vastly superior to Football.

Yeah?

I mean, other big time sports in the US have super high prices too. Final Four, NBA Finals (especially involving the Heat), BCS Championship Game....

And why shouldn't they? If people are going to be willing to pay those prices, charge them for it. The Super Bowl has been less about fans of those two teams than rich people and bucket lists for the past 10 years anyway.

I paid $97 for rink side seats to Red Wings play-offs. Better game, better prices, better players, better sport period.

**cincydooley**

And its hockey. I love hockey, but it's not nearly as popular as Football in the US, and you know that. It's not a 'glamor' sport like basketball and there are series', which inherently drive the prices down.

And quite frankly, if you got glass tickets for $97, I'm insanely jealous. That's low for a regular season game, so you must have given a pretty serious handy to get that price for a playoff game.

**Alfndrate**

I've never been to an NHL or NFL game

**djones520**

Alfndrate wrote:
I've never been to an NHL or NFL game

An NHL game is an experience. Even die-hard football fans that I know say Hockey is a lot more fun to see in person then Football.

**whembly**

djones520 wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Yet another reason why other sports are vastly superior to Football.

Yeah?

I mean, other big time sports in the US have super high prices too. Final Four, NBA Finals (especially involving the Heat), BCS Championship Game....

And why shouldn't they? If people are going to be willing to pay those prices, charge them for it. The Super Bowl has been less about fans of those two teams than rich people and bucket lists for the past 10 years anyway.

I paid $97 for rink side seats to Red Wings play-offs. Better game, better prices, better players, better sport period.

Ditto!

Hockey is the only sport that I'll regularly buy tickets.

**Experiment 626**

Alfndrate wrote:
I've never been to an NHL or NFL game

Don't feel too bad...

Outside of taking a 6 hour train ride, I can go pay Corporate prices for lousy seats to watch pee-wee level antics and a skill level rivaling what Disney on Ice could produce.
Welcome to Loafs Nation!

**cincydooley**

I'd much rather go to a hockey game than an NFL game. Hockey is super, super fun in person. Alf, have you at least been to a B1G Buckeyes game in the Shoe?

**Alfndrate**

cincydooley wrote:
I'd much rather go to a hockey game than an NFL game. Hockey is super, super fun in person. Alf, have you at least been to a B1G Buckeyes game in the Shoe?

No I haven't, I'm from Cleveland, we mainly get the OSU fans that are 'diehard OSU fans' yet never went to OSU, and they're fething mental about it. I try to stay away from college football, I went to a D2 school that won women's basketball last year lol, wtf is football?

I've been debating going and seeing the senators in Columbus when they play the Blue Jackets, but 70 bucks for an upper bowl ticket is a lot...

**djones520**

Alfndrate wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
I'd much rather go to a hockey game than an NFL game. Hockey is super, super fun in person. Alf, have you at least been to a B1G Buckeyes game in the Shoe?

No I haven't, I'm from Cleveland, we mainly get the OSU fans that are 'diehard OSU fans' yet never went to OSU, and they're fething mental about it. I try to stay away from college football, I went to a D2 school that won women's basketball last year lol, wtf is football?

I've been debating going and seeing the senators in Columbus when they play the Blue Jackets, but 70 bucks for an upper bowl ticket is a lot...

That is a lot. Sen's will be visitors, so look for seats on the opposite side of where the BJ's will attack twice. It's always cheaper, and since you'll be cheering the visitor, you'll enjoy the seats more.

**cincydooley**

Honestly, if you're a sports fan at all, you owe it to yourself to see a football game in the following stadiums at least once:

Ohio Stadium in Columbus
The Big House in Ann Arbor
Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa
Irish Stadium in South Bend
Camp Randall in Madison
Rose Bowl in Pasadena

I"ve been to the first five and they're absolutely amazing venues to watch football. I'll eventually make it to a Rose Bowl when the Buckeyes make it, because, you know, it's going to happen plenty more.

Nashville's hockey arena is really nice. I enjoy watching games there quite a bit.

**djones520**

Alf, I just checked Stubhub for the Nov 5th Game. Upper level seats for as low as $10. Lower level for $40.

**Alfndrate**

djones, I took the NHL talk to the NHL thread

**Ensis Ferrae**

cincydooley wrote:
Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Yet another reason why other sports are vastly superior to Football.

Yeah?

I mean, other big time sports in the US have super high prices too. Final Four, NBA Finals (especially involving the Heat), BCS Championship Game....

And why shouldn't they? If people are going to be willing to pay those prices, charge them for it. The Super Bowl has been less about fans of those two teams than rich people and bucket lists for the past 10 years anyway.

I wasn't necessarily referring to major sports within the US. As in, Rugby Union.

**kronk**

If you don't go to a superbowl game, you're a horrible soccer fan.

**Grey Templar**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Yet another reason why other sports are vastly superior to Football.

Not really. I can watch the game on TV for free(with cable) with the awesome commercials and all the inherent junk food. I'd actually prefer watching it at home.

If I want to go to a local game(only kind I'd ever consider seeing in person) its not anywhere near that much.

And you still have travel to consider for those "other" sports. How much is the airfare and hotel going to cost for going to those "follow your team" tickets d-usa? with the Super Bowl you'd only need one day of tickets and one flight.

So really, Football is more expensive to watch in stadium than other sports, but saying other sports are cheaper is like saying a Mercedes is cheaper than a Ferrari. Sure, its true. but both are fething expensive and well out of most sane people's price range.