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I’m no economist but in a severe recession (which we are in, don’t kid yourself) where the federal government is bailing out banks and Detroit, you would think other industries would give Joe Six Pack a break. (all apologies to Sarah Palin for that one.) Apparently not. It seems that pro and college sports didn’t get the memo that the way to get a struggling economy back on its feet is to put money back in the pockets of consumers. By raising prices, business and in this case sports, are hurting the economy in the long run in order to satisfy their shortsighted greed. I recently read an article by Darren Rovell of CNBC regarding The High Cost Of Being A Fan. It details which teams have thumbed their nose at you the fan and raised ticket prices despite being in a recession.
With higher ticket prices to pay coupled with a limited family budget, many tailgaters may have to cut back. That probably means going to a few less games during the season. That could include selling those games in the season ticket package that could return the most revenue, i.e. big rivalry games. Or instead of pulling out the RV they might choose to “tailgate smaller” in their SUV or passenger car. No matter how you slice it, higher ticket prices in the midst of a recession sucks monkey balls. Here is a list of those teams that apparently do not give a damn about you and your pocketbook and raised prices this year.
NFL
Tennessee Titans: The team will raise ticket prices for the 8th time in 10 years. The increase will be small — $2 to $3 per ticket.
Philadelphia Eagles: Most seats will go up by $5 per game, while lower-level endzone seats will be raised by $10 per game.
Baltimore Ravens: Season ticket holders will see the price of their seats increase by $5 to $15 per ticket. This is the first raise for the team since the 2006 season.
New York Jets: Team won’t raise prices next season. Will mark the first time the team didn’t raise prices in eight seasons.
Chicago Bears: The team is freezing current prices, which are $245 to $350 per game for club seats and $68 to $108 per game for non-club.
Houston Texans: The team will raise prices from $1 to $7 per seat. The Texans average per game ticket price for next season will be $67.37, still about $5 less than the league average.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: General season ticket prices, ranging from $42 to $99 per game, will stay the same as the ’08 season.
Denver Broncos: The Broncos will keep the prices the same as they were last season. Lower bowl sidelines are the most expensive at $110, while upper bowl endzones are the least expensive at $42.
Washington Redskins: The team, which has sold out every game since 1966, says it will not raise general admission prices ($29 to $99) for the third straight year.
College Football
University of Texas: The Longhorns are raising ticket prices. A season ticket is down $10 from last season to $375 from $385, but the team has one fewer home game, which means each game costs $62.50 versus $55 last year. An individual ticket to the Texas-Texas Tech game will cost $95 each.
The Ohio State University: The largest athletic department in the nation is now facing a deficit, so they’re raising per game prices by $1.
Texas Tech: Most base ticket prices will go up 10 percent. A good seat on the 40-yard line will go up roughly 50 percent.
University of Colorado: Prices for season ticket holders in the best seats will go up from $50 to $58 per game. Prices will remain the same for the rest of the seats, which accounts for 66 percent of the stadium.
University of Wisconsin: It’s anticipated that the Badgers won’t raise their $39 per game price for season ticket holders.
Arizona State University: Ticket prices are going up for 83 percent of Sun Devil Stadium, but the school has promised there will be no increases for 2010.
UCLA: Last year, fans could buy a season ticket for $388. This year, it will be $369 for six games, meaning prices are going up by about $6 a game. Reserved single game tickets will go up $1.
NBA
Boston Celtics: Loge and balcony season tickets will not be raised next year. The team is also introducing an interest-free payment plan option.
San Antonio Spurs: Current season ticket holders won’t see an increase for next year’s tickets and won’t have to pay for playoff tickets until each round is completed.
Portland Trail Blazers: Next year, ticket prices will increase by 6.7 percent on average. The bigger increases will apply to the lower bowl seats.
These ticket prices increases do not include projected parking fees. Just think about that when renewing your seats and what you will pay once you hit the lot…