Want a seat to a Big Ten football game this season? Sportscasting has released a report on ticket prices for the 2024 college football season to tell fans exactly how much it will cost them for a seat in the stadium and the results reveal the importance of keeping live sports affordable.
According to the Sportscasting report, based on secondary market data, the University of Michigan has the most expensive “get-in price.” Wolverines can expect to pay $89 for the home-opener game at the Big House. Michigan is kicking off the season with a game against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
However, $89 is not the norm across the conference. Even with new California schools joining the Big Ten conference, Michigan’s ticket price for the first game is nearly double that of any other school. Ohio State first game tickets are selling for $46, Iowa University tickets are $36 and University of Wisconsin comes in at $14.
Of course, it is important to remember that these are the prices for secondary market tickets. Prices may look very different for fans who would rather buy tickets directly from the school. At Indiana University, for example, a single-game ticket to their season opener is $30 when purchased directly from the school compared to $16 on the secondary market.
With ticket prices for live events on the rise in general, another report seeks to find the answer to the question ‘Where does all the money go?’
According to Morones Analytics, ticket sales only accounted for 12 percent of the total revenue, right behind private donors (16%) and school-specific funding (17%). For the most part, the conference pulls the financial strings, not the individual schools or the NCAA. The revenue from ticket sales is distributed among a conference’s many schools and then is put toward coaching salaries, facility updates and fan experiences in the stadium.
What leadership in the college athletic department can take away from these studies is that the fans are invested but skeptical. Most college football fans are willing to pay the lower-cost entry fees. $30 to cheer on your favorite team is an easy decision. However, online fees associated with buying game tickets are still on the rise and a time may come when the big house doesn’t sell out if the lowest-priced ticket is $473 as it will be when Michigan and the University of Texas match up. The reports are clear, keeping college football tickets accessible for all fans should be top of mind to keep attendance high.
