Whether its capitalizing on success, bankrolling a facility renovation or simply serving as a sign that the economy is on the mend, a number of professional and collegiate sports entities are raising ticket prices before their next seasons start.
The Baltimore Ravens have announced they will raise ticket prices by an average of 10 percent, the first increase in four years for the newly minted Super Bowl champions. Tickets will cost more for fans of the New York Knicks (by an average of 6.4 percent) and the New York Rangers (4 percent average), as renovations to Madison Square Garden are completed. It's the third straight year of increases for both teams, though they have grown progressively more modest.
Whether its capitalizing on success, bankrolling a facility renovation or simply serving as a sign that the economy is on the mend, a number of professional and collegiate sports entities are raising ticket prices before their next seasons start.
The Baltimore Ravens have announced they will raise ticket prices by an average of 10 percent, the first increase in four years for the newly minted Super Bowl champions. Tickets will cost more for fans of the New York Knicks (by an average of 6.4 percent) and the New York Rangers (4 percent average), as renovations to Madison Square Garden are completed. It's the third straight year of increases for both teams, though they have grown progressively more modest.
The Washington Redskins are raising prices for the first time in seven years, but by no more than 10 percent. Philadelphia Eagles tickets will be priced an average of $8 higher, for a 9.95 percent increase. Seattle Mariners fans will see raises ranging from 4.7 to 10.6 percent in most seating locations, and price drops in others. The Minnesota Timberwolves will likewise make their expensive seats more expensive and their cheap seats cheaper.
Ohio State University football tickets will jump from $70 to $79 this fall, but a first-ever premium game (against Wisconsin) will cost $110. The best Buckeye basketball tickets will see a $6 bump. South Carolina football season ticket packages are now priced at $365 per seat, a $45 increase.
More modest increases will greet fans of the Chicago Bears (4.2 percent average) and the Green Bay Packers, who will charge $2 or $5 more per ticket, depending on seat location.
Some teams are holding the line on prices, including the Cleveland Browns (for the fifth straight year), the New York Giants (for the fourth straight year) and University of Oklahoma football (at $423 per season ticket). University of Wisconsin football, the team that commands a premium price in Columbus, Ohio, will not ask more of its fans at home in 2013, the fourth straight year of steady pricing. Same goes for UW men's basketball, which has raised its ticket price only once since 2006, and men's hockey (one price increase since 2004).
The most drastic ticket pricing decrease we could find comes courtesy of the New Orleans Hornets, who will play their first season as the Pelicans in front of fans paying a reduced price on 81 percent of all available seats, the most expensive of which will drop in price by 44 percent, while remaining seat prices will fall by 20 percent.
