The National Football League is the most powerful and most profitable professional sports league in the U.S. with arguably the most passionate fans. Now the NFL is looking to help those fans get into games during the upcoming post season by lowering playoff ticket prices by approximately 10 percent.
The NFL is just the lastest sports organization to announce changes in the face of a struggling economy. In previous weeks, multiple Major League Baseball teams announced the freezing or lowering of ticket prices including the Boston Red Sox which froze ticket prices for next season for the first time in 14 years. Meanwhile in the National Basketball Association, Commissioner David Stern laid off 80 workers from their New York offices.
“We want to be responsive to the economic challenges facing our fans,” an NFL spokesman said to NFL.com.
No prices have been determined for the playoff rounds as they will be based on the season ticket price of the home team. But according to NFL.com, Commissioner Roger Goodell recently sent guidelines on ticket pricing to all teams that are contending for playoff spots. The average ticket price for last season was $121.
The NFL playoffs are one of the highest selling periods on the secondary market each year. With lower prices on the primary market for the event, it remains to be seen how much it will affect the prices on the resale market. Undoubtedly, the lower price will not be the only factor in potential sales; the overall economy, match-ups, and where games are played will also factor in.
“This is an important and stark reminder that all of those in the industry are being impacted by the current economic conditions,” David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California, said to Bloomberg. “The NFL, despite its strength, realizes that its fans are vulnerable.”
