Has it become normal for teams to jack up ticket prices for good games?

Let me preface this by saying that I hardly ever go to Dolphins games, and when I have, I haven't bought direct from the team in 10+ years. Single game tickets are on sale today, so I was curious checking out if there were any games worth going to. The cheapest tickets (high in the upper deck endzone) are like $45 for the Bills and Texans, but then $90 for the Patriots and $110 for the Cowboys. Some of the more expensive seats even have more of a difference (lower deck corner and endzone range from $85 for some for the Texans to over $300 for the Cowboys).

I know teams do that a little (I remember there would sometimes be maybe a 20% premium for big games), but more than double and triple the price for certain regular season games seems extreme? Is this their attempt to fight StubHub sales? To discourage the fans of opposing teams that usually show up in droves? Or just the Dolphins knowing that there are only a couple of games that they'll actually sell out, so they better jack up their prices?

Do Lions and other NFL teams have that extreme of differences from game to game for the same seats?

I mean I know we're all ballers that wipe their ass with $100 bills, but this seems like a waste of money.

Even MSU started this 3-4 years ago for higher profile games. I don't know about the Lions, but the Tigers started it two years ago. I think they even have some algorithm that quotes you a real-time price based on up-to-the-minute ticket sales (but never below the face-value floor).

If prices go up for games against good teams does that mean the UM game will eventually be free...?

Floyd Robertson wrote:Even MSU started this 3-4 years ago for higher profile games. I don't know about the Lions, but the Tigers started it two years ago. I think they even have some algorithm that quotes you a real-time price based on up-to-the-minute ticket sales (but never below the face-value floor).

To that extent, 2-3 times the price of other games?

I think even 20-25 years ago when I was at State, the face value on my student tickets would be a little higher for UM and ND, but just a couple of bucks more, nothing like this.

You're talking about the Dolphins, the same team that needs Publix to step in and buy 5k tickets after they give away 10k tickets to 'sell out'. Maybe if they could bring their season tickets down to a spot where the market allows them to sell the amount they need to, then they wouldn't have this issue.

That being said, I was really tempted to buy season tickets this year, but enjoy my weekend golf too much to give it up.

MiamiSpartan wrote:

Floyd Robertson wrote:Even MSU started this 3-4 years ago for higher profile games. I don't know about the Lions, but the Tigers started it two years ago. I think they even have some algorithm that quotes you a real-time price based on up-to-the-minute ticket sales (but never below the face-value floor).

To that extent, 2-3 times the price of other games?

I think even 20-25 years ago when I was at State, the face value on my student tickets would be a little higher for UM and ND, but just a couple of bucks more, nothing like this.

Not that extreme of a bump in MSU's case, more like 20%.

Why would one ever want to attend an NFL game?

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Why would one ever want to attend an NFL game?

Entertainment? For example, I went to a Dolphins pre-season game last year (the first regular or pre-season NFL game I'd been to in about 5 years). Saw a fight between a lady and a guy--actually the lady going crazy and swinging, and the guy just fending her off not going on offense at all. Then the cops came. The lady starts freaking out, fighting the cops. Eventually they get her cuffed, and then with her hands cuffed, she tries to lunge at a cop to head butt them or something, the cop side steps it and the lady goes flying down the concrete steps (again, hands behind her back, so nothing to help break her fall). I'm surprised she was still conscious, but she was and they were able to get her out.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, why would anyone ever want to attend an NFL game? Good question. Definitely not high on my list, but for a decent game at normal prices, I might have considered it. Not at $90+ for nosebleed seats.

MiamiSpartan wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Why would one ever want to attend an NFL game?

Entertainment? For example, I went to a Dolphins pre-season game last year (the first regular or pre-season NFL game I'd been to in about 5 years). Saw a fight between a lady and a guy--actually the lady going crazy and swinging, and the guy just fending her off not going on offense at all. Then the cops came. The lady starts freaking out, fighting the cops. Eventually they get her cuffed, and then with her hands cuffed, she tries to lunge at a cop to head butt them or something, the cop side steps it and the lady goes flying down the concrete steps (again, hands behind her back, so nothing to help break her fall). I'm surprised she was still conscious, but she was and they were able to get her out.

Sounds like a normal day in Florida.