Ask a sports activities fan about heading to the stadium for an enormous sport and also you’ll hear lots in regards to the enjoyable of the tailgate, the scent of peanuts and sausages within the air, and the full-throated roar of the gang.
What you probably gained’t hear about is how a lot it prices to get there, keep there, stroll by means of the turnstiles, and purchase a beer and memento.
Add all of them up and in lots of instances, that price will mirror the month-to-month price of a automotive fee, utility invoice, and two weeks’ price of groceries…for one particular person.
How excessive is the price of attending an expert sports activities sport in particular person in actual greenback phrases? A brand new examine has a solution for that.
The examine from Money.co.uk, entitled “The Most Expensive Sports Stadiums in North America” contains the payout for sport tickets, sizzling canines, tender drinks, parking, taxi/Uber, and Airbnb.
Vegas Teams on the Rise
Las Vegas has change into a sizzling ticket currently for sports activities franchises seeking to relocate and for his or her followers.
The metropolis famously nabbed the Oakland Raiders just a few years in the past. It’s additionally house to the Golden Knights, an NHL growth crew.
The metropolis is continuously talked about as a possible house to a National Basketball Association crew as nicely. And it’s actively pursuing the Oakland Athletics baseball crew as nicely.
The stadiums of the 2 groups already in Las Vegas are among the many most costly of greater than 120 venues studied by Money.co.uk.
Allegiant Stadium, house of the Las Vegas Raiders got here in third on the checklist, with an general price of $723. Meanwhile, T-Mobile Arena, the place the Golden Knights play, got here in fourth, with a complete price estimate of $676.
The solely stadiums that have been dearer have been Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., the place the Tennessee Titans play and Bridgestone Arena, additionally in Nashville, the place the NHL Predators crew performs. Nissan stadium’s price estimate was $754, whereas Bridgestone’s was $751.
SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, Calif., the place each the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play, rounded out the highest 5 checklist, with price estimates of $575 (for a Rams sport) and $552 (for a Chargers sport.
You can view a full checklist of the most costly U.S. skilled sports activities stadiums at https://www.money.co.uk/credit-cards/expensive-sports-stadiums.
Travel Costs Add Up
What makes Nashville, and Las Vegas the most costly sports activities stadiums to go to? Mainly the price of an Airbnb keep, which wouldn’t affect a fan who lives inside two hours or so of the stadium.
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“Taking into account seven different costs that fans face, Nissan Stadium is the most expensive sports stadium in North America,” the report acknowledged. “A large part of this cost is the fact that Nashville has the highest average Airbnb cost of the cities to host a major league team, at $617.”
Taking that costly lodging price into consideration, it’s no shock that Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena can be excessive on the checklist. “Overall there isn’t much difference between attending a game at these two venues, although Predators fans do have to shell out an average of over $100 for tickets,” the examine famous.
While staying in Vegas could be cheaper, Allegiant Stadium is not really within the metropolis, and that results in an added price. “As well as an eye-watering ticket price of over $150, fans traveling from downtown Las Vegas will have to pay an average of over $20 for an Uber to the game,” the examine acknowledged.
The Money.co.uk report additionally cited Baltimore, Md.’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards because the “least expensive sports stadium in the U.S., at $252 per game-day visit.
“Oriole Park is amongst the cheapest stadiums when it comes to its food offerings, charging fans just $2.50 for a soft drink and $3.00 for a hot dog,” the examine famous.
The examine discovered the most costly NBA stadium was Crypto.com Arena, in Los Angeles, the place the Lakers play, adopted by Madison Square Gardens, house of the New York Knicks. Crypto.com’s price estimate was $524, whereas MSG’s was $506.
Fans Have Higher Standards and Are Willing to Pay
Getting to the foundation of excessive sports activities stadium costs and why customers are greater than keen to pay these costs, means learning sporting followers’ social behaviors.
“It’s easy to point a finger at professional sports teams and call them greedy, but a large part of these price increases is due to the market telling owners that this is what the customers want,” stated James Weiner, a sports activities finance professor on the University of Tampa. “The truth is, fans are simply willing to pay more than they ever have, and the customer demands have shifted.”
20-to-30 years in the past, sports activities followers have been extra glad with a mediocre view, an inexpensive sizzling canine, and a lite beer.
“Nowadays, the fans want every seat to have a good view,” Weiner stated. “They want an upgraded experience with video boards and lots of interaction. They want high-speed internet, better food, and more drink options.”
But these facilities all include a price.
“As attendance becomes more focused on a complete experience, the teams are happy to charge more and the fans mostly seem willing to pay more if it meets their standard,” Weiner famous.
Where Weiner does suspect a problem for skilled sports activities franchises is with children and youth attendance.
“Many ticket prices are unforgiving whether the attendee is an adult or child, and families may have a harder time justifying a several hundred dollar increases just to bring their kids, especially if many of the upgraded amenities do not add value to the children,” he stated. “When tickets were half the cost and you could get some cheap candy from the concession stand it may have been an easier decision.”
“Going forward, I suspect we may see professional sport be more of an adult-focused event, especially at upper levels of competition,” Weiner famous.
Source: www.thestreet.com