NHL Ticket price % increase largest of 4 major sports

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

After a four-month lockout, the NHL began play in January and season-ticket prices went up 5.7 percent, according to the recently released Team Marketing Report Fan Cost Index. The average season ticket for non-premium seats is $61.01. As usual, ticket prices were set well before the season.

The NBA's average ticket went up 3.5 percent to $50.99 and the NFL's went up 2.5 percent to $78.38. The average MLB ticket for the 2012 season was even at $26.98.

In the previous season, the NHL raised prices by 4.8 percent, while the NBA (1.7 percent), NFL (1.2 percent) and MLB (1.2 percent for 2011 season) had smaller increases.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8945052/nhl-ticket-price-hike-surpasses-other-leagues

The NHL continuing to show how much it loves and appreciates its fans.

I was a little surprised to see the average ticket price for the NBA is lower than the NHL.

[evilmrt 636]

Buck Fettman

[JasonNewEra 84]

And yet the fans keep going to games... Who's to blame?

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Hmmmm, I wonder? From Toronto Star:

Consultancy firm Brand Finance, which tracks the clout of brand names in the real world, estimates that the NHL will lose nearly $328.2 million (U.S.) in brand value in 2013 as fans spend less money on hockey in the coming year, for an overall post-lockout NHL brand value of $1.56 billion.

That's no way for Uncle Gary to treat "our fans".

[VM1138 1,921]

The NBA isn't as popular as the NHL, I don't think. I don't have hard numbers but I've heard a great deal about struggling teams outside of big urban centers like LA and New York, and I think their TV audience is on par with or smaller than NHL games most of the time. It just gets an inordinate amount of coverage in sports shows because of the strength of the NBA in New York and LA, which happen to be two of the biggest radio and TV markets. I heard PIstons tickets were selling for DIRT cheap as recently as last week.

[Pskov Wings Fan 71]

I went to see Minnesota Timberwolves play twice basically for free. I had to buy some stuff in a grocery store (like few boxes of cereal) and got the tickets. No such thing for Minnesota Wild.

[Barrie 900]

And yet the fans keep going to games... Who's to blame?

I agree, it's suppy and demand.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

And yet the fans keep going to games... Who's to blame?

Agreed. The NHL isn't getting any money from me this year.

Bettman was exactly right in that the fans would come back in droves because they love hockey no matter how they've been treated. During the lockout people kept saying they thought they should lower ticket prices for the fans. Instead they did the exact opposite.

[Phil Lesh 93]

Good thing the players gave so much back during the last lockout so the owners could keep ticket prices down. What a load of s***. Hockey fans are very passionate and these criminals know that. When a team like Toronto can put garbage on the ice every game and still sell out where's the incentive to do anything about it?

[CrimsonFlame 424]

The NHL lockout for the third time in how many years, ticket prices go up, and nobody in charge has any idea why hockey is losing popularity faster and faster every year? Gee I wonder why.

The NBA isn't as popular as the NHL, I don't think. I don't have hard numbers but I've heard a great deal about struggling teams outside of big urban centers like LA and New York, and I think their TV audience is on par with or smaller than NHL games most of the time. It just gets an inordinate amount of coverage in sports shows because of the strength of the NBA in New York and LA, which happen to be two of the biggest radio and TV markets. I heard PIstons tickets were selling for DIRT cheap as recently as last week.

The NBA is far more popular that the NHL on a national level. And I'd even argue that it's more popular even here in metro Detroit. The reason why pistons tickets are so cheap is because the team is garbage and nobody wants to pay to go see garbage. That and the economy is worse here than almost every where else in the nation. I'll try to find some numbers

[Guest The Axe]

I agree, it's suppy and demand.

Yup. Simple.

[Guest RedWingsDad]

Agreed. The NHL isn't getting any money from me this year.

Bettman was exactly right in that the fans would come back in droves because they love hockey no matter how they've been treated. During the lockout people kept saying they thought they should lower ticket prices for the fans. Instead they did the exact opposite.

You aren't able to go see a hockey game in person, something you obviously enjoy, due to a lockout. Your response to this is a self-imposed restriction on going to hockey games, something that you enjoy. I think your taking things too seriously... this is just a past time. Go to hockey games, and enjoy yourself.

[CrimsonFlame 424]

You aren't able to go see a hockey game in person, something you obviously enjoy, due to a lockout. Your response to this is a self-imposed restriction on going to hockey games, something that you enjoy. I think your taking things too seriously... this is just a past time. Go to hockey games, and enjoy yourself.

The problem with this then is that the league then sees that it's ok to lockout when ever they want because the fans will come right back because they just want to enjoy themselves. Thus the vicious cycle will continue.

Sometimes you need to sacrifice in order to make things better later on down the line. I would definitely boycott this season and not go to any games, except I'm already on a tight budget and wouldn't have been able to afford to buy tickets anyway.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

You aren't able to go see a hockey game in person, something you obviously enjoy, due to a lockout. Your response to this is a self-imposed restriction on going to hockey games, something that you enjoy. I think your taking things too seriously... this is just a past time. Go to hockey games, and enjoy yourself.

I'm honestly not taking it that seriously. I'm also aware it's self imposed.

And I think anyone who is spending money on the NHL right now shouldn't have uttered a word of complaint during the lockout.

If someone is going to support the league with their money, I don't want to hear any whining about how they're being treated as a fan. It's like getting terrible service at a restaurant time and time again and continuing to eat there.

I've been a hockey fan for almost 30 years, but I'm old enough and busy enough that there's plenty of other things to do with my time and ways to spend my money. It's not so much abstaining from going to games as it is not making the extra effort to carve out time for them. Plus I can watch games on TV without giving any extra dough to the NHL.

A shortened season is generally a mess anyway. Not paying hundreds of dollars to go see a shoddy half season of hockey isn't exactly keeping me up at night.

My main point in posting this article is I was surprised not so much by the raise in ticket prices, but that it exceeds the other major sports. And the average ticket is more expensive than basketball. I never would've guessed that.