It\u2019s a great time of year to be a sports fan, but if you want to see a game in person, be ready to pay more than you would have a year ago.<\/p>\n
Ticket prices for sporting events were up 18.9% in September as compared with the year-earlier month, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n
The National Football League\u2019s season started in September, and that was probably a major factor in the price jump, said Jesse Lawrence, CEO and founder of the ticket platform TicketIQ. Among the four biggest professional sports in the U.S. \u2014 football, basketball, baseball and hockey \u2014 football tickets are typically the most expensive, Lawrence said. When the NFL season begins, it drives up the overall average price paid for sports tickets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The average price of NFL tickets in 2023 is $612, compared with $468 in 2022 and $418 in 2019, according to TicketIQ data.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Consumers paid on average $109 for tickets to sporting events in August 2023, compared with $89 a year earlier.\u00a0 Americans spent $36 billion in total to watch sports in person in August, compared with $29 billion in 2022, according to the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis data. <\/p>\n
The average resale price for a ticket to an NFL game in 2023 is $435, up 22% from $356 in 2022, according to TicketIQ data provided to MarketWatch. For Major League Baseball, it\u2019s $114, up 21% from $94. National Hockey League tickets are selling for $227 this year, compared with $191 last year. For the National Basketball Association, it\u2019s $215 this year, compared with $206 in 2022. Resale prices are usually a bit higher than the primary sales price, but they reflect consumer demand more accurately in real time, according to TicketIQ.<\/p>\n
MLS, the top-flight North American soccer league, has also seen attendance figures and ticket prices jump \u2014 to say nothing of Apple TV+ Rising prices across the economy have contributed to the increased price of sports tickets, Lawrence noted. Prices on consumer goods and services were up 3.7% from a year earlier in September. Inflation has come down from the 41-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, but it\u2019s still more expensive than it used to be to put on an event, because the costs of labor, rent and supplies have all gone up, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read:<\/strong> Want to watch every NFL game this season? Here\u2019s how much it will cost you.<\/p>\n Price increases are also being fueled in part by pent-up demand now that pandemic-era restrictions at sports stadiums have been lifted.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople realized how much they truly value communal experiences, which is what sports provide,\u201d said Mark Burns, sports analyst at industry intelligence company Morning Consult. \u201cFans missed the passion, the energy that a stadium provides.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Fans are spending more money on sports events in other ways. They seem to be willing to travel more to see games in person this year. Across sports categories, fans are traveling 7% farther in 2023 to see their teams compared to 2022, according to ticket sales and resale platform Vivid Seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another reason that some specific games \u2014 namely, Kansas City Chiefs games \u2014 got more expensive in September and could get more expensive in the future, analysts said, was Taylor Swift.\u00a0<\/p>\n The singer showed up at a Chiefs game on Sept. 24, apparently to support Travis Kelce, the tight end who is rumored to be dating the singer. Swift appeared at Chiefs games two more times in October.\u00a0<\/p>\n Popular interest in Chiefs\u2019 games rose and ticket sales soared, with fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Swift. The Vivid Seats\u2019 page selling tickets to the Chiefs game against the Minnesota Vikings saw a 273% surge in traffic after Swift\u2019s second appearance on Oct. 1, and the game between the two teams on Oct. 8 was the hottest home ticket for the Vikings in 14 years, a representative of the ticket-selling platform told MarketWatch via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read:<\/strong> Taylor Swift expected to attend another Travis Kelce game as her fans keep buying Kansas City Chiefs gear and tickets<\/p>\n Prices for tickets to the Oct. 1 Chiefs game against the New York Jets jumped after news reports that Swift would be attending. The lowest ticket price rose 43% to $124, and the highest ticket price increased 28% to $511, according to TicketIQ\u2019s real-time data.\u00a0<\/p>\n Swift\u2019s Eras concert tour has had a measurable economic impact on the cities that have hosted shows, with fans spending money at hotels and restaurants and shelling out an average of $1,327 to see Swift\u2019s shows, including ticket prices, clothing and travel expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n streaming subscriptions \u2014 for matches featuring the legendary Argentine player Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami side, though that phenomenon has been hobbled by Messi\u2019s recent leg injury. <\/p>\nPeople want to get back to stadiums and watch their favorite teams<\/h2>\n
The \u2018Taylor Swift effect\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n