A study was recently released that focused on the real cost of attending a National Football League game. And as you can imagine, the results weren’t friendly to those who like to pinch pennies.
The site went on to rank what the overall fan experience for each stadium costs (family of four).
Not too surprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys boast the most expensive in-game experience for fans at $634.38. That included an average ticket of $110.00 with parking coming in at $75.00. The New England Patriots were right up there at $611.26.
The Cleveland Browns came in with the cheapest fan experience at under $350.00. Outside of ticket cost, one of the primary differences between Cleveland and Dallas was the fact that the Browns charged just $25.00 for parking.
The overall numbers in this study may be a bit skewed. It doesn’t take into account new San Francisco 49ers home Levi’s Stadium, which will end up offering one of the most-expensive fan experiences in the league in 2014. But it’s still rather interesting to look at.
In terms of alcohol consumption, the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks are marking up the price of crap beer more than any other teams in the league (via Forbes.com).
The cheapest beer option in Detroit last year was a 16-ounce beverage that cost $8.50. No other NFL team charged more than that $0.53-per-ounce price (though the Dallas Cowboys matched it with their own $8.50 option). What’s more, in Detroit that price represents a staggering 765% markup compared to local grocery store prices, easily the league’s widest pricing margin.
Only one other team, the Seattle Seahawks, have marked beer prices up more than seven-fold: Seattle’s $8 beers are a 710% increase over the comparable $0.99 options at local marts.
The cheapest beer options in the NFL are in New York (both Giants/Jets), Houston, San Diego, Tennessee, Cincinnati and Cleveland at $5.00 a pop.
That’s nearly $500.00 for a family of four to attend a three-hour event.
And the NFL tells us this game is for fans. How many of you have that amount to dole out for a three-hour experience? I didn’t think so.
Photo: Chat Sports