The Most Expensive Tickets in the National Football League
5. Green Bay Packers
> Avg. ticket price: $213.43
> W-L past 10 years: 61.9% (5th highest)
> Championships past 10 years: 1
> Avg. home attendance: 70,512
The Green Bay Packers’ unique story as a nonprofit, publicly owned corporation began in 1923. Today, 360,000 stockholders serve as stewards of this very healthy team. Secondary-sale Packers tickets demand an average of a little over $213 each, the fifth-highest figure in the NFL. The Packers are also one of the most successful teams on the field. They have appeared in five Super Bowls in their franchise’s history, winning four. Green Bay’s success continued in the past decade with the team winning 99 games — a number bested by only three teams — and the Super Bowl in 2010. Their home stadium, Lambeau Field, is located in one of the most sparsely populated metropolitan regions to host a professional team.
4. Dallas Cowboys
> Avg. ticket price: $214.71
> W-L past 10 years: 53.8% (11th highest)
> Championships past 10 years: none
> Avg. home attendance: 85,512
The Dallas Cowboys were once dubbed “America’s team” and the name stuck. Despite notching no Super Bowl victories in the past decade and making the playoffs just four times in that time, Cowboys secondary tickets are the fourth-most expensive in the NFL, averaging just short of $215 each. The franchise is valued at $1.85 billion, tied with the New York Yankees for the most valuable team in North America. This valuation is due in part to the Cowboys’ move from Texas Stadium to Cowboys Stadium, which increased capacity by nearly 15,000 seats.
3. Chicago Bears
> Avg. ticket price: $219.82
> W-L past 10 years: 51.3% (13th highest)
> Championships past 10 years: none
> Avg. home attendance: 62,145
A top 10 franchise in terms of value, the Chicago Bears have had only middling success in recent years. Chicago has tallied just 82 victories in the past 10 seasons, 13th of 32 NFL franchises. The Bears had no Super Bowl wins in the past decade, though they appeared in one back in 2006, losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts. Still, Soldier Field patrons pay an average of almost $220 on the secondary market for the right to watch their Bears take the field, part of the reason the team’s revenue has increased every year for the past ten seasons.
2. New York Giants
> Avg. ticket price: $238.45
> W-L past 10 years: 55.0% (8th best)
> Championships past 10 years: 2
> Avg. home attendance: 79,475
The New York Giants, though they play their home games in New Jersey, averaged the second-most fans per game of any NFL team in 2011 at 79,475. Those fans buying tickets on the secondary market paid a little over $238 a ticket, second most in all of sports. The Giants have also been one of the most successful teams on the field. In the past decade, the G-Men have won two Super Bowls — in 2007 and 2011 — and made six playoff appearances. The team’s revenue rose every year in that period and jumped $52 million between 2010 and 2011. In 2010, the Giants moved into the brand new MetLife Stadium, which has a permanent capacity of 82,566, the highest permanent capacity of any NFL stadium.
1. New England Patriots
> Avg. ticket price: $241.86
> W-L past 10 years: 76.9% (highest)
> Championships past 10 years: 3
> Avg. home attendance: 68,756
The New England Patriots have been a fixture in the postseason during the past decade, missing the playoffs only twice and winning three Super Bowls. Given that success, it is no surprise the average price of a Pats ticket on the secondary market is the highest in sports, at just short of $242. There has been no change in attendance at Gillette Stadium over the past four years because during that time the Patriots sold every seat for every game. The franchise’s finances have mirrored the success on the field, and at $1.4 billion, it is the third-highest valued team in NFL. That figure is even more impressive when considering that Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 for only $172 million.
Michael B. Sauter
