Wanna see half the Dolphin's home games?

[Brian Fein]

Its not for the loudness - that's a side effect.  Its like the dude that has a crush on the hot chick in high school that gets laughed at when he grows enough sack to ask her out. 

People pour their allegiance into the team, loyalty and support, buying gear, wearing, spending 10 hours a day writing on message boards dedicated to the team, sometimes fighting other people about it.  But, its obvious that the team doesn't want them there, cause they're not rich enough?  The allegiance should go both ways.

Why am I the only one that has a problem with that?

[fyo]

Is it?  Unless the team has a TV blackout, then in fact the ticket prices are not too high as demand has outstripped supply.  I would argue that for any team with a ST waiting list that is more than 1% of stadium capacity the ticket prices are too low and should be raised until the waiting list vanishes.

I think you're oversimplifying. Your argument would be sound if the gate was the only product the business sold. It isn't, and I'm not convinced that the other products are completely independent. If fans feel they're getting gouged, will fan numbers drop? If parents can't afford to take their children, will it affect fan numbers long term? Will lower number of fans affect merchandising sales? Will a lower "level of fandom"?

Will overall lack of support in the local population (those most affected by ticket prices) hurt the chance the team has of securing public funding for a future stadium?

Profit maximization is about maximizing the whole enchilada, not just gate receipts. I'm convinced team owners have a very good reason to keep fans at least reasonably happy.

Businesses often fail to take a long term view, focusing instead on short term profits. The NFL as a whole is exceptionally popular and this has allowed the business an unprecedented amount of freedom in raising prices for everything associated with it. Total revenue has more than doubled over the past 10 years (and that's not including massive amounts of public funding for stadiums) and, don't kid yourself, there's only one source of revenue. The NFL could easily be undercutting its future fan base without it showing up in current profits.

[Phishfan]

Why am I the only one that has a problem with that?

You aren't. I've just been staying out of this. I've complained about the cost of NFL games for quite some time.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Your argument would be sound if the gate was the only product the business sold.

You are right the gate is not the only thing being sold.

Who is more likely to:

A) Get drunk in the parking lot on beer bought at the store and then try to sneak some beer in 

or

B) Pay for the overpriced $9 beers at the stadium.


Who is more likely to

A) Buy a $20 fake jersey that the team makes no money on

or

B) A $289 jersey from the stadium store

Who is more likely to

A) eat in the parking lot before and after the game

b) buy the over priced stadium food.

Who is more likely to

A) get into a fight forcing the team to spend more money on security

b) quietly file in and out of the stadium

The new wealthy fans OR the fans being priced out. 

[Brian Fein]

In general, I would think it would be bad business practice to price your product at a point where 95% of your target audience can not afford it.

But, hey, I'm not a billionaire, what do I know?

[Spider-Dan]

99.999% of your target audience can't fit in the stadium!

[MikeO]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2011/06/miami-dolphins-offer-4-game-flex-pack-of-season-tickets.html


Sounds like a good idea for those who can't afford the entire season or who have other commitments for some of the game days. 

As much as I kill Stephen Ross, this is actually a pretty good deal. $100 ticket in the lower bowl is not unreasonable. And you get a full refund if a game you pick isn't played. Give Ross and the front office credit this is a good marketing strategy

[Brian Fein]

And you get a full refund if a game you pick isn't played.

This is not a selling feature.  This is expected. 

[MikeO]

This is not a selling feature.  This is expected. 

It's not like that in every city. Some will give you a ticket to a future game and no refund

[mike2012]

No one is saying that seeing the Dolphins is inexpensive.  But as compared to a lot of other stadiums it is less expensive than AFCE rivals Jets and Patriots, Bills are less expensive.   

Indeed