Conspiracy theorists speculate the timing of the end of the NFL lockout was planned to drive interest in the upcoming season to a frenzy, thereby pouring more fuel onto a $7 billion a year industry. With ticket prices averaging a 7.9 percent increase across the board, it's time to re-think your family economics.
I will be watching the gladiators do battle from the comfort of my den.
Don't get me wrong, I love the NFL. I became passionate for the pigskin in my junior high P.E. class. We would spend one day each week watching NFL films on the 8-mm projector the A/V assistant (the scrawny kid who changed the reel when no one budged after the film flapped around in circles for an eternity) rolled out to the center of the classroom. Would I pay $396.36 at the stadium, a recent study prepared by the Team Marketing Report says it would cost to take a family of four? Sorry, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but no way!
For the fourth consecutive year, the average ticket price for an NFL game rose about $5, increasing to $72.20, according to the report, which compiles ticket data on all the major North American sports leagues. The study's results are alarming when you consider at least 15 NFL teams either kept prices the same, or even lowered prices, at the gate.
But the headlines we read concern owners and players, both winners with a collective bargaining agreement that ended the summer- long lockout. Simply put, owners now can hang on to 52 percent of the revenues, not the 47 percent from the previous collective bargaining agreement. Players wanted a bigger salary cap, and they got one. Minimum salaries will be increased, and players won't have to report to team facilities until late April.
As a fan, I'm relieved we will actually see a snapped ball this season. A hearty thumbs up to the gladiators and big business! Despite lighter wallets on Sundays, fans will still don cheese wedges and brave the chill at Lambeau Field. The Raider Nation will still fill up Oakland Stadium despite missing the playoffs eight consecutive seasons. And the Dallas Cowboys will still wear the moniker of "America's Team."
As for me, I'll settle for a bag of chips, maybe some chicken wings, a cold Diet Pepsi and a comfortable couch and watch the games on my HD flat.
My cost per game: $10.
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