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At this time last year, the average NFL ticket was being listed by fans on the secondary market for $154. This year, according to ticket search engine FanSnap, the average NFL ticket is being listed for $252.

At this time last year, the Dow was hugging 9,000 and the NASDAQ was below 2,000, but let’s face it, it’s not that much better now.

So the question is, since these are listing prices and not sold prices, is the NFL product really worth that much more this year in certain places or are the ticket sellers themselves delusional?

Unfortunately for the sellers, we're betting on the latter.

FanSnap assures us that it’s not a supply and demand issue – that there are actually more tickets floating around on the secondary marketplace than there were last year. And we can’t imagine it’s a case of the primary ticket prices going up by that much either.

Here’s a look at the top five teams in terms of greatest increase in average listing price over this time last year, keeping in mind the Jets are moving into a new stadium this season.

1. New Orleans Saints, $404 (+264%)
2. New York Jets, $378 (+137%)
3. Indianapolis Colts, $264 (+130%)
4. Tennessee Titans, $199 (+121%)
5. Cincinnati Bengals, $205 (+121%)

The Saints and the Colts went to the Super Bowl and the Jets and the Bengals fared better than they usually do – so, on the surface, it appears like the age old winning does the trick at least in perception of value. But it’s anyone’s guess on what Titans fans are thinking.

Other secondary ticket price rises that don’t make sense are fans of the Detroit Lions listing prices by 113 percent more than last year with no on-the-field progress and little change in the city’s economic outlook. Listing prices for the Oakland Raiders are up 88 percent from $120 to $240 with little explanation, as is the case with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who can’t sell out but whose fans are listing tickets that have at a price 64 percent higher than last year.

Only fans of five teams are listing tickets at lower than the prices they were being listed at at this time last year, according to FanSnap. Among those teams are the Green Bay Packers (down 9 percent to a $189 per seat average), who have one of the longest season ticket waiting lists in the land, and the New England Patriots, down 21 percent to $185.

Questions?  Comments?