More Videos
- These Poker Stories Are No Bluff
- Did Matsui Make Contract Money Last Night?
- Adidas Out At UCF After MJ's Son Wears Jordans
- If Yanks Win, Merchandise Will Fly Off Shelves
- Final World Series Games Big Money Makers
- What I Got Wrong About Keflezighi
- Marathon's Headline Win Is Empty
- New Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts Goes One-on-One With "SportsBiz"
- Roger Federer Signs With Chocolate Brand Deal
- Marshall Fogel: A Collector's Profile
RSS FEED
MOST SHARED
- US Becomes Top Country Brand Under Obama: Survey
- Solar Market Heating Back Up?
- Realty Execs See Pain Ahead
- Easy Money & Stocks
- Sweeping Health Care Overhaul Bill Passes House
- Administration Rejects Plan to Buy Fannie Mae Credits
- Israel: Leader of Business Innovation
- Tommy Lee, Medical Tourism and Nasty Santa, Your Emails
- Food Network, HGTV Drive Scripps Networks' Upside Surprise
- Tommy Lee, Medical Tourism and Nasty Santa, Your Emails
- U.S. Markets Gain 3% for the Week Despite 10.2% Unemployment
- Disney's 'Carol' Tests Widest 3-D Release Ever
- Stimulus II? Jobs Tax Credit=Cash For Clunkers
- Rockwell Automation Earnings: What Options Are Saying
- Gold Will Touch Higher Lows and Higher Highs: Analyst
- Is Misery Alive And Well in Your Office?
- Consumers Haven't Changed, They Are Just Pickier
- For the Jobless, 10% is Harder Than Before
- Week Ahead: Stocks Search for Catalyst in Quiet Week
- Outlook: Dollar Likely to Ride Higher on Bleak Jobs Report
- Geithner: More Stimulus, Not a Bank Tax
- Windfall is Seen as Bank Bonuses are Paid in Stock
- Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Says Net Income Tripled
- Cramer: Earnings, IPOs Dominate Next Week
- Buying Fear: How to Own Volatility
- Administration Rejects Plan to Buy Fannie Mae Credits
Sports Biz
Text Size 
 |
Flickr |
Six years later, the San Francisco Giants are going to bring airline pricing to sports. The walk-up sales for hundreds of seats for each of next season's home games could dynamically change, based on supply and demand.
Brokers have done it forever, but teams haven't taken a shot at it. But the weak economy probably forced the issue, as teams are now going to look to get the most bang for their buck based on true market factors.
The bottom line is that variable pricing in its current state doesn't make complete sense. Packages are arranged based on how good a team is expected to be, a rivalry matchup, or day of the week, but it doesn't factor in the immediate, including weather.
USA Today is reporting that more than half of Major League Baseball teams are freezing or cutting ticket prices. That's great if you are the fan, but I think some teams are making a mistake and might be devaluing themselves.
My early findings have revealed that if your team is good, people are going to still show up. For most teams, quality on the field is still the most important determinant of attendance. To go a step further, there's not a city in particular that warrants a cut of prices because of its suffering — at least by looking at NBA, NFL and NHL attendance.
Sure, tell me that the automakers have led to blackouts for Detroit Lions games after 50 straight sellouts (it's because they can't win a game, not because they can't make a car) and I'll point to the fact that the Pistons and the Red Wings are first and third in overall attendance in their leagues.
The SF Giants are going to do very well with this program and I think, in the end, will find out that they're going to make more money through airline pricing than static pricing. At this point, many clubs wrongly see this as a risk and that's why it's going to take some time. But in two years, I'm thinking a third of the baseball teams will be doing this with thousands of their seats.
Questions? Comments?
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes