CNBC Poll: Are Pro Sports Ticket Prices Too High?
The good news is that tickets are still available for Super Bowl XLVIon Feb. 5; the bad news is that the price starts around $2,500, based on a spot check of the Stub Hub ticket-resale site. They're likely to cost more as the event draws closer.
That's the secondary market. The only way to get a ticket first hand is through the annual random drawing run by the NFL, and that's decided months before the regular season starts and the contestants are even known. The 2012 cost is $900. (You'll soon be able for apply for the 2013 game.)
High ticket prices for most sports in most cities are now standard — and that applies to regular season games, not just post-season championship rounds, such as the NFL's Super Bowl.
These days, prices tend to go up each time a team builds or renovates a stadium, but the key driver is escalating player salaries. Annual payrolls of $100 million to $200 million have to be covered, and popcorn, beer and hot dogs only generate so much.
Sure, it's about supply and demand, and sure it's great to be a fan, but can you afford it anymore? Where do you stand?