High cost of pro-sports fandom may ease

With fewer fans attending a large number of games, teams are casting a wider net through regional and national cable broadcasts. The signals are reaching a broader assortment of people, and diversifying the teams' fan base.

The new pattern of fan traffic ultimately works to teams' economic advantage, some experts say. Fans who take in only one or two games a year are more likely to buy a hot dog, beverages, and an assortment of ballpark bric-a-brac, like Styrofoam headgear.

But there is evidence that the gilding of professional sports is turning off many long-time devotees - and draining team revenues. As of last week, more than half of all NFL teams reported a drop in attendance this season.

Attendance fell at 60 percent of the Major League Baseball stadiums in the 2001 season, including at Bank One Ballpark, home of the world champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

The statistics are equally dismal in the NBA, where half the teams reported a downturn in ticket sales during the 2000-01 season, according to Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal.

The leagues appear to have taken notice. When the economy began to cool down this summer, most NBA teams quickly reshaped their ticketing schemes.

This year, NBA teams cut ticket prices by an average of 2.3 percent. It's the first overall price reduction in the four major leagues in the past 11 years, according to TMR. The move came in response to the sagging economy. But also in large part from disgruntled fans repelled by high prices, according to Kurt Hunzeker, editor of the Team Marketing Report.

Such nods to the budget fan, some analysts say, could mark the beginning of a general retrenchment in ticket prices in each of the four leagues. Their new emphasis: the average fan.

"I think the teams realize they have to work harder than ever before to sustain interest among their core fan base," says Howard.

Part of their task is keeping the cheap seats cheap. In Salt Lake City, Utah Jazz fans can buy $5 tickets, or $215 for the entire year. The price of a bleacher seat at Yankee Stadium: $8.

Such seats are a refuge for the kind of fans who come back year after year, regardless of the team's performance.

"The dedicated fans really form the soul of the team," says Mr. Hinchey of Bonham Group. "They are essential in terms of generating enthusiasm, talking up the team, and I don't see them being marginalized."

A family of four can expect to pay an average of $303.33 to attend a professional football game this year, factoring in the cost of tickets, food, parking, and souvenirs, according to Team Marketing Report in Chicago. The marketing group's Fan Cost Index (FCI) drops by about $25 for a family to see a pro basketball or hockey game. Major League Baseball is cheapest, with an average FCI of $145.83 per family. An NFL game is the most expensive to attend because football teams play far fewer games each season, heightening demand.

League Avg. ticket Pct. change Soda Hot dog Parking Program Cap

NFL $53.64 8.7% $2.85 $3.04 $14.65 $5.19 $15.30

NBA 50.10 -2.3 2.67 2.88 10.88 4.01 13.37

NHL 49.86 4.5 2.50 2.82 10.33 3.77 13.59

MLB 18.86 12.2 2.22 2.57 9.16 4.23 12.57

Source: Team Marketing Report

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