Pro sports attendance is way down

[McCloudersportLion]

LMAOROFL. As a distribution manager responsible for tens of millions $ LTL shipments to all states, I received comp tickets to sports and other events. At that time, the Chief's management was pro thug, anti family. I was at every hone game in the playoffs and world series when the Royals beat the Cardinals. To be fair, very few children were seen at chiefs games. PS Tickets were about 10-15% of today's cost.

I dont know what pro thug means but whichever side was financing Joel #21 to back you down in the paint and the 6'7" guy with the mofrunk too- that's the team Im on. That gai- ya big mullethawk indian toy guy. He IS a thug and he got backed tf down too - roffles - 🤣

 

[Nittany1997]

In the 1980s we lived in the burbs of KC. I got free tickets to the Chiefs and Royals. At a Chiefs game, drunken fans behind us kept using the F word and spilling beer on us and our 3 daughters. When we complained to an usher, he asked us if we wanted to change our seats. We never went back. Some NFL franchises still cater to drunken thugs.. At the Royals, the drunks would have been thrown out.
The best pIayer in the NBA said last year that he "hates white people," a quote. People watch sports to be entertained, not coaxed into a fit of hatred.

Sounds like you should have been in church instead of a sporting event…

 

[kgilbert78]

I also think that "mobile entry" has had an impact. Not everyone has a smart phone and it's often older folks that have the discretionary income. It makes it less convenient to go and to dump tickets at the last minute. Or pick up tickets cheap at the last minute, which is what I used to do for Blue Jackets games if I had a free night. It was often easy to pick up a lower bowl ticket for $10-20 as a single.

That (and the fact that mobile entry doesn't always work well--if your phone's not set right, the scanner can have issues) and increased security add to hoops you need to jump thru to go, making it easier to sit home and watch on TV.

Also, the younger folks are not as invested in a specific team. They seem to have shorter attention spans--and will do what's fun at the moment more than the planning ahead required.

Then there's cost. That's one reason we gave up our PSU season tickets a few years ago. This is happening in other entertainment areas. The cheapest seats in Columbus for Genesis next month are over $200 if you add in fees.

But I do agree that COVID has been the biggest impact. That's why we didn't go to MLS Cup last year, though we could have, and did not go up for the Wisconsin game this fall, though we are using our season tickets for the Crew and Blue Jackets (though the latter is only a quarter-season pack).

And I do not discount the impact the political nonsense has had either--either side.

 

[The ticket guy]

Mobile ticketing has had a huge impact on attendance going down. First of all many fans do not want to deal with this. And perhaps even more of note is the impact that large ticket brokers are not buying in due to mobile tickets at the level they were before. If brokers who buy blocks of tickets are simply not doing that anymore there simply is not a line of folks moving in to claim those tickets. The secondary market has a huge effect on the total of numbers tickets sold.Like them or not brokers bought stacks of tickets that would otherwise go unsold.

 

[BBrown]

I also think that "mobile entry" has had an impact. Not everyone has a smart phone and it's often older folks that have the discretionary income. It makes it less convenient to go and to dump tickets at the last minute. Or pick up tickets cheap at the last minute, which is what I used to do for Blue Jackets games if I had a free night. It was often easy to pick up a lower bowl ticket for $10-20 as a single.

That (and the fact that mobile entry doesn't always work well--if your phone's not set right, the scanner can have issues) and increased security add to hoops you need to jump thru to go, making it easier to sit home and watch on TV.

Also, the younger folks are not as invested in a specific team. They seem to have shorter attention spans--and will do what's fun at the moment more than the planning ahead required.

Then there's cost. That's one reason we gave up our PSU season tickets a few years ago. This is happening in other entertainment areas. The cheapest seats in Columbus for Genesis next month are over $200 if you add in fees.

But I do agree that COVID has been the biggest impact. That's why we didn't go to MLS Cup last year, though we could have, and did not go up for the Wisconsin game this fall, though we are using our season tickets for the Crew and Blue Jackets (though the latter is only a quarter-season pack).

And I do not discount the impact the political nonsense has had either--either side.

Excellent point.

 

[Lionguy32]

I am guessing because all the political bs has trickled into sports and people used sports to escape and forget about life for a while. It has become unpleasant to watch or go to a sporting event.

That must be it. Especially the hockey players. Everyone knows how relentless they are with their political views.

 

[Ian]

Not surprised. Pro sports is so watered down and has gotten way too expensive and difficult to attend. And there is little identity with the teams as players move around like a pinball machine. The last season tickets I had was for the SD Chargers and for a family of four to go to a game, park, eat, merchandise, etc... was close to a $400 tab! Plus it was easy a 6-8 hour day... Even college sports is getting close to over saturation and with TV why go. NASCAR at their grand championship finale in Phoenix was far from full. Too many games but with bloated salaries that owners have to have in order to make their money. Greed is killing pro sports and probably will do so with college sports.

 

[GreggK]

In the 1980s we lived in the burbs of KC. I got free tickets to the Chiefs and Royals. At a Chiefs game, drunken fans behind us kept using the F word and spilling beer on us and our 3 daughters. When we complained to an usher, he asked us if we wanted to change our seats. We never went back. Some NFL franchises still cater to drunken thugs.. At the Royals, the drunks would have been thrown out.
The best pIayer in the NBA said last year that he "hates white people," a quote. People watch sports to be entertained, not coaxed into a fit of hatred.

Lebron James didn't say he hated white people. You made that up or a facebook post you read made it up.

He did essentially say that when he was 14, he never had been around white people really and all of a sudden he was at a white catholic school. At the time, being who he was and where he came from he said "‘I’m not f***ing with white people’. My whole, I was so institutionalized, growing up in the hood, it’s like ‘they don’t f*** with us, they don’t want us to succeed’ " Again, he is saying that in hindsight about what he thought when he was 14.

But I guess the people who made up the post in an attempt to polarize the country even more succeeded.

 

[BUFFALO LION]

More like you hope that.

Ahhhh, isn’t that statement of yours proving his point?????

 

[Mile High Lion]

Lots of factors..

• kids are far less invested
• older, invested, folks are "moving on"
• 90 inch TV screens with surround sound make it closer to an in person experience than the 27" sony. I have neighbors that get together every weekend for the Browns game instead of going to the game. They've got setups to accommodate 10+ peeps with a large TV (all are over 65")
• cost to attend, not just tickets but parking, food, etc.
• Lots of fights and the 'fan experience' has suffered

Also the hassles involved dealing with COVID restrictions. In Denver if you want to attend a Nuggets or Avalanche game you have to show proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test. It's another line to stand in before getting to your seats. Then when you are in your seat you are supposed to wear a mask although from what I've seen maybe 10% do. Of course everyone has to go through security so that's another line. At some point all the hassle and restrictions become more trouble than it is worth.

 

[BUFFALO LION]

Or ya know......a pandemic...

I’ve been to every Penn State game this year, and I don’t think I’ve heard the term “pandemic” used once.

if we were still undefeated, the Beav would be jammed like a bunch of sardines in a can this coming Saturday. It still might. But if it’s not, I doubt very much whether it will have anything to do with the “pandemic”.

 

[BUFFALO LION]

Your guess is correct. But I've never gotten too much into hockey except back in the day when our professional teams used to play the Soviets...and of course the Olympics in those same years...especially the Miracle on Ice.

One of my favorite moments ever in sports was the Bully Boy Flyers and toothless Bobby Clarke kicking Soviet ass in 1976...after Kate Smith sang God Bless America. The memory of those Soviets being body-slammed and mugged all over the ice still gives me goose bumps.

Yep!!! I think we were all Flyers fans that day!!!!! 🙂🙂🙂

 

[GreggK]

I’ve been to every Penn State game this year, and I don’t think I’ve heard the term “pandemic” used once.

if we were still undefeated, the Beav would be jammed like a bunch of sardines in a can this coming Saturday. It still might. But if it’s not, I doubt very much whether it will have anything to do with the “pandemic”.

And? Your anecdote doesn't really prove anything. Especially considering anyone who was there really isn't concerned about it. For the record, I would have no problem going to a game at the beaver, or even indoors.

 

[Plan Ahaed]

Mobile ticketing has had a huge impact on attendance going down. First of all many fans do not want to deal with this. And perhaps even more of note is the impact that large ticket brokers are not buying in due to mobile tickets at the level they were before. If brokers who buy blocks of tickets are simply not doing that anymore there simply is not a line of folks moving in to claim those tickets. The secondary market has a huge effect on the total of numbers tickets sold.Like them or not brokers bought stacks of tickets that would otherwise go unsold.

What fans do not want to deal with mobile ticketing? I've been using electronic tickets in various forms going back at least 5 years. I'd like to know the overlap of people that are so old they can't figure out the mobile ticketing vs how many actually attend sporting events. It's a red herring imo especially since most venues have procedures built in to assist those folks.

Now your second point gets closer to what has been wrong with sporting events and ticketing for many years and essentially killed attendance imo. When these brokers purchased blocks of tickets and then re-sold on the secondary market it jumped the prices to the point that people were paying through the nose - or some might say the "true market value". So now that venues (Ticketmaster) saw the prices people were willing to pay on the secondary they've jacked up the price and fees to scalper levels off the bat and most folks are throwing in the towel. And if those blocks of tickets go unsold for enough time/years maybe (but highly unlikely) some of these venues may drop the prices back to a reasonable level and would no longer "go unsold" as you say. I mean a cursory search for Eagles tickets vs the Saints shows standing room only are $75 without fees included and nosebleed seats are north of $170 as "Verified Resale". The number of average family units that are willing to shell out $500 for tickets alone to a sporting event just isn't there at those prices. And without taking kids to the games to "get them interested" - as others have blamed on the attendance issues - you're not going to have fans down the line. Look at Harley Motorcycles as an example of what happens when you thumb your nose at the younger generation.

 

[Midnighter2]

Outside of tennis and maybe hockey, I have no desire to go to any kind of pro sporting event. Just don't care enough and have plenty to do otherwise. I barely watch NFL, never watch the NBA, but do like Euro football (especially when at a pub or something). Some friends here recently bought a place in State College for football weekends and quick trips and I'd go to every women's volleyball game if I could; winter in SC is great for seeing live sports.

 

[BUFFALO LION]

And? Your anecdote doesn't really prove anything. Especially considering anyone who was there really isn't concerned about it. For the record, I would have no problem going to a game at the beaver, or even indoors.

One guy actually made a pretty good point wrt the “pandemic”. One thing it DID do is make us all realize how much easier it is to be lazy.

I’ll admit that as much as I hated staying home and watching us on TV last year, if it was snowing up here or just plain cold, it WAS kind of nice to just sit in my nice warm bar, watch the game on the big screen TV, and not have to walk a mile or more back to the hotel room afterwards. I didn’t have to spend the day before or the day after driving four hours from and to home.

I kept saying to myself “A guy could sure get used to this in a hurry”. But then I said to myself “But there’s just nothing like actually being there”.

The older I get, the more I can see how people can get used to being “lazy” real quick. I think in that respect, you may be right. I do think the “pandemic” had some negative affect in that respect.

 

[Wandering Spectator]

We had empty seats all around us at every game we've been to this year, including the Whiteout.

I think prices are a big impact, but also the in-stadium experience as others mentioned.

I can no longer justify the price for just the 3-1/2 hours in the stadium. That's why we like to travel for games and make a mini-vacation out of it. We experience the area, the campus, the food, etc... Sure it costs more, but then the tickets are just a smaller part of the deal as opposed to the whole deal - and we get much more enjoyment from the trip overall - even if we lose. I think that's why you're seeing an increase in visiting fans at games.

If the leagues were smart, they'd coordinate schedules to create affinity weekends. Have the local college and/or pro teams play the same weekend in an away city. This weekend, Penn State was at Maryland and the Flyers were at the Capitals. Granted, the times weren't ideal, but you get the idea.

 

[BUFFALO LION]

What fans do not want to deal with mobile ticketing? I've been using electronic tickets in various forms going back at least 5 years. I'd like to know the overlap of people that are so old they can't figure out the mobile ticketing vs how many actually attend sporting events. It's a red herring imo especially since most venues have procedures built in to assist those folks.

Now your second point gets closer to what has been wrong with sporting events and ticketing for many years and essentially killed attendance imo. When these brokers purchased blocks of tickets and then re-sold on the secondary market it jumped the prices to the point that people were paying through the nose - or some might say the "true market value". So now that venues (Ticketmaster) saw the prices people were willing to pay on the secondary they've jacked up the price and fees to scalper levels off the bat and most folks are throwing in the towel. And if those blocks of tickets go unsold for enough time/years maybe (but highly unlikely) some of these venues may drop the prices back to a reasonable level and would no longer "go unsold" as you say. I mean a cursory search for Eagles tickets vs the Saints shows standing room only are $75 without fees included and nosebleed seats are north of $170 as "Verified Resale". The number of average family units that are willing to shell out $500 for tickets alone to a sporting event just isn't there at those prices. And without taking kids to the games to "get them interested" - as others have blamed on the attendance issues - you're not going to have fans down the line. Look at Harley Motorcycles as an example of what happens when you thumb your nose at the younger generation.

The guy is right about “mobile ticketing”. I absolutely hate it. I put up with it for Penn State events, but there is no way I’m going to put up with that crap for almost anything else unless it’s something major.

The combination of mobile ticketing and me being trained to be “lazy” last year during COVID has made it much easier for me to stay home. 🙂

 

[Plan Ahaed]

The guy is right about “mobile ticketing”. I absolutely hate it. I put up with it for Penn State events, but there is no way I’m going to put up with that crap for almost anything else unless it’s something major.

The combination of mobile ticketing and me being trained to be “lazy” last year during COVID has made it much easier for me to stay home. 🙂

But why do you hate it? The ticket is on your phone, you scan your phone, you're in. And if you still need a paper ticket you can go to the ticket office. Plus transferring tickets is soo much simpler and safer.

When paper and electronic tickets were options I once purchased 4 for a game and was sent paper tickets that were for the wrong game and they arrived only a couple of days prior so there was no way to send the correct tickets. Thankfully I was able to work it out through Stub Hub customer service and had the tickets emailed to my phone to scan in. With no electronic option I would have been screwed and I've never gone back. Now-a-days with how easy it is to transfer tickets through the PSU athletics app there's nothing to get sent or late / lost in the mail.

 

[BeaverLion]

I am not saying this is a reason, but one of the reasons I quit following hockey is that the new rules have made it a no touch league.

Cost IMO would be #1 reason. I mean Food is going up, Gas is up, everyday needs are up. More people are on a budget where spending 200+ on a game isn't a must.

Atmosphere is another. I mean there has always been fights at sporting events, but now there seems to be shootings, stabbings.

 

[BeaverLion]

Yeah, I don't get the hate for mobile tickets. I went to a Pirates game once, Pittsburgh was about an hour away from where I lived, and got half way there and realized I forgot my tickets. Mobile ticketing is the way to go IMO.

 

[RGWhirly]

I do not understand the hate for mobile either. Right now I have mobile tix on my phone for Penn State, NFL games, NHL games, concerts, membership cards, and tomorrow will have my boarding passes for some flights.

Knock on wood, have not had any issues using other than when it took Penn State sometime to make live in account.

Oh, and I have transferred without issue.

 

[Wandering Spectator]

I've been saying that TV is helping to destroy the in-stadium experience. Every TV timeout kills the atmosphere as you watch the 3:00 clock tick down to when they return to action. Some teams are better than others when trying to distract the fans during the timeouts, but it's painfully obvious that they are selling more For Hims or Keeps on TV.

Crazy idea here... What if they eliminated TV timeouts in the stadium, but edited them back in for TV? Sure, social media would be messed up, but I avoid social media when I want to watch a game on delay anyway - and I always skip the commercials.

People complain about the length of a baseball game and it's only 3:10. Virtually every televised college game I seem to watch is approaching 3-1/2 hours.

 

[Wandering Spectator]

I was in Vegas two weeks ago .

Money 20/20?

 

[BBrown]

I've been saying that TV is helping to destroy the in-stadium experience. Every TV timeout kills the atmosphere as you watch the 3:00 clock tick down to when they return to action. Some teams are better than others when trying to distract the fans during the timeouts, but it's painfully obvious that they are selling more For Hims or Keeps on TV.

Crazy idea here... What if they eliminated TV timeouts in the stadium, but edited them back in for TV? Sure, social media would be messed up, but I avoid social media when I want to watch a game on delay anyway - and I always skip the commercials.

People complain about the length of a baseball game and it's only 3:10. Virtually every televised college game I seem to watch is approaching 3-1/2 hours.

+1.

 

[PSUSignore]

Crazy idea here... What if they eliminated TV timeouts in the stadium, but edited them back in for TV? Sure, social media would be messed up, but I avoid social media when I want to watch a game on delay anyway - and I always skip the commercials.

The TV breaks are annoying, and 4 hour CFB games are among the worst offenders. But there's no chance this suggestion would hold any water. We are in the digital age, if this were to be done people at home would stop watching the TV broadcasts and would start watching live streams from someone inside the stadium. There's no way the networks would ever agree to something that would cost them eyeballs on advertising.

 

[The Spin Meister]

The TV breaks are annoying, and 4 hour CFB games are among the worst offenders. But there's no change this suggestion would hold any water. We are in the digital age, if this were to be done people at home would stop watching the TV broadcasts and would start watching live streams from someone inside the stadium. There's no way the networks would ever agree to something that would cost them eyeballs on advertising.

Yep, 3 and half minutes for every tv break plus the play clock when they get back to play. Seems like forever when your in the stadium. Can’t switch channels for scores, Can’t run for beer, food, or bathroom in that time. Just sit it out.......

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Sounds like you should have been in church instead of a sporting event…

Could have gone often. Chiefs 1-2 times a,season for that reason. Monday night games were rare.. Royals, much more often and would take 1 or 2 daughters. 95% of Sunays were in church. Quit the Chiefs after 5th year in KC area. The game I spoke of was the one and only time all 5 of us went to a game. Years later i think the league shut off beer sales after the 3rd quarter. Many NFL fans were drunk before kickoff.

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Lebron James didn't say he hated white people. You made that up or a facebook post you read made it up.

He did essentially say that when he was 14, he never had been around white people really and all of a sudden he was at a white catholic school. At the time, being who he was and where he came from he said "‘I’m not f***ing with white people’. My whole, I was so institutionalized, growing up in the hood, it’s like ‘they don’t f*** with us, they don’t want us to succeed’ " Again, he is saying that in hindsight about what he thought when he was 14.

But I guess the people who made up the post in an attempt to polarize the country even more succeeded.

Thank you for the update. I dI'd read it on Twitter.

 

[katchthis]

Dropping the curtain on entertainment deductions

After taxpayer confusion, final regulations bring clarity.

www.journalofaccountancy.com

The two most important variables are time and money. Time is constantly getting squeezed, and the IRS made the money aspect less favorable for many ticket owners.

 

[GreggK]

Thank you for the update. I dI'd read it on Twitter.

and I hope I didn’t come off as a jerk!

I just have a thing with people who spread lies like that. There are plenty of faults in people that lies are not needed!

have a good night

 

[Lion Son/Husband/Father]

Honestly, TVs and TiVo are so excellent now I’d much rather chill at home, even (gasp) State games are better at home

 

[kgilbert78]

But why do you hate it? The ticket is on your phone, you scan your phone, you're in. And if you still need a paper ticket you can go to the ticket office. Plus transferring tickets is soo much simpler and safer.

When paper and electronic tickets were options I once purchased 4 for a game and was sent paper tickets that were for the wrong game and they arrived only a couple of days prior so there was no way to send the correct tickets. Thankfully I was able to work it out through Stub Hub customer service and had the tickets emailed to my phone to scan in. With no electronic option I would have been screwed and I've never gone back. Now-a-days with how easy it is to transfer tickets through the PSU athletics app there's nothing to get sent or late / lost in the mail.

First, you have to have a smart phone. Not everyone does. Including me. Second, the scanning does not always work well. We had delays getting into the MercyMe concert last weekend, as the scanners were having a lot of trouble with the phones. There seems to be issues with phone brightness. It can be more trouble outside. We have a facial recognition setup for tickets at Crew games--which I like and it works great. But one game it did not work at all due to it being very hot and very bright out. Third--yes you can get tickets at the box office. But it's another hoop to jump through. At the MercyMe concert, it took us an extra 15 min. Those hoops add up.

Don't get me wrong. I think mobile is a good option for a lot of folks. I just don't like that it's the only option. And the real reason is not fake tickets. It's all about control of the secondary market.

 

[The Spin Meister]

What fans do not want to deal with mobile ticketing? I've been using electronic tickets in various forms going back at least 5 years. I'd like to know the overlap of people that are so old they can't figure out the mobile ticketing vs how many actually attend sporting events. It's a red herring imo especially since most venues have procedures built in to assist those folks.

Now your second point gets closer to what has been wrong with sporting events and ticketing for many years and essentially killed attendance imo. When these brokers purchased blocks of tickets and then re-sold on the secondary market it jumped the prices to the point that people were paying through the nose - or some might say the "true market value". So now that venues (Ticketmaster) saw the prices people were willing to pay on the secondary they've jacked up the price and fees to scalper levels off the bat and most folks are throwing in the towel. And if those blocks of tickets go unsold for enough time/years maybe (but highly unlikely) some of these venues may drop the prices back to a reasonable level and would no longer "go unsold" as you say. I mean a cursory search for Eagles tickets vs the Saints shows standing room only are $75 without fees included and nosebleed seats are north of $170 as "Verified Resale". The number of average family units that are willing to shell out $500 for tickets alone to a sporting event just isn't there at those prices. And without taking kids to the games to "get them interested" - as others have blamed on the attendance issues - you're not going to have fans down the line. Look at Harley Motorcycles as an example of what happens when you thumb your nose at the younger generation.

This is a good point. In the old days you had to buy your tickets well ahead of schedule so you didn’t know the weather on game day. And once you had tickets you went unless it was really bad.

Now you can buy off of brokers so a lot of people wait until close to the game. Bad weather possible......don’t risk blowing $500-1000 on travel, food, hotel, game and more.

And in college they flex game times so much no one can plan ahead. Four noon games so far....games that make it hard to get there and harder to tailgate.

 

[Cletus11]

For 90% of people, it is MONEY. There is 10% that due to social issues, mobile ticketing, Covid, other that choose that as the main reason. And for all those other issues, they are a secondary reason as to why that person doesn't want to pay that kind of money but that is not the main reason. I mean if somebody was offered tickets for $1 with parking being $1 and could go into the stadium and they had a Wawa/Sheetz in the stadium with the same price as at the local Wawa/Sheetz down the street, then I think attendance would be fine.

But at a certain point, spending $250 or $500 or $1000 to attend a sporting event is just not worth the money as that money can be spent elsewhere for more enjoyment.

 

[BBrown]

This is a good point. In the old days you had to buy your tickets well ahead of,schedule so you did know the weather on game day. And once you had tickets you went u less it was really bad.

Now you can buy off of brokers so a lot of people wait until close to the game. Bad weather possible......don’t risk blowing $500-1000 on travel, food, hotel, game and more.

And in college they flex game times so much no one can plan ahead. Four noon games so far....games that make it hard to get there and harder to tailgate.

+1.

 

[PSUSignore]

Don't get me wrong. I think mobile is a good option for a lot of folks. I just don't like that it's the only option. And the real reason is not fake tickets. It's all about control of the secondary market.

Is it ever the only option though? It's almost universally the preferred option now, but I've never heard of anyone not making some sort of workaround process available for those that either can't or won't use digital tickets.

 

[GreggK]

Is it ever the only option though? It's almost universally the preferred option now, but I've never heard of anyone not making some sort of workaround process available for those that either can't or won't use digital tickets.

Can't you just print them out on a printer? I have done that plenty of times.

 

[PSU Lion 2000]

But why do you hate it? The ticket is on your phone, you scan your phone, you're in. And if you still need a paper ticket you can go to the ticket office. Plus transferring tickets is soo much simpler and safer.

When paper and electronic tickets were options I once purchased 4 for a game and was sent paper tickets that were for the wrong game and they arrived only a couple of days prior so there was no way to send the correct tickets. Thankfully I was able to work it out through Stub Hub customer service and had the tickets emailed to my phone to scan in. With no electronic option I would have been screwed and I've never gone back. Now-a-days with how easy it is to transfer tickets through the PSU athletics app there's nothing to get sent or late / lost in the mail.

Last minute reselling of mobile tickets is a pain. I got stuck with two concert tickets I couldn't get rid of before. Had they been paper tickets I would have been able to scalp them. Not with mobile.

Also, I liked being able to go to games and pick up tickets at the last minute before a game. Can't do much of that anymore.

Finally, I have collected every ticket stub of every event I ever attended dating back to being 6 years old in the mid-80s. It sounds silly, but I really want that stub to continue the collection.

 

[Columbus_Lion]

Many solid points. I beleive pricing has reached a tipping point to buy full season tickets. Often the season ticket holders will use their network to sell individual games they will not attend (or simply give away). Now that season tickets are becoming too expensive for most, those secondary users are removed and will not use the secondary market.

Ticketmaster is a problem. When they take a cut from both the seller and buyer, it makes prices less appealing.