Pro Sports Has Priced Out The Middle Class Fan

The Los Angeles Times published a story on December 26th about how the cost of attending a live sporting event has become “unaffordable for the typical family in the Los Angeles area.” A survey of the eleven major pro teams in the market indicated that only the Angels could guarantee “any family” (i.e. not a limited number) a weekend outing at the ballpark (includes: tickets, parking, hot dogs and soft drinks) for less than a C-note. The rising cost of fan attendance has put teams – and by proxy pro sports leagues – in a precarious position; while they’re maximizing revenues, they’re doing so at the expense of seeding new fans. The Times article suggested, “the time could be right for teams to redesign their ticket pricing, with an eye on developing fans rather than squeezing more dollars out of current fans.”