COVID-19 pandemic be damned, Americans are ready for some football. According to a report from The Athletic, NFL tickets are selling like hotcakes and prices are surging even though there is still a huge deal of uncertainty about if, and how, the upcoming season will be played.
A number of ticket resellers, including SeatGeek and TicketIQ, report that NFL tickets for the upcoming season are selling at a higher rate than tickets did prior to the start of last season. Following last week’s release of the NFL schedule, the average price on the secondary market for a ticket to an NFL game has spiked to $391, up 51 percent from 2019.
Though prices for four teams are down (the Patriots, Bears, Chargers and Lions), demand to see the Raiders in their new home in Las Vegas has skyrocketed, with the average ticket price on the secondary market shooting up to $1,098, up 527 percent.
“I wouldn’t have guessed that we were going to see sales numbers and volumes at the level that we did,” TicketManager CEO Tony Knopp told The Athletic. “I’d expect (the secondary markets) to say that this is good because it’s in their interest for it to be good. Right? They need it to be good. For me, to have the teams telling us that this exceeded expectations — and you know, 20 teams (told us) — that surprised me.”
This is all great news for the NFL, for now.
Caveat emptor for prospective attendees, though: if these games are canceled or forced to be played without fans due to coronavirus concerns (the most likely scenario, in our opinion), the torrent of refunds involving teams, third-party platforms, buyers and sellers is going to be a mess.
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
