NFL
New York Jets Have Separated Themselves From Other Teams in One Unique Area
MetLife Stadium was packed on Thursday Night Football for the New York Jets home opener against the New England Patriots. Aaron Rodgers and the team sent their fans home happy with a dominant 24-3 win in a historic performance.
It was a great evening that not every fan is fortunate enough to partake in.
Going to watch your favorite NFL team has become a major commitment for fans. Not only do you have to carve out a lot of time in your day, it feels as if a small loan needs to be taken out to be able to afford the trip.
The sports world has not been immune to inflation and rising prices in everything around the world. Since 2015, the popularity of the NFL and cost to attend games have skyrocketed.
General attendance, in this study from FreeBets.com, includes two general tickets, one beer, one soft drink and two hot dogs.
On average, the cost to attend a game has increased by 44 percent across the league from 2015 through 2024. During that same time, it has outpaced general inflation by 31 percent. That means the cost of going to a professional football game has increased at 142 percent the rate of inflation.
The Las Vegas Raiders have the largest increase in overall price of attendance at +129 percent. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the team relocating from Oakland to their new home at Allegiant Stadium near the Vegas Strip.
The Cleveland Browns are the only other team whose percentage was in the triple-digits, as their increased percentage was +112.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Jets. Over the last 10 years, the cost of attendance at their games has increased by only five percent, which is the lowest in the NFL.
Their co-tennats at MetLife Stadium, the New York Giants, are also near the bottom. Their increase of 14 percent is the third lowest in the league; their NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, are second lowest with eight percent.
Part of the reason that Gang Green’s percentage increase is so low is that prices were already astronimcally high in 2015. But, it is still encouraging to see that inflation hasn’t led to those already high prices increasing even more as some diehard fans are already priced out of going to see their team live.