No Funds Left: The Rising Cost of Being an NFL Fan

mint. Wallet Pop com NO FUNDS LEFT THE COST OF BEING AN NFL FAN ATTENDING AN NFL GAME IS ONE OF AMERICAN SPORTS' MOST EXPENSIVE EXPERIENCES. AS TICKET AND PARKING PRICES HAVE GROWN STEADILY OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, THE POCKETBOOKS OF FOOTBALL FANS HAVE TAKEN A BEATING. THE FAN-COST INDEX THE FAN COST INDEX" IS A MEASURE OF TOTAL EXPENSE OF ATTENDING A GAME, AND COMPRISES THE PRICES OF 4 AVERAGE-PRICE TICKETS, 2 SMALL DRAFT BEERS, 4 SMALL SOFT DRINKS, 4 REGULAR-SIZE HOT DOGS, PARKING FOR 1 CAR, 2 GAME PROGRAMS AND 2 LEAST-EXPENSIVE, ADULT-SIZE ADJUSTABLE CAPS. AVG. PRICES $450 IN 2009: SOFT DRINK: $4.09 $400 HOT DOG: $4.40 $350 PROGRAM: $4.53 $300 DRAFT BEER: $6.80 $250 CAP: $15.96 $200 PARKING: $24.13 $150 4x TICKETS: $74.99/ea $100 $50 91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 99 LO, '02 '03 "04 "05 '06 '07 '08 '09 00, THE EXTRAS IT IS NOT ONLY THE TICKETS THAT HAVE SEEN A HIKE IN PRICES, YOUR AVERAGE STADIUM FARE HAS INFLATED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS. 1991 2009 HOT DOG $4.09 $1.85 $4.40 PARKING $1.51 $24.13 $3.04 $6.80 SOFT DRINK DRAFT BEER $6.05 THE BEST AND WORST AROUND THE COUNTRY THE OPENING OFA NEW STADIUM HAS SHOT TICKET PRICES UP IN DALLAS AND A FEW OTHER FOOTBALL CITIES HAVE ALSO RAISED THIER PRICES THIS YEAR. HOWEVER, THERE ARE A FEW VENUES WHERE YOU CAN STILL FIND YOURSELF A GOOD DEAL. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS $61.25 +0% VIKINGS: CHEAPEST HOT DOG NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS $3 $117.65 +0% BUFFALO BILLS +0% $51.24 NEW YORK GIANTS 49'ERS: CHEAPEST SODA CHICAGO BEARS BENGALS: $88.63 +0.6% AVG. NFL TICKET PRICE +0% $88.33 CHEAPEST BEER NEW YORK JETS $74.99 $2.50 CLEVELAND BROWNS $5 $86.99 +0% +0% $54.65 CARDINALS: CHEAPEST PARKING TENNESSEE TITANS $60.95 +4.1% $10 DALLAS COWBOYS KEY: $159.65 +89.8% CITY & TEAM NAME JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AVG TICKET PRICE $57.34 +0% % CHANGE FROM 2008 SOURCE: TEAM MARKETING RESEARCH