Steelers Ticket Prices to Rise Once Again in 2012

If you thought that a bad economy would make for some charity on the part of NFL owners, you probably feel a bit naïve. If you’ve seen the historical data and have been attending Steelers games for years, you’re likely shrugging and rolling your eyes. But, regardless of your reaction, here’s the basic news: after a season that saw a slight dip in attendance and after an offseason characterized by payroll cuts, the Steelers are raising ticket prices once again in 2012.

The average price increase is not yet known, but the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that tickets costing $92 last year will now go for $100. This amounts to a hike of about 8%.

According data compiled at SeatGeek.com, the average price for a Steelers ticket last year fell in the range of $100 – although that price climbed to $143.70 when assessing only the secondary market, the place where the average fan will normally get his ticket. An 8% increase next year would bump average prices on the secondary market into the $155 range.

In a letter to season-ticket holders, the team argued that the price increase was necessary to remain competitive in the modern NFL. It also stressed that the Steelers regularly raise prices in the range of 3-7%, although they did not raise them after their Super Bowl appearances in 2005, 2008, or last year, in 2010. While it is true that this price increase is therefore not unexpected, the hike appears to be outside of the 3-7% band. Moreover, this year’s price increase comes after lower attendance figures and a winter full of cost-cutting measures.

So why are prices actually rising so much? Because, of course, Steelers fans won’t hesitate to pay. While the team’s face-value ticket prices usually fall somewhere around the league average, resale prices on the secondary market make the Steelers one of the ten hottest tickets in the NFL. The team is losing potential revenue by selling moderately-priced tickets that rise disproportionately in value upon being resold. Consequently, they want to close this gap and make the Steelers a top ten team – both on the primary and secondary markets.

When this happens we will surely continue to pay, as we have every season for decades. As the experts over at OnlinePokerLowdown would say, we’ve already played our hand and shown our commitment to put our money on the table, no matter how high the stakes may be. This city is far too Steelers-obsessed to do anything otherwise.

But let’s look on the bright side: the most expensive NFL teams are far more expensive for the average fan when considering concession costs and ticket prices – and these teams rarely display the same year-in, year-out quality that we have come to expect here in Pittsburgh.