ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have won back-to-back division titles, recently broke their 32-year playoff win drought and have established themselves as the hottest ticket in town -- no matter what town they’re in.
They raised season-ticket prices by about 20 to 30% for the upcoming season, and still had a 98% renewal rate. This increase comes after season tickets saw an average increase of 36% from the previous season, too. Still, there are even some 20,000 fans on the waitlist, with the team’s brass calling those increases a “function of the demand.”
And good luck scoring tickets on the secondary market, with a recent report from Bookies.com showing that the Lions are far and away the NFL’s most expensive ticket.
According to the report, the average cost for a family of four when using the cheapest available secondary ticket is $1,777.50. That’s more than $300 more than the second-most expensive in the Philadelphia Eagles and more than $500 than the third-place Las Vegas Raiders.
“For the second year in a row, the Lions, by far, have the priciest tickets in the NFL. Detroit games average a robust $444 per ticket,” the report reads.
Bookies.com compiled this report using the cheapest single-game tickets on the secondary market for the upcoming season. Data was collected less than a week ago for comparison’s sake.
“We track every game, how many tickets are sold in the secondary market, what the price is,” team president Rod Wood said back in April. “What’s interesting, our season average for our 10 games, including preseason, the average ticket price on the secondary market (last season) was $404. The second-highest in the NFL was $270. So, we’re 50% higher than the next-highest team in the NFL. We’re not pricing our tickets at $404 -- we’re under $200 on average.
“So, we’re not going to jump to $400 (for primary market tickets), but we are going to try and increase it to recognize what the market will carry.”
The Lions also have the third-most expensive lot parking ($60), but rank friendlier for a 16-ounce beer (fifth-cheapest) and for four hot dogs for the family (in the middle of the pack).
When combining the average cost for four tickets, lot parking, two 16-ounce beers, two pops and four hot dogs, the average price for the family on the secondary market to attend a game at Ford Field comes out at $1,898.02, per the report. The NFL average on the secondary market was $679.53 for four of the cheapest tickets available, with the total package coming out to $777.89 with parking, beer, hot dogs and pop included.
The Lions sold all of their season tickets for the first time in Ford Field’s history in 2023. Then, they did it again in back-to-back years. They have developed a reputation for having one of the best home-field environments, most dedicated fans who are willing to travel with the newfound consistent success.
Last year, Wood said the Lions moved their ticket costs closer to the league average and that they felt good about it based on the high renewal rates and consistent sellouts. They don’t control what the secondary market holds, as that truly is a function of the demand and the cost of winning.
“And you know, our game against the Commanders was the No. 1 postseason ticket price other than a Super Bowl in the history of the NFL,” Wood said in April. “The two games the year before were the most expensive wild-card game and the most expensive divisional-round game. So, our fans are hungry to go to the Lions game. You see them on the road, how they travel with us.
“So it’s just a function of the demand and the ability to price them at a point, I think, that’s still fair relative to what other teams are pricing their tickets at, and well below what the secondary market (costs).”
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