Which is more than anyone can say for the NFL right now. Zing!
With greater attention being given to the lockout, and to the UFL's possible role during the lockout, I think it's time the league started to think about looking into (gasp! Horror!) raising ticket prices.
Now, I get that this is not going to be a popular opinion. People tend to get very upset when the prices of things go up. Just look at all the rage directed at the recent surge in gas prices.
So why should the UFL look into a small price hike on tickets? Well, this Stanford University study suggests that a higher price tag may actually be a factor in how people perceive the value of their purchases. The study focused on wine, but its not a great leap to apply it to events. People still bash the UFL for being "bush league" or "semi-pro" when the quality of the play is actually not that far from an NFL game. What does it say for that perception when a ticket is $15, compared to a comparable NFL ticket that might be $90 or more? It suggests that what you are getting is of considerably lower value. Commissioner Hugyghue has been quoted as saying that the price of a UFL game was comparable to a night out at the theater. Trouble is, movies are seen as cheap entertainment. Pro sports carry the notion of the elite: that you are watching the best there is out there.
A price bump--say, $5-$10 or so--doesn't push the ticket price out of reach of the average family, helps build the idea of the UFL as a professional league (when prices are not as far out of range of the NFL's) and gives the UFL a much needed revenue boost. I'm a writer, sporadically employed and often working for free (sigh, thank you very much English degree) but even I wouldn't complain if I had to scrape up another $5 for season tickets.
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