The Steelers won the AFC North Division in 2014.
Despite many questions about how the defense will perform under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, the unproven younger players, and what is unarguably the hardest season schedule in the league, the Steelers stock is still on the climb for what 2015 could hold.
The recent success and an optimistic outlook also means that something else is on the rise: ticket prices.
Season ticket prices aren’t what’s in question here. It’s actually the tickets that are being sold on the secondary market. Forbes.com recently wrote in an article breaking down the average ticket price for certain Steelers home games.
The average going rate for secondary market tickets in 2014 was $218.28 before that season started. 2015’s average before the start of Week 1 is $251.51. That’s a 15% increase – quite a jump comparatively across the league.
One might assume that the Steelers vs. Ravens matchup would be the tops, but that is not the case thus far for 2015. That game is going for only $264 and is only the third most expensive.
So what games are the tops?
The second hottest ticket before the season starts for the Steelers at home is when Peyton Manning returns to Pittsburgh since 2008 when he quarterbacked for the Indianapolis Colts. The Week 15 December game is going for $273.79 and will probably only go up from there if both teams are in the thick of the playoff hunt.
The most expensive ticket in preseason sales is unsurprisingly the home opener in Week 2. That game is currently going for $299. According to Forbes, that is almost 19% above the season average. The Steelers take on the San Francisco 49’ers and will more than likely still be without star running back, Le’Veon Bell.
It hasn’t been cheap to see the Steelers in quite some time, especially when Heinz Field opened up 2001.
The raise in prices is a bit of a concern for your average income fan. The wait list for season tickets is longer than the Mon River, not to mention that in order to even get season tickets you need to purchase a seat license (just a few thousand dollars on top of what you pay for the season tickets). The secondary market is just about the only place you can turn for tickets.
Pretty soon, $300 or more will be the norm.
Well, my friends, you could say that this is quite literally the price you pay for success.
Next: Player Preview: Anthony Chickillo
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