If team ownership loved fans half as much as fans love their teams, circumstances in pro sports would be significantly more fan-friendly. They aren’t. Instead, ownership takes fans for granted: “They’ll always be there.”
On the positive side, the recently concluded FIFA World Cup accomplished what many other mega-sporting events in the United States fail to do: Gain major media coverage for months before the competition begins. But much of the media coverage was negative.
The initial reason for the negative coverage was the exorbitant ticket prices, which led the New York and New Jersey Attorneys General to issue subpoenas to FIFA questioning the record-setting prices, and led purchasers to complain that they were misled about where they would be sitting after purchasing tickets.
The tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were the highest ever for the tournament. Because of the cost, many decades-long soccer fans who supported the sport during its infancy in the United States were priced out of attending a match. Per the July 12, 2026 issue of The New York Times: “Argentina’s quarterfinal victory over Switzerland on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium, known as Kansas City Stadium for the World Cup, in Missouri, accommodates 69,000 fans. And big areas of seats were empty.”
Unusual? No. It’s related to a trend. The four most popular sports in the U.S., namely, football, baseball, hockey and basketball, have raised ticket prices to the point that many of their long-time fans cannot afford to attend a championship game, as well as many regular season ones. In addition, the tabs for food at games can often match those at some eateries, without the foul language from unruly fans at ball games.
So, “FIFA gouging” is not a one-off.
NFL games: Average tickets cost $297 to $500. Super Bowl tickets range from $4000 to $94,000. Hot dogs cost between $9 and $15; beer around $17.
MLB games: Average price per ticket is $79. World Series tickets range from $650 to $ 10000. Hot dogs cost about $6; soft drinks and beer about $7 to $7.50, with prices increasing substantially for premium products.
NBA games: Tickets average $118 to $150 for regular-season games, $1000 for early-round playoff games, and more than $4500 for championship games. (A Wall Street Journal article in its May 30-31st edition reported that tickets for New York Knicks championship games at Madison Square Garden cost about $6000.) Hot dogs $7.50 to $9; beer $12 to $20.
NHL games: Average regular-season single-game tickets cost between $70 and $150 for standard seats, while upper-level tickets can start as low as $40. Premium lower-level and center-ice tickets typically range from $100 to over $300, with Stanley Cup Playoff and premium VIP seats easily exceeding $2,000.
In my opinion, these prices suggest that many Joe and Jane Smiths who have supported their teams for decades can no longer afford to attend a game. It’s one reason it is not hyperbolic to say that moguls who control sports don’t care about their fan base. What they care about is their cash flow.
Thank you, New York State taxpayers! (photo, just opened new Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, Dezeen)
In addition to rising ticket prices, the moguls constantly blackmail, threatening to move franchises unless they receive sweetheart tax deals from local governments, especially when it comes to building stadiums.
According to the Tax Foundation: “State and local governments spend significant sums for the construction, operation, and continued maintenance of sports stadiums and arenas. Between 1970 and 2020, state and local governments devoted $33 billion in public funds to construct major-league sports stadiums and arenas in the United States and Canada, with the median public contribution covering 73 percent of venue construction costs.”
In other words, taxpayers were on the hook for nearly three-quarters of the costs of each new sports venue that received public funding in the past 50 years.
There’s more to the issue. While rooting for a team is fun, “fandome” taken to the extreme can adversely affect a person’s behavior.
From a post on Mental Health.com: “The strength of a fan’s reaction to a loss often reflects more than just disappointment. It reflects identity. For many people, their team is not simply a source of entertainment but a symbol of loyalty, community, and personal meaning. Over time, this attachment can become a form of social identity, where a team’s success feels like a personal victory, and its losses feel like personal failures. “
I can understand rooting for a player you personally know, a team you have bet on winning, or a business near a winning team’s stadium, but taking a team’s loss to heart solely because its name is on a uniform baffles me.
Personally, it has been many years since I cared that much about a team. Living in the New York City area, I’d like all the New York teams to win, but it’s not because I have a rooting interest. It’s because winning teams are good for the local economy. That way, we all win.
