It’s going to be a little more expensive to take a ride in Broncos country.
In the first offseason under new ownership, the team will be raising season-ticket prices by roughly seven percent, according to Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post.
The apparent goal is to increase the primary price point to reflect the value on the secondary market. Last year, tickets to Broncos games re-sold for nearly 40-percent more than the average season-ticket price.
“That potential revenue lost [to secondary ticket brokers] could ultimately be reinvested not only into football but the fan experience,” Broncos V.P. for ticketing, sales, and service Marc Jackson told Gabriel. “Really, what we’ve tried to do is be thoughtful about how we can recapture some of that.”
Team president Damani Leech explained the increase in an email to season-ticket holders.
“Our 2023 season-ticket prices reflect the additional regular-season home game along with a comprehensive review — done with third-party analysis — of the local and league ticketing landscape,” Leech wrote, via Gabriel. “We remain focused on offering a variety of pricing options for you based on fair market value while also ensuring we are competitive with other NFL teams.”
The Broncos had a 98-percent season-ticket renewal rate in 2022, buoyed by the hiring of (another) new coach and the promise of a new quarterback. The arrival of Sean Payton to coach the team should push the number even closer to 100 percent, despite the price increase.
Although some fans will complain about the season-ticket price increase, in an age of legalized scalping it’s sensible to look for ways to cut into the middleman’s margin. If the market sets the price and if the original price is too low, the person who buys and re-sells will enjoy a windfall.
If the ultimate consumer will pay much more than face value to purchase the ticket, why shouldn’t face value be higher?