Ticket prices are making sports fans surly this midterm season

The sports world is getting hit by the affordability crisis, as fans find it increasingly costly to attend games or to even watch them on television.

A confluence of factors is pricing many Americans out of the market, economists and sports business experts say.  

Inflation has made it harder to afford nonessential items and services, even as ticket prices across the sports landscape have risen. That’s to say nothing of the costs for concessions or getting to a game.

The at-home sports viewing experience is becoming more expensive, too, with subscriptions to paywalled streaming services increasingly becoming the only way to see every game a favorite team plays.

And none of this has stopped billionaire sports ownership groups from asking the public at large to foot the bill for their stadiums with the threat of leaving town.

The trend line threatens to erode sports fandom’s place in American culture, a growing number of observers say. It’s also another reason why voters in general are in a surly mood this midterm season.

“There were already tensions around big time sports and affordability before we got to this point in the country, but now everything that’s going on with Congress and geopolitical tensions just sort of amplifies it,” said Loretta Lepore, a Republican communications strategist. “And lawmakers in both parties see this. There’s a recognition that we have a growing disparity of wealth in our nation, and it’s creeping into every segment of our society, including sports.”  

Affordability for fans was a point of contention when lawmakers in the Senate last week debated the Protect College Sports Act, a controversial proposal seeking to regulate the billion-dollar industry of intercollegiate athletics.  

An amendment to the bill, introduced by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), aimed to cap the amount NCAA member schools can raise ticket prices on a yearly basis at 4 percent.  

Kennedy’s amendment was narrowly defeated while the underlying legislation passed.

Leaders at top colleges and executives at pro sports franchises argue higher prices for tickets and amenities are necessary to compete for top on-the-field talent and provide the best possible game-day experience. 

“I think when we see a coach making $13 million dollars and you have buyouts … that has to get passed down to somebody in some way,” said Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.), the only Republican who voted in favor of another amendment to cap the salaries of college coaches told The Hill. 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) earlier this year introduced the For the Fans Act, a bill........

© The Hill