Saturday, September 18, 1999
Bengals an NFL bargain
Family of four pays about $211
BY JOHN J. BYCZKOWSKI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
It might hurt to watch the Bengals lose, but as NFL teams go, there's not much pain in the pocketbook.
According to Team Marketing Report (TMR), the Cincinnati Bengals are one of the best values in the NFL. It costs a family of four $211.69 to see a Bengals game, down a few dollars from last year as the cost of souvenirs fell. Only Seattle and St. Louis charge less, while the Washington Redskins charge 85 percent more.
League-wide, TMR's “fan cost index” rose 5.5 percent, as teams raised ticket prices on average 6.6 percent.
“First and foremost, you're seeing how fans of winning teams are paying the price of success,” said Matthew Freedman, editor of Team Marketing Report, a sports marketing newsletter in Chicago. Teams in Atlanta, Minnesota and Denver — three of the four conference finalists last year — raised ticket prices by 25 percent or more this year.
Conversely, 10 teams — including Cincinnati — didn't change prices, and four teams actually lowered average ticket prices this year. It's no surprise that all but one of those 14 teams had records of 8-8 or worse. “It's a good PR move to have the team not raise ticket prices,” Mr. Freedman said.
Jeff Berding, the Bengals' director of community affairs, explained the Bengals pricing as a way of broadening their appeal. He said there are six other franchises within a five- or six-hour drive of Cincinnati. “You won't find that kind of density anywhere else in the league,” which means more competition regionally, he said.
In addition, with Cincinnati being one of the smaller markets in the NFL, “we have a smaller population to draw from,” he said. “That means it's important to keep our tickets as affordable as possible for our fans.”
One thing the Bengals don't do is cut the stadium up into different zones for pricing. The bulk of the Bengals' tickets come in just three levels, priced $34, $38 or $42 each, based on elevation in Cinergy Field. Other teams divide the stadium by elevation, but sideline seats also tend to be more expensive than end zone seats. The Buffalo Bills, for instance, have 16 different price levels, while San Diego and Tennessee each have 13.
Mr. Berding said the team has four price levels mostly for simplicity, but also for tradition: The Bengals don't want to put off fans who have had season tickets for 20 years or more by altering pricing.
Things might be different in the new Paul Brown Stadium next year, he said, but no decision has been made.
Other findings from the Team Marketing Report:
• Tickets: The one team with a winning record that didn't raise prices this year is San Francisco, but the 49ers might be the worst deal in football. Every seat in 3Com Stadium — whether it's the 50-yard line or last row in the end zone — is $50. The single most expensive seat is at a Carolina Panthers game in Charlotte: A club seat, including club fee, is $297.50. The best ticket deal is found in Detroit, which has 400 seats that go for $1 each.
• Beer: Cincinnati ranks just below average: A 16-ouncer goes for $4. The best values are Carolina (24-ounce drink for $4.50) and New Orleans (21 ounces, $4). The worst are the New York Jets and Giants, who sell 12-ounce beers for $5 each.
• Soda: Cincinnati is average: A 16-ounce drink costs $2. The worst value is Atlanta, where a tiny 10-ounce drink sells for $1.75 — almost as much on a per-ounce basis as the league's cheapest beer.
• Parking: Cincinnati again is below average, at $9.60. Jacksonville, Cleveland, San Francisco and Chicago all charge $20 a car.
Cleveland Browns fans found getting their team back this year meant paying more. When the Browns last played in Cleveland in 1995, it cost a family of four $201.93 to attend a game. This year, it costs $261.63, a 30 percent increase. The average Browns ticket costs $44.66 this year, up 37 percent since 1995. Both increases are more than the league average over that period.
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