The price of Super Bowl tickets is about to go up. Significantly.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the most expensive seats at February’s Super Bowl will go for about $2,600 apiece. Those seats are at club level and will have access to indoor restaurants, which could be particularly valuable on a cold night in New Jersey. That price is a huge increase over the highest prices for last season’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, which were $1,250.
The next level of pricing will also be significantly more expensive this season than last. Second-tier seats will go for $1,500 in New Jersey, whereas they went for $950 in New Orleans.
The reality, however, is that the face value isn’t a particularly meaningful number. Most people attending the Super Bowl pay significantly more than face value for their tickets. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy noted that if the league raises prices, all the league is really doing is getting back some of the value that is currently going to ticket brokers.
“We are looking to close the gap between the face value of the ticket and the true value of a ticket to what has become the premier sports and entertainment event,” he said.
Ultimately, whether tickets are sold directly by the NFL or re-sold through brokers, the average fan simply can’t afford to attend the Super Bowl.
UPDATE 12:54 p.m. ET: The NFL says some Super Bowl ticket prices may go down.