Analysis of Consumer Demand for American Sports Leagues

• Main Author: Healy, Sam
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarship @ Claremont 2018
• Online Access: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1921; http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2968&context=cmc_theses

Long before the first pitch is thrown, the first snap is taken or the first puck is dropped, organizations in the professional sports industry set their ticket prices. The secondary ticket market, on the other hand, has grown into a billion dollar industry and gages the consumer’s true willingness to pay. This study examines the myriad of factors that influence the secondary market ticket price of a professional sports game across the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL during the 2013-2014 regular season. Using median ticket prices from a secondary market ticket aggregator, the results indicate that weekend games and the expected quality of the away team significantly impact median ticket price. If the game is played during the last month of the season, median ticket prices decrease by 17%, unless the home or away team was a playoff team the year before. Furthermore, games that include a home team where one or two players are among the top ten in jersey sales are associated with higher median ticket prices.