The NFL preseason is underway for some teams and it will kick off for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. But if you want to go to one of the team’s home games, you better dig deep in that wallet.
As you’ll find of the website TickPick, Chargers tickets average about $136 for games this preseason. Only four teams have higher prices. Believe it or not, the $136 average price tag is not even the highest in the AFC West. That mark belongs to the Denver Broncos.
Still, the Chargers are asking a lot for a new fanbase that has several other options for sporting events in Los Angeles to choose from. That includes another NFL team and an MLB team that currently holds the best record in baseball.
I spoke with Jack Slingland, Director of Client Relations for TickPick, and this is what he had to say in regards to the Chargers’ ticket prices.
“The main reason the Chargers preseason prices are so high is because of the size of the stadium they are playing in. Rather than playing in a 70,000 seat venue, they will be playing in one that holds closer to 30,000, with no true upper deck. This intimate seating arrangement will cause the average price of Chargers games to remain high throughout the season, regardless of performance.”
In other words, if you’re hoping that this is just a test for the preseason, you’ll be disappointed.
Professional football is easily the most popular sport in North America, but the StubHub Center, where the Chargers will play their homes games this season, is a rather pricey place to go see a sporting event.
Interestingly, a single ticket to go watch the L.A. Galaxy play on Saturday night will run you $150 to sit in section 111. So don’t blame the NFL, the Chargers or Dean Spanos for being greedy just yet.
This was the plan all along when the Chargers decided on the StubHub Center. I am often asked why the Chargers don’t just go play their games in the Rose Bowl, which holds over 90,000 fans.
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The answer is simple. The stadium would be far less than 50 percent full just about every week and quite frankly, Spanos will likely see more fans come to StubHub than he would there. At the Rose Bowl, fans also wouldn’t be as close to the action as they will at StubHub, which could create more excitement for the new team.
In addition, the Rose Bowl has never really been an option for an NFL team. It’s an attraction for big college games.
Should you want to catch a Chargers home preseason game this year, the team hosts the Seattle Seahawks and Sunday before the New Orleans Saints come to town the following week.
For a look at the average preseason ticket price for each team in the league, click here.