The Los Angeles Chargers ticket prices for the 2017-18 season are a result of the simple economic principle of supply and demand, but they depend on that demand being strong enough to outweigh the high cost.
Los Angeles Chargers Ticket Prices Banking on Demand
The Bears had the NFL's highest average ticket price in 2016 at $132 a game, according to one study. The Chargers will top that by $60.
— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) February 14, 2017
The Chargers will play next season at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The venue currently hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. The 30,000-seat stadium is by far the smallest of any NFL team, a little more than half of the capacity that the next-biggest stadium, The Coliseum, where the Oakland Raiders play their home games. It’s also less than half of the capacity of Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, which the franchise just vacated.
That’s the majority of the reason why the franchise will have an average ticket price approaching very close to $200 next season. Fewer seats mean fewer opportunities to sell tickets, meaning each seat must be sold at a higher price for the franchise to maintain its profit margin.
By succumbing to the pressures of playing in such a small venue until the new stadium that the team will share with the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, California is ready, the team is counting on fans in the greater Los Angeles area being football-starved enough even after a year of the Rams’ presence in the metro that they will overlook the high cost of the tickets.
If the Los Angeles area populace determines that the cost is too great, however, it’s not a huge blow to the franchise. The Chargers were one of the least profitable teams in the NFL for years in San Diego, and part of the blame for that situation was placed on its stadium issue. At this point, the franchise probably hopes to stay afloat until it gets into its new stadium. It’s how well the team sells tickets then that will really determine the future of the Chargers.
What’s certain is that for at least next season, there won’t be a more difficult regular season ticket to get in the NFL than one for a Chargers home game, either by simple scarcity or by fans deciding the price tag is too rich for their taste.
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