With an intensity unrivaled in other American professional sports, the 2012 NFL schedule was released on April 17 to much fanfare. Immediately, football fans across the country scoured the schedule for all the plot lines we'll be following through 17 weeks of NFL action. And while we'll leave it to the TV pundits to determine what games will have the biggest impact on the race to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, we can tell you what teams fans are willing spend the most cash to see. It's not perfect, and things like stadium size and the economic viability of the market play a role, but we've found that the average ticket price fans are willing to spend is a good indicator of just how excited fans are for the upcoming season.
After two weeks of sales data on NFL tickets for the 2012 season, we can now start looking at what teams are getting the most attention from their fans. The trade of Peyton Manning to the Broncos created the biggest change in pro-football ticket sales data, sending sales of Broncos tickets near the top of the NFL. Last year Bronco tickets were averaging $141, while in the early part of 2012 tickets for Denver football just about doubled, shooting all the way up to $283, just one of the things that'll happen when you add one of the best quarterback in history to what was already a playoff team. Other big sellers through the past two weeks include the defending champion New York Giants [$217] and their bitter rival the Dallas Cowboys [$216]. And, even after another loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots are still fetching the highest price on Ticket Liquidator, with the average Patriots ticket going for $319 a pop.
Keep in mind these prices are the average NFL ticket price, and that you will find tickets that are cheaper and more expensive listed on Ticket Liquidator.
As seen on the chart, the AFC's conference winners command the highest price out of the AFC, with tickets for the Patriots averaging $319. The Patriots are playing the Rams at London's Wembley Stadium on Week Eight, Sunday October 28, with tickets averaging just under $300 each. The NFL has been hosting games in London since 2005, and 2012 marks the Patriots second trip to Wembley. The Pats beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009. Only the most diehard Patriots fans have the resources to make a trip across the pond for that game, but those who make it are no doubt in for a unique experience.
While the Patriots trip to the UK will certainly get some buzz, I'm betting there will be a bit more attention on their Week Five opponent, the Denver Broncos and their new QB Peyton Manning. The Pats welcome Peyton and the Broncos to Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 7. Think they'll talk about the Patriots vs Broncos Game on ESPN at all? I was surprised Roger Goodell and the NFL didn't get Payton traded to Miami so they could pump out two Brady vs Manning games a season, but in the Broncos the rivalry lives on. From the looks of sales of Broncos tickets, the fans are geared up for the Peyton Manning era. And with the Broncos averaging the second-highest average NFL ticket so far, it looks like the NFL can still make some money from the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning rivalry.
Perennial Super Bowl threat the Pittsburgh Steelers are always among the most popular teams in the country, and this season that trend continues. Steeler tickets are averaging $265. Fans of the Houston Texans are still excited about last year's run, when not even loosing quarterback Matt Schaub to injury was enough to keep them out of the playoffs. They won the AFC South for the first time, and 2012 also marked Houston's first franchise playoff win. If they can stay healthy the Texans, currently averaging a $214 ticket price, have the stuff to compete for the Super Bowl.
The New York Jets and their two quarterbacks and the Baltimore Ravens round out AFC teams selling for more than $150, with the Bengals just under with an average price of $149. The Cleveland Browns [$96] have the the lowest average price in the AFC, the only one under $100, along with the Bucs [$94] and Lions [$91] in the NFC.
Despite losing to the eventual Super Bowl champs, Super Bowl XLV winners the Green Bay Packers are commanding the highest average ticket price in the NFC at $270. When you combine arguably the best quarterback in the league with what has always been one of the most rabid fan-bases in sports, higher ticket prices on the secondary ticket market are sure to follow. The defending Super Bowl champion New York football Giants are the second highest NFL ticket in the NFC with an average price of $217. In fact the NFC East historically commands some of the highest prices in pro football, and this year the Dallas Cowboys [$216] and Philadelphia Eagles [$199] are again right there with the Giants atop the sales charts.
The Chicago Bears are another team whose fanbase is legendary, and after Jay Cutler showed what he can do the fans are ready for another round. With an average ticket price of $214, the Bears have the second-highest prices in the NFC. And God bless those Carolina Panther fans, who have been some of the most loyal fans in the NFL despite the team suffering in futility for several season. Cam Newton, who has been hailed as the best rookie ever, has given the fans reason for hope, and now they are rewarding the team by making them one of the most popular in the NFL. But the Panthers were still commanding an unusually-large share of sales when they were among the worst teams in the NFL. Now that they have a legitimate playmaker at Quarterback, it'll be interesting to see how rabid the fans are.
Looking past the individual teams to the biggest games of the 2012 NFL football season, as you might expect two Patriot games are currently averaging the highest average price. What is surprising is the the game against the Buffalo Bills is currently fetching the highest price of the site with an average price of $487. In what is more expected, the second highest game is the Patriots and Broncos. Other top-priced games include the Ravens vs Pittsburgh in Baltimore and several Bronco games. The are games currently getting the highest price on Ticket Liquidator:
Tags: nfl, football, nfl schedule, nfl tickets, broncos, patriots, packers, giants, afc ticket prices, nfc ticket prices, peyton manning
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