Tactics used by sports organizations in the United States to increase ticket sales

football and basketball games have more In the United States, almost $12 billion a than doubled over the past decade (Team year is spent on the purchase of tickets to Marketing Report, 2002). sporting events (Street and Smith, 2002a). There is concern that this is creating an Teams in some of the major leagues such as economic disconnect between professional the National Basketball Association (NBA) sports and most Americans. Indeed, nine out and National Hockey League (NHL) depend of ten Americans say ticket prices are so on gate receipts as their single greatest high that it is difficult for them to attend a source of income. Admission charges in professional sporting event (Howard, 1999). the form of greens fees at golf courses and With ticket prices displacing all but the most lift ticket passes at ski resorts are the affluent consumers, teams—particularly in lifeblood of many of these and similar types the NBA and NHL—have devoted an increasof sports organizations, while at the major ing proportion of their seating inventory to university level of collegiate sport ticket corporate ticket buyers. A survey conducted sales comprise almost 30% of the total by the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves found income generated by athletic departments that 62% of season tickets sold in the lower (Howard and Crompton, 2004). bowl of their arena were owned by corporaThe recent economic recession contritions (Swift, 2000). While teams may be able buted to a widespread decline in attendance to sell an increasing share of their most at many sporting events in the United States expensive tickets to businesses, the trend and to a corresponding decrease in match leads to other problems. It has been pointed day revenues to sports organizations. The out that, erosion in ticket sales was further stimulated