It’s always fun to go to a sporting event. Whether it’s baseball, football, basketball, or something else, live sports are always best experienced in person.
The Problem? Sports tickets aren’t necessarily cheap, especially if it’s for your favorite team or you want to go to a playoff or championship game.
Where I live in the SF Bay Area, I’ve seen general admission tickets for basketball games cost 300 or more dollars per seat. Football can be even more expensive. Baseball tickets are the cheapest, but a Playoff or World Series ticket will still set you back hundreds if not thousands of dollars for two people or a family of four.
How You Can Save Money On Sports Tickets.
- Go on the right day. Weekend games are almost always in higher demand. Tickets for less popular days can be far cheaper, sometimes by 50% or even more. Fans who want to save should also skip out on major holidays such as the Fourth of July.
- Watch losing teams. Teams with poor records might be ‘bad,’ but only if compared to other professional teams. They still offer amazing displays of athletic skill and high-level competition, but at a much less cost. Great seats at a game where your local team is having a crappy season will be less expensive than terrible seats at a time when they’re playing the best!
- Shop online sports ticket resellers via smartphone apps, and websites. While buying directly from the team is always a possibility, it isn’t usually the way to get the best deal. Some of the most valuable resources are StubHub and SeatGeek. On StubHub, fans buy and sell to each other. Besides many good deals, StubHub is the best way to get tickets to sold out events. SeatGeek, meanwhile, searches resale sites for the best prices available online. Other options include browsing Craigslist and eBay for individual resellers or even buying from scalpers on game day itself.
- Buying sports tickets at the last minute. It might seem counterintuitive, but tickets are actually often cheaper closer to game day. Ticket resellers can afford to hold out for higher prices if they have lots of time left to make a sale. As the date of the game approaches, the pressure to sell only rises. The result is often a chance for major savings!
Remember The Other Costs
While prices on tickets to a game are important, sports fans must take care to factor in other costs as well. Transportation, parking, and food and drink are also significant expenses. Even a great deal on tickets can end up costing too much if these other costs are not kept under control.
For myself; I was shocked the first time I saw a beer cost me 15 bucks! Oh and don’t forget about the hot dogs, those are sometimes 12 bucks! PopCorn can be a laughable price of 10 dollars for a small bag.
Whatever your favorite sport, going to a game is an awesome experience, if the price is right. The big problem lately is that many loyal fans are getting priced out because teams are building new stadiums which cause the once affordable ticket prices to shoot way up in value. Especially for season tickets!
There is another option. Just invest in a nice HDTV or find a local sports bar to hang out and watch the games with fellow sports fans. I’ve saved lots of money doing this instead of seeing live games all the time.
Do you have experience spending lots of money on sports tickets? Have any hacks for saving money? Share them in the comments below.
