Lions Season Ticket Price Hikes Inspiring Backlash
Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
The Detroit Lions aren’t the only thing that’s on the rise in the Motor City. Shortly after securing their first back-to-back 10-win seasons in franchise history, the team had a message for its longtime fans: Price of the brick going up.
The move has inspired a wave of backlash from fans, especially those who held season tickets throughout the leanest years of franchise history. They have a point, too, as Lions fans were already paying the highest ticket prices in the NFL before the season.
The Detroit Lions have the highest average ticket prices this season.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED 🔥#OnePride pic.twitter.com/V12J8Im9Oo
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) August 31, 2024
Even Fan of the Year Megan Stefanski couldn’t hold back. “OMG. I almost just puked at season ticket renewal prices. It’s insane.”
This is the second year in a row where ticket prices have seen a substantial increase, with this latest round spiking the league’s most expensive ticket by an average of 24%. Of course, during that time, demand has spiked as well. The team is only selling standing-room tickets for single-game seats, and the secondary market is exploding. If you want to put on your nerd glasses and drone on about supply and demand and “Economics 101,” then sure, they make financial sense. And God knows, you don’t get to be an NFL owner without scooping up every dollar you can.
But it’s not wrong for Lions fans to feel a bit for fans who had to sit through the Dan Orlovsky games, or worry about the some of the most passionate Lions fans having to make the choice of whether they can keep up with the rising prices.
I wish there were some sort of grandfathered in discount for Lions season ticket holders.
Hate to see the die-hards that rode with this team for decades get priced out, but can't think of any realistic solutions when demand is so high.
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) December 12, 2024
Team President Rod Wood noted before the season that the prices didn’t inspire many people to miss out. “We’ve had a 96% renewal rate [last year], so nobody’s really abandoned their tickets,” Wood said, per 97.1 The Ticket. With fans hungry for this kind of success in Detroit, you’d imagine that fans would hold onto the tickets if they can, and until that breaking point arrives, you can assume this will be the norm now in Detroit.
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