Bloggin' NBA: Ticket prices up even though economy is down

With tip-off 2 weeks away, NBA ticket prices are increasing to record-highs, despite a struggling US economy.

Take the newly relocated Oklahoma City Thunder franchise. Last year in Seattle, the average Sonics ticket price was $35.00. This year in Oklahoma City, the average Thunder ticket costs $47.51 (ESPN.com).

This 36% increase in ticket prices for the team with the second-to-worst record in the league seems unreasonable. And, with a struggling US economy, it also seems impractical.

Even NBA Commissioner David Stern agrees that ticket prices may need a review. According to the Taiwan News, Stern said that many NBA teams "will be trying to price tickets even more affordably." An idea that makes sense as more and more people in America lose the disposable income that pays for things like sports entertainment.

Some teams around the league took Stern’s advice and came up with more affordable ways for their fans to attend games. For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves offer a season ticket package that allows fans to attend all 41 home games for $9 a game, a total of $387 per season (NewsOK.com).

In Denver, the Nuggets began offering discounted family night packages to attract more fans. According to The Oklahoman, a "$59 family night includes four tickets, four one-serving pizzas, four soft drinks and a $10 ESPN Game Zone card."

These discounted ticket plans, along with the NBA required 500 $10 seats at every game, offers a small percentage of NBA fans the opportunity to participate at a low cost.

However, many teams continue to raise prices and draw customers.

In Oklahoma City, despite the $12 increase implemented over this past off season, the Thunder sold 13,000 season tickets in the first 5 days.

Similarly, the Los Angeles Lakers, the team with the most expensive tickets at an average price of over $90, has already sold out the entire 2008-09 season (NewsOK.com).

Many teams are also implementing a "Premium Game Price" which applies to the best games of the year. These designated games will have higher ticket prices, sometimes as much as $55 more (NBA.com/Lakers). This new plan, which has already been adopted by Utah, L.A. and a handful of other teams, will make pricey tickets even more expensive for the average fan.

Although financial times are tough right now, this trend of increasing ticket prices is not slowing down for many NBA teams. As long as costumers are willing to pay, ticket prices will continue to increase.