Published: November 5, 2024

Could high sports ticket prices change fan behavior at games?

By a Movieguide® contributor

A moment from Game 4 of the World Series has experts buzzing.

“Two New York Yankees fans were ejected from the game after they interfered with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts by knocking the ball out of his glove as he took a leap against the wall near the where they were sitting. Men were also banned from attending Game 5,” USA Today reported.

“We could have a new entry in the annals of fan behavior. But we didn’t get here overnight,” Daniel Wann, professor of psychology at Murray State University, said of the incident.

But this isn’t the first time fans have been kicked out of games for lewd behavior.

During that same game, “a fan chose a moment of silence from Stand Up to Cancer to heckle Dodgers player Freddie Freeman. In 2021, a Celtics fan was arrested for throwing a water bottle at former Boston player Kyrie Irving after an NBA playoff game. During another 2021 NBA playoff game, a fan was banned and had his season ticket revoked after throwing popcorn at Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook.

So what is it that angers fans to the point of being thrown off?

Many experts believe this is due to the high price of sports tickets.

“People seem to feel like they have more freedom to act rude and disrespectful,” said Harvey Milkman, professor emeritus of psychology at Metropolitan State University in Denver. explain.

Earlier this year, CNN reported“Ticket prices for sporting events increased by 15% in December compared to the previous year.”

In 2023, the average cost of an NFL ticket climbed 8.6% to $120, meaning taking a family of four to a game costs $631 (including food, souvenirs and parking), per CNN.

“MLB tickets increased 3.5% to an average of $37 in 2023. It costs $266 to take a family to a game,” CNN added.

“You would think that if you’re paying all that money, you wouldn’t want to do something that will get you kicked out of the game,” Wann explained. “People don’t go to games with the intention of doing that. Once you enter the environment and find yourself surrounded by other fans, you no longer think about the price of the ticket. You think about the game at stake.”

“If your team wins, you and your self-esteem depend on the team’s performance,” Milkman added. “Then when you invest a thousand dollars in a ticket, you invest even more.”

Alcohol also plays a major role in the erratic behavior of fans.

“We can’t talk about this without talking about the potential impact of alcohol,” Wann underlines. “Alcohol certainly has the potential to encourage people to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. »

Often, fans consider themselves part of the team they love and want to do everything they can to help their team win.

“For a lot of fans, the sporting event and being a fan of the team is an extension of who they are,” Wann added. “When the team loses, it’s their loss, and if the team wins, it’s their victory. But also, if a referee makes a controversial decision against a fan, that fan will feel like they have been offended, just like the players.