duncan228
03-01-2008, 02:25 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA030108.01A.spurstickets.386d6c0.html
Some season tickets for Spurs will cost a lot more next year
William Pack
Express-News
With their basketball heroes poised for another championship run, about 1,500 of San Antonio Spurs season ticket holders will face a gut check themselves when they see next year's prices.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment officials said Friday that prices for those season tickets will jump between 20 percent and nearly 50 percent next year as the team battles for profitability in an increasingly competitive and costly league.
"We felt that the value was there," said Russ Bookbinder, the Spurs' executive vice president for business operations. "We know some people won't be happy."
And that's not all. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other well-heeled season ticket holders will see their prices rise.
But the news isn't all bad. More than 1,000 ticket holders in the upper bowl will see their bills drop sharply — from $26 to $10 per game.
One irritated season ticket holder, Robert Mayle, has two tickets near a basket just a few rows behind the highest-priced seats on the court. He learned last week that his cost, including a parking pass, will jump from about $9,300 this year to more than $13,600.
"I think that's utterly ridiculous," said Mayle, a used-car dealer who has been a season ticket holder for 15 years. "They're not going to get that here unless those big corporations buy these seats."
Bookbinder said the team evaluated all of its revenue sources and measured them against prices charged by other teams.
What resulted was a season ticket price structure that will give a break to some fans in the cheaper seats of the AT&T Center, but will increase costs for ticket holders in the lower level. That includes charter seats in the rows closest to the floor, which go for more than $200 a seat.
"We have to look at this from a business standpoint. It's a constant challenge to be competitive and to be financially viable," Bookbinder said. "This year, we looked at not pushing prices in the upper level."
Price changes set so far in the arena's lower bowl:
The lower-cost seats there, directly behind the baskets, will be $92 per game, an increase of $25.
Seats behind the charter seats at both ends of the court will be $145, an increase of $48 .
Corner seats will be $105, an increase of $19.
Joe Clark, vice president of ticket sales, said about 510 season ticket holders will be subject to the biggest increase so far, for the lower-level seats behind the baskets. More than 1,000 seats were affected in the other two categories.
Other sections in the lower bowl will have their season ticket prices increased, but those changes have not been divulged. Clark said ticket holders should receive notice in the coming weeks.
In the arena's upper bowl, which holds about 9,000 people, 1,085 season ticket holders will see the price cut to $10 a seat from $26 this year. Those are the highest seats in the arena's corners. The top two rows parallel to the sidelines will cost more next year — $15, or $5 more than this year. About 540 season tickets are available in those rows.
Don Hinchey with the Bonham Group, a sports marketing firm in Denver, said the new prices sound like they were comparable to the prices charged for season tickets in Denver, which hasn't won an NBA championship. The Spurs have won four.
Team prices typically reflect the quality of the team and the status of the NBA, which is strong, Hinchey said. It also is not surprising for a team to place a premium on lower-level seats.
Income levels in a community are considered by teams in setting ticket prices, but they are balanced with other factors, Hinchey said. Among those are the other major-league sporting options a fan has. There are none in San Antonio.
Based on current ticket prices, a Team Marketing Report survey from November found that the Spurs average ticket was $51.45, compared with the league average of $48.83. When the average cost for a family of four to attend the game, park and buy concessions and a souvenir was calculated, San Antonio ranked 12th at $303.79, the company's survey said.
Some season tickets for Spurs will cost a lot more next year
William Pack
Express-News
With their basketball heroes poised for another championship run, about 1,500 of San Antonio Spurs season ticket holders will face a gut check themselves when they see next year's prices.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment officials said Friday that prices for those season tickets will jump between 20 percent and nearly 50 percent next year as the team battles for profitability in an increasingly competitive and costly league.
"We felt that the value was there," said Russ Bookbinder, the Spurs' executive vice president for business operations. "We know some people won't be happy."
And that's not all. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other well-heeled season ticket holders will see their prices rise.
But the news isn't all bad. More than 1,000 ticket holders in the upper bowl will see their bills drop sharply — from $26 to $10 per game.
One irritated season ticket holder, Robert Mayle, has two tickets near a basket just a few rows behind the highest-priced seats on the court. He learned last week that his cost, including a parking pass, will jump from about $9,300 this year to more than $13,600.
"I think that's utterly ridiculous," said Mayle, a used-car dealer who has been a season ticket holder for 15 years. "They're not going to get that here unless those big corporations buy these seats."
Bookbinder said the team evaluated all of its revenue sources and measured them against prices charged by other teams.
What resulted was a season ticket price structure that will give a break to some fans in the cheaper seats of the AT&T Center, but will increase costs for ticket holders in the lower level. That includes charter seats in the rows closest to the floor, which go for more than $200 a seat.
"We have to look at this from a business standpoint. It's a constant challenge to be competitive and to be financially viable," Bookbinder said. "This year, we looked at not pushing prices in the upper level."
Price changes set so far in the arena's lower bowl:
The lower-cost seats there, directly behind the baskets, will be $92 per game, an increase of $25.
Seats behind the charter seats at both ends of the court will be $145, an increase of $48 .
Corner seats will be $105, an increase of $19.
Joe Clark, vice president of ticket sales, said about 510 season ticket holders will be subject to the biggest increase so far, for the lower-level seats behind the baskets. More than 1,000 seats were affected in the other two categories.
Other sections in the lower bowl will have their season ticket prices increased, but those changes have not been divulged. Clark said ticket holders should receive notice in the coming weeks.
In the arena's upper bowl, which holds about 9,000 people, 1,085 season ticket holders will see the price cut to $10 a seat from $26 this year. Those are the highest seats in the arena's corners. The top two rows parallel to the sidelines will cost more next year — $15, or $5 more than this year. About 540 season tickets are available in those rows.
Don Hinchey with the Bonham Group, a sports marketing firm in Denver, said the new prices sound like they were comparable to the prices charged for season tickets in Denver, which hasn't won an NBA championship. The Spurs have won four.
Team prices typically reflect the quality of the team and the status of the NBA, which is strong, Hinchey said. It also is not surprising for a team to place a premium on lower-level seats.
Income levels in a community are considered by teams in setting ticket prices, but they are balanced with other factors, Hinchey said. Among those are the other major-league sporting options a fan has. There are none in San Antonio.
Based on current ticket prices, a Team Marketing Report survey from November found that the Spurs average ticket was $51.45, compared with the league average of $48.83. When the average cost for a family of four to attend the game, park and buy concessions and a souvenir was calculated, San Antonio ranked 12th at $303.79, the company's survey said.