The Cubs’ arrow is pointing up and so are 2017 season ticket prices. Coming off a historic World Series win, the Chicago Cubs announced on Monday that the average cost of season tickets will increase 19.5 percent next year.
Season-ticket holders can expect to pay an additional 6 to 31 percent over last year’s prices, depending on section. According to the Chicago Tribune, a premium dugout box season ticket will cost $29,089.76 (tax included) in 2017. That’s an average of $359 per game. At the other end of the spectrum, an upper-deck outfield reserved ticket will go for $2,139.20, or $26 per game.
The decision to raise ticket prices was based on several factors, according to the Cubs, including the team’s upcoming schedule and sales data for the primary and secondary markets. In 2016, Cubs' regular season tickets sold on the secondary market went for an average of 96 percent above face value. Demand rightfully increased when the team went into the postseason, with tickets for the National League Division Series and National League Championship Series up 670 percent and World Series tickets selling for 1,206 percent above face value.
Colin Faulkner, senior vice president of sales and marketing, told the Chicago Tribune that the Cubs’ first World Series Championship in 108 years created “unprecedented demand.” “Trying to capture that demand and continue the progress on the field and our mission to field a consistently competitive team, no surprise, we'll be increasing season ticket prices,” he said.
For those of us who don’t have an extra few thousand dollars under the mattress, the higher cost of season tickets means we will likely pay more for single-game tickets in the secondary market. And for those fans who have enough spare coin to purchase a season ticket, good luck. The Cubs currently have more than 85,000 people on its season-ticket holder waiting list. According to the Cubs’ website, seats typically become available to the waiting list when current season ticket holders opt out of renewing their tickets. Now that the Cubs are setting the baseball world on fire, don’t expect many fans to step aside.
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