February 20, 2020
Just a few short years ago, it seemed like people couldn't give their Sixers tickets away fast enough. Now, however, the Sixers are in the midst of a 120-game home sellout streak and have one of the longest waiting lists for season tickets in the NBA, with more than 16,000 fans trying to get their hands on them. That tends to happen when a team goes from the worst in the NBA to a contender with some of the biggest stars in the entire league.
Another thing that tends to happen? The price of tickets increases.
That was the news learned by Sixers season ticket holders on Thursday afternoon, as calls began going out for renewals for the 2020-2021 season. Two seasons ago, the Sixers ranked 24th in the NBA in average ticket prices, a number that jumped to the low- to mid-teens this season after an increase for 2019-20. Next season, the Sixers will be right around 10th in the league, PhillyVoice has learned. That increase will put them in line with other teams playing in similarly sized markets (like Houston, Brooklyn, Toronto and others).
And while that may seem like a big increase, it is consistent with not only the Sixers' rise in talent and performance, but also their increased payroll, one that will likely see them pay the luxury tax this season. Of course, some fans are going to be turned off by the cost of their season tickets going up for yet another year, but it's hard to argue that during The Process years, Sixers tickets were wildly underpriced, and this is simply the team playing catch-up now that they're one of the better teams in the NBA.
Season ticket holders will also get a break, as the Sixers continue to offer one of the biggest tenure-based discounts in the NBA, with returning season ticket holders receiving and average off 20-25% off on their tickets, which is perhaps why the team was in the top 5 in the NBA in season ticket renewal rate last season (near 95% overall, and even higher for courtside and VIP tickets).
The biggest increases, sources say, will be reserved for those premium and courtside seats, where the most expensive ticket is currently north of $3,000.
From there, tickets range all the way down to $20, but even those cheaper options will see a slight increase for 2020-21, with an average bump of $7 per seat in the upper bowl. The price of those seats, however, will still be ranked around 10th in the NBA behind several big market teams. The Sixers will also be increasing ticket prices in the mezzanine for next season, something they have tried to avoid in recent years.
Even with the increased prices, the Sixers still remain a reasonably priced ticket, especially in comparison to the other professional sports teams in this city. The Eagles rank in the top 10 in the NFL in average season ticket price, while the Phillies and Flyers rank somewhere between 10 and 15 in their respective leagues. But the best comparison is probably the Flyers, who play in the same building and also have 41 regular season home games. After the increases, Sixers tickets will still be 20-25% cheaper in the lower bowl and 10-15% cheaper in the upper bowl.
Sure, this probably isn't the news Sixers fans wanted to read on the day the team returns to action following the All-Star break, but with a win over the Nets on Thursday, they can improve to 26-2 at home this season, and that might make this a little easier of a pill to swallow.
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