WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Tickets to see the Washington Commanders play the Detroit Lions on Saturday are the costliest for any NFL game aside from the Super Bowl, according to an ESPN analyst.
Prices for the cheapest seats will cost around the same average monthly grocery bill, according to prices advertised online Wednesday from ticketing platforms including Ticketmaster, Stub Hub, Gametime and Superstar.
Prices midday Wednesday range from roughly $400 to upwards of more than $3,000 for some ticket resales.
“The average purchase price of a ticket for Lions vs. Commanders is $991 on @tickpick, making it the most expensive NFL game excluding Super Bowls on their record,” ESPN Fantasy Football and NFL Draft Analyst Field Yates posted on X Tuesday.
High ticket prices to witness Washington’s return to playoff glory is not preventing die-hard fan Chris Bryant from traveling to Detroit for Saturday’s game.
Bryant, who attended the team’s game in Tampa Sunday described the Commanders’ 2024 season as “a dream come true.”
“The most I ever paid for a ticket was Seattle, when I went to Seattle several years ago, and it was about 700 bucks,” Bryant said. “This is, well, beyond that. Let’s just say that,”
Bryant noted that he will be sitting in the first row on the Commander’s side of the stadium at the goal line.
Prices for similar seats hovered near $1,000 Wednesday according to ticketing websites.
Hank Boyd, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland told DC News Now that he is not surprised by the high ticket prices, saying the Lions and Commanders both have dramatic stories.
“It’s something about live sports. we lose our minds,” Boyd said. “People have to say ‘I was there.’ It’s not enough to say ‘I saw it on the TV, I was actually there in the stadium when it happened.”
“Everyone wants to know who is next, and maybe these are the next two great quarterbacks, so there’s ‘clash of the titans,’ if you will,” Boyd added.
At Crystal City Sports Pub in Arlington, Va. Wednesday, owner and self-described lifelong Commanders football fan Art Dougherty said he’s “excited for how far they’ve come.”
“I don’t blame them [ticket-sellers] for asking what they can get. It doesn’t happen [Washington playoff appearances] very often, so, it makes the people that really want it, pay for it,” Dougherty said.
After buying a ticket to the game, fans will have to consider costs for overnight stays and traveling.
According to prices published by Google Flights Wednesday for a roundtrip to Detroit Friday to Sunday from the DMV, the lowest prices advertised for a seat ranged from $359 to $665 at three local airports.
Mid-afternoon Wednesday, BWI’s lowest-priced roundtrip cost $359, Ragan National was $379 and Dulles was $665.
With costs adding up, fans may have to consider skipping already-expensive stadium beers on this trip
