If you have been to see the Detroit Pistons live this season, then you know that the experience isn’t cheap, and that goes for every team in the NBA.
Prices for everything from tickets to beer just keep going up at NBA games, and for some teams, that cost is putting a live game out of the reach of many average fans.
In a recent study, Betway Insider took a look at how much prices have gone up in recent years and made a prediction about where they might be in the future.
They used factors such as tickets, beer, soft drinks, hot dogs and parking to determine which NBA experience is the most expensive and where things are headed in the future.
Not surprisingly, the Warriors and Knicks topped the list for most expensive now, and both teams are poised to make it even more elitist in the future, as a the projected cost to attend a Warriors game in 2024-25 is an astounding $388, which is a $100 increase from the 2018-19 season.
It’s the usual suspects at the top of the list, marquee teams in big markets, though I was surprised to see both the Bucks and Rockets in the top-10 for most expensive.
But what about the Detroit Pistons?
Detroit Pistons tickets: Prices are staying the same
The Detroit Pistons are currently ranked 27th in cost to attend a game (according to these metrics), coming in just ahead of Charlotte, Memphis and Atlanta, which is good news for Pistons’ fans.
The bad news is that is still costs $193 to attend a Pistons’ game on average, which is a pretty expensive night out for most people, especially in this current economic climate. The good news is that cost isn’t going to increase much over the next few seasons, as it is projected to cost $196 to attend a game in 2024-25, just a two percent increase.
The Detroit Pistons are one of the few teams whose prices are projected to stay stagnant, but like I said, this is still an expensive night out and something the NBA needs to address. We are seeing a lot of half full arenas these days, and most of the seats in the lower sections are inhabited by corporate goons who aren’t even fans of the team in many cases.
You won’t see it reflected in the tickets sales, which are strong, but in the swaths of empty seats you see in the background. Teams often sell tickets in bulk to big companies or give them away in cheap promotions to keep their numbers up, but when it costs $25 dollars for a beer and a hot dog, many are choosing to just stay home.
Like usual, the working person is getting cut out of the equation, which is why so many fans are turning to streaming packages and pirating rather than attending games. The Pistons and other mid-market teams may have to change their tactics in order to draw fans. The Atlanta Falcons have experimented with lowering concession prices dramatically and found that their overall revenue actually went up, as more people were attending games.
It is projected to cost $27 for a 12 oz beer at a Warriors game in 2025, which is insulting, and pretty much cuts out any fans who don’t have seven figure bank accounts.
Luckily the Detroit Pistons aren’t that bad, but it’s still an issue, and one that is going to continue to affect attendance around the league.