Tony Dejak/AP
The Cavaliers are a popular, expensive team to see live because of their new Big 3
With games expanding overseas and a massive new TV deal in the works, the NBA may be at the peak of its popularity.
So, with the building draw of watching the NBA, NerdWallet put together a study of the most expensive NBA teams to see live, based on a measurement they call "Total Family Cost." The measurement weighs the average price for a family of four to get tickets on the secondary market (using TiqIQ), the average price of two 16-oz. beers, two 16-oz. sodas, four hot dogs, and parking.
The following chart shows the most expensive teams to see live based on Total Family Cost:
Via NerdWallet/TiqIQ, Team Marketing Report
A few takeaways from the chart:
- The Cavaliers come in first place, largely due to the return of LeBron James. According to NerdWallet, the Cavs have seen a 204% increase in their average resale ticket price, while the Miami Heat (still high up at no. 5) have seen a 25% decrease in resale ticket price.
- The other top teams aren't too surprising - the Knicks and Lakers are always huge attendance draws (regardless of the quality of their teams) and being in New York and L.A. makes prices high. The Bulls always have great attendance, and teams like the Clippers and Nets have seen spikes in popularity because of talent and location (the Nets moving from New Jersey to Brooklyn).
- The Charlotte Hornets, despite struggling for the better part of the past decade as the Bobcats, are surprisingly the 11th most expensive team to see.
- There are a few surprisingly cheap teams to see. The Atlanta Hawks have been a playoff team for most of the last decade and play in a big market (despite poor attendance); the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers are both hugely popular with their fans and have also been solid playoff teams in recent years.
- The Portland Trailblazers, the only professional team of the big-four sports in Oregon, fall in the lower half of the chart, despite great attendance records and a devoted fan base.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves finish as the least expensive team to see with a $349.75 Total Family Cost, which averages out to less than $100 per person to go see a game.
Read the entire piece here, which also features a detailed breakdown of the prices for each team.