By Jesse Lawrence, Contributor
Until recently, All Star games in major league sports were purely exercises in exhibition. Then in 2003 baseball added some significance to the game, by giving the winning league home field advantage in the World Series. This change, however, has not elevated the Mid-Summer classic to the most sought after All Star ticket. That title belongs to the NBA. Along with Bloomberg, TiqIQ analyzed the premium paid for the last 11 All Star contests across Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey. The get this premium we divided the average price of the All Star Game by the league ticket average during then corresponding regular season. As the below chart illustrates, the NBA is the clear winner, with premiums of 1,852% in 2011, 1,674% last year in Houston and 710% in 2010 in Orlando. Comparatively, the highest premium for a Major League baseball All Star game in the last three years is 1,196% for this year’s game at Citi Field, followed by 1,016% for last year’s game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Tuesday’s All-Star game at Citi Field marks the second time the Mets have hosted the game and the 7th time that a New York team has hosted the midsummer classic. As far as baseball All Star Games go, this one ranks high on the demand curve. In fact, it’s the most expensive MLB All Star Game over the last three years, with an average price of $855 compared to $576 last year and $294 in Arizona in 2011. The cheapest 500-level ticket on TiqIQ is $310 from our partner eBay and the cheapest 100-level ticket is $365 from our partners at Razorgator. At the other end of the premium spectrum is the NFL’s All Star Game, the Pro Bowl. Played annually in Hawaii, it’s the only game that comes at the end of the season, as opposed to at the midway point. Whether it is the timing or the location, the Pro Bowl has historically been a dud at the box office. Last year, the average price to the Pro Bowl actually sold at a discount to the league’s season average, by -16.2%.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
