Success has consequences.
For a team that vaults from worst to first, it means a tougher schedule the next season. For the fans, it may mean more money to see the team play.
In Chicago, it will.
Via Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune, season tickets at Soldier Field will increase by 13.5 percent, on average, in 2026. The changes were communicated to season-ticket holders on Tuesday in a letter from Bears CEO Kevin Warren.
Warren explained that the increases resulted from “detailed analysis and market research.”
Of course, winning isn’t the only factor. Last year, season-ticket prices increased by 10 percent on average, despite the Bears finishing last in the NFC North in 2024.
Here’s the reality, as it relates to the shift from the illegal practice of ticket “scalping” to the burgeoning industry of ticket “reselling.” The teams know what the secondary market is for their tickets. If fans will pay a significant premium over face value to go to the games, it makes sense to increase the face value accordingly.
And Bears fans will show up, no matter what. A day-after-Christmas night game in 2024 toward the end of a lost season nevertheless resulted in a full stadium for a game against the Seahawks.
