NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he’s not just thinking about the owners’ finances during the NFL lockout. He also says he’s thinking about the fans.
Specifically, Goodell told Tampa Bay Buccaneers season ticket holders that curbing the rising cost of attending games is one of the reasons for the lockout.
“We can’t continue to shift the cost, whether it’s the rising player cost or the rising cost of operating an NFL franchise, on to our fans,” Goodell said, per the Tampa Tribune. “That’s why we’re trying to get a better economic model. And I think everyone understands that. You are not being left out of the equation. The fans are a big part of that equation and a big part of the success of NFL football.”
If Goodell is telling the truth, that means that if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that’s more favorable to the owners is hammered out, the growth rate of ticket prices should decline.
But if I were a season-ticket holder, I wouldn’t hold my breath: Supply and demand tells me that owners will charge as much as the market will bear for tickets, regardless of how they split the ticket revenue with the players.
On the conference call with Bucs fans, one said he’s praying for Goodell during the lockout.
“I appreciate your prayers,” Goodell said. “We’ll take any help we can get.”