Attending a football game is a great way to bring families and communities together. The common goal of rooting for a team connects people from all over. I have very fond memories of attending NFL and college football games growing up (and to this day!). But is the average family being priced out of attending games? It’s sure seeming that way. In fact, if you’re in North Carolina and a Panthers fan, it most likely is. A new study by Betway has determined that by 2025 the Carolina Panthers game day experience will be the 6th most expensive in the NFL.
The study considered the cost of tickets, jerseys, hot dogs, and beers at the game for a family of four. And it’s never been cheap by any standards. But the amount you can expect to shell out? It’s hard to say “that’s worth it”. And I am a die-hard football fan and college football season ticket holder.
To discover which fanbase is expected to see the biggest spike in prices Betway created the ‘Future Family Fandom Cost’ Index. The index forecasts how much each fanbase will be paying come 2025. And it’s bad news for Panthers fans.
One of the metrics you’ll see in the list below is Total Family Cost. The total family cost is based on a family of four. It includes the price of 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 soft drinks, 2 beers, 1 adult jersey, and parking. One thing worth noting is that cost of an adult jersey is standard throughout the NFL. Except for the Washington Commanders. Assumedly due to the name change.
Some interesting tidbits I picked up are the following:
- The cheapest beer in the NFL in 2025 is predicted to be the New York Jets at $1.25. Umm that’s a fantastic deal!
- In contrast, the most expensive is the Washington Commanders at $27.44. That’s enough to keep me sober.
- A hot dog and soda will each cost you just $3 in Baltimore.
- The cheapest tickets come from the Los Angeles Chargers- just $18.90 per ticket.
- The most expensive ticket? The Las Vegas Raiders at $469.12. That’s the vacation destination price I guess!
The Carolina Panthers Game Day Experience
To enjoy a Carolina Panthers game in 2025 you can expect to spend $909.82 for a family of 4. For that price, I’d be livid if we lost! It’s very telling to me that this is the state of the franchise. Owner David Tepper is the richest in the NFL. The team has also spent the last several seasons as one of the league’s worst. It’s extremely hard to get fans to justify the cost to see a lackluster team that is lacking big-name stars. Asking fans to fork out that kind of cash is tone deaf IMO. Especially considering Tepper’s recent debacles with the Rock Hill and Eastland Mall projects.
To put this in contrast let’s look at the next closest NFL team to Charlotte. That would be the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons got their new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. It cost $1.6 billion to build. Yet Falcons rank 26th on the prediction list. Panthers tickets are predicted to be $151.48 compared to $108.61. I’ve actually been to this stadium for a concert and it stuck out to me how affordable the food and drink were. You’re looking at a forecasted $5.00 for a beer, $2.00 for a soda, and $3.56 for a hot dog. That is a very reasonable price to pay for families and spectators.
If this prediction holds true and the Carolina Panthers game day experience in the NFL it will be interesting to see how this impacts ticket sales. Obviously, this largely will be influenced by the success of the team in the next few years. But I don’t see myself spending almost $1,000 to attend a game when the odds say we are going to lose. Hopefully this season will be the start of a better run for the home team. Keep Pounding!