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It's Going To Be Expensive To Watch The Chargers Play
Philip Rivers. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Chargers came to Los Angeles under less-than-ideal circumstances: San Diegans have proclaimed owner Dean Spanos as public enemy number one, and Angelenos, wary of the NFL after a disappointing season by the Rams, were not the most enthusiastic bunch.
Which is to say that the Chargers may be a hard sell. And, if the ticket prices are any indication, Angelenos might have a hard time buying into the team...like, literally. As reported at KPCC, the Chargers are slated to have the highest average ticket price in the NFL, with the average hitting the $192 mark. In a release sent to LAist, the team says that seats will start at $70 per game, and will go up to $375.
For context (as if "highest average ticket price" isn't enough), NBC 26 says that the average ticket across all NFL teams during the 2016-2017 season was $92.98. In that same season, the Chicago Bears had the highest average ticket price with $131.90 (over $60 cheaper than the projected Chargers' average ticket price).
Though, as noted at Fox Business, some teams are so popular that the only way to get into the stadium is to purchase tickets that are being resold on the "secondary market." The New England Patriots topped this list with an average of $347 per resale ticket. The Seattle Seahawks came in second at $337. So, in real-life terms, Chargers fans may actually end up paying less to get into the stadium.
So why are Chargers tickets (at face value) so expensive? As noted at KPCC, the team will be playing at the Stubhub Center in Carson, which was primarily built for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. The soccer-specific stadium has only about 30,000 seats, far below what the usual NFL stadium seats. So, presumably, the Chargers have to make up the difference somewhere.
In a release, the team pitched Stubhub as "the NFL’s most intimate venue." Meaning, if you really want to get up close and personal with quarterback Philip Rivers, the price tag may be worth it.
If you value your personal space, however, just know that the Chargers are only playing temporarily at Stubhub. They'll be moving into the upcoming Inglewood stadium with the Rams once it's completed for the 2019 NFL season.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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