Chapter 20 of the Pride and Ferrell textbook ends with a discussion of pricing in Major League Baseball (page 698). The discussion of Major League Baseball pricing issues can be expanded to other spectator sports popular in the United States (NFL, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, PGA, etc¦). This should lead to a very interesting and lively discussion for our last mini-lecture this semester. The topic for discussion is below.
Discussion Point
Are spectator sports too expensive? Are consumers being driven out of the sports stadiums or arenas, and into their homes or other locations to view sporting events because of the rising costs of sports? Explain your answer. Which sporting leagues have the most to lose in terms of raising prices too high? Which groups of fans are most likely to stop attending sporting events, or reduce the number of events they attend, due to rising costs? Can sporting leagues make any adjustments to reduce costs for fans, or have sports fans come to accept the high price of attending sporting events?
(Do not be afraid to broaden this topic to discuss any pricing issue in sports today. Just be sure to label your response so that others will know where the discussion is focused.)