MLSE Ticket Sales Declining

[dagger]

I've wanted to go watch a Raptors game several times but opted not to because of the outrageous prices. I just can't justify like $250 per ticket for halfway decent seats vs. a team that isn't tanking.

Even leafs no longer selling out. It will only get worse. Toronto is in recession and even corporations who own many season tickets will find no takers for resale tixs unused ... like the condo market.. its only headed further south ...

A bit further south...maybe, a lot of people putting money into Jays' ticket and World Cup tickets, and so that will influence the amount of disposable income available for sports. The sports networks boosting prices doesn't help ticket sales either. However, you can't change the dynamics of dramatically oversupplied 400 sq ft condo market as fast as sports teams can change their future, and the World Cup is a one-time drain. I hope the Jays win the next WS, but in the AL East, with a couple of key injuries, they could just as easily end up in the basement again, and the Leafs are actually going to have a chance at a high lottery pick the way things are going (maybe the Raptors as well). I think the Jays are a bigger pain for Leaf tickets, with more suburban crossover between baseball and hockey than between baseball and basketball. The Jays have been boosting ticket prices the past few years since the stadium reno and the latest round of price increases was announced before the playoff run. If the Jays are contenders again, Rogers is going to boost Jays' ticket prices into the stratosphere

[vi3t]

last year I was able to score a few lower bowl seats for $50-$70 by waiting 5 mins before tip-off, this year prices are not dropping at all

[The Warrior]

The canadian economy in general is dog sh*t and youre seeing discretionary spending decline

It's not just the Canadian economy. Everything is expensive everywhere.

Billionaires are hoarding wealth as the middle class is destroyed.

Agreed and here's a bit of context: Elon Musk's net worth currently sits at $680 billion. There are around 8 billion people in this world. If Elon were to give each person $1 billion, he'd still have $672 billion or 98.8% of his wealth that remains. That's sick.

Of course I'm ignoring the inflationary aspect of this but it goes to show the enormous wealth & power of the ultra-rich and the gap between the rich and the poor is growing exponentially the world over.

You're absolutely right about the wealth disparity and it is indeed sickening. I just wanted to point out though that the math isn't correct here. If Elon Musk's net worth is $680 billion, he wouldn't be able to afford giving a billion to each of the 8 billion people in this world. He would only be able to give it to 680 people.

[Westside Gunn]

Could be related to team performance but that attendance is pretty good considering the prices. Fans are willing to pay specially in Toronto because there's really nothing else to do in the cold. If it was economy related the blue jay fans wouldn't be paying what they paid.

And when you have dudes like Sam McDadi show up to these basketball games understand that the game is now targeted now for a luxury and corporate experience. These people don't know anything about basketball - the presence is there for brand growth, be seen and promote your brand on social media.

Their account teams probably promote the tickets to corporates first. Then the resellers who are there to cash out during playoffs.

Its all a business - the fan experience you had when growing up is not coming back. Its now about the luxury experience

[WuTang_CMB]

economy is shyt and their prices r stupid
what u expect
considering that, they still making $$

[Troubadour]

I was a lower bowl season seat holder from 2014 to 2024 and the ticket prices have now reached a point I can't justify paying for a pair to a single game. I was looking to see how much a pair for a weeknight night game against an average team (e.g. Hawks, Jazz, Kings) would cost. For a pair in the worst part of the lower bowl, you're looking at a minimum of $400 for a night out before you've paid for food, transit/transport.

That's ten nights out to the cinema, five escape room experiences, two nights out to the theatre or a concert, and a literal roundtrip flight to the Caribbean for a single person.

I can find the economic logic in MLSE looking for a different kind of fan (ultra wealthy, extremely high discretionary income, increased food/beverage/merchandise spend in-arena). What I can't accept is that it is good for the fans and the community. The team has tanked, traded away beloved players, let others walk unceremoniously, fired a championship-winning coach and executive, and yet the thing that has caused my fandom to curdle into something ugly is this business.

I used to watch every game live. I used to attend 25-30 games per year plus playoffs! Now I don't even care if the team wins or loses most nights. Win, that means the Raptors played a good game. Lose, and I get to enjoy the arrogance and hubris of MLSE. Thing is, neither outcome demands my time, money or attention like it once did.

I genuinely used to think I would pass down my Raptors fandom to my future child(ren). Now I'm not even sure I'd bother taking them to a game.

[dagger]

One other small factor with ticket sales: At least in the upper bowl, the on-going renovations have degraded the overall fan experience somewhat. If you haven't been there this season, they are doing massive renovations to the restaurant/bar areas on a rolling basis, so everything before and after the game and especially at half time is so crowded you can hardly move. If you would normally go to a lot of games in person, this would make the total experience somewhat less enjoyable.

There are other little things as well. For many years, when the team was new(ish), or crap as in the Babcock years, season seatholders were treated better, with a thoughtful gift, more non-game events (like real draft parties). And the discount to the face value of tickets felt real. Now, ticket prices aside, the gift has been whittled down and there are fewer events, with lesser value. For the last few years, I have been taking the food/merchandise credit as a benefit, and it could be used right up until June 1. This year, they put an expiry of Jan 1 on it, and I wonder how many people who opted for the credit didn't notice that. And of course every season seatholder is paying a lot more for their seats now, prices have gone up a lot more than inflation. So have the concession prices which were always high, but now beer and wine prices rival what you'd pay in the bar of a five-star hotel.

That said, the Raptors were apparently one lottery ball off Cooper Flagg, and if they had got him do you think the vibe and ticket sales would be stagnant. Things can change fast in the sports world and I wouldn't bet on the fortunes of the teams, or MLSE, being down for long.

[SDM]

Prices are out of sync with other entertainment experiences. Bad teams, dumpy venue, in-game fan experience is the same loud garbage it has been since 1997.

I paid $40 recently to see a band from New Zealand who rarely tours. A memorable meal for two is about $100 per person. As long as these alternatives exist, I'll never go to a game and I'm ok with that.

[Anticon]

One other small factor with ticket sales: At least in the upper bowl, the on-going renovations have degraded the overall fan experience somewhat. If you haven't been there this season, they are doing massive renovations to the restaurant/bar areas on a rolling basis, so everything before and after the game and especially at half time is so crowded you can hardly move. If you would normally go to a lot of games in person, this would make the total experience somewhat less enjoyable.

There are other little things as well. For many years, when the team was new(ish), or crap as in the Babcock years, season seatholders were treated better, with a thoughtful gift, more non-game events (like real draft parties). And the discount to the face value of tickets felt real. Now, ticket prices aside, the gift has been whittled down and there are fewer events, with lesser value. For the last few years, I have been taking the food/merchandise credit as a benefit, and it could be used right up until June 1. This year, they put an expiry of Jan 1 on it, and I wonder how many people who opted for the credit didn't notice that. And of course every season seatholder is paying a lot more for their seats now, prices have gone up a lot more than inflation. So have the concession prices which were always high, but now beer and wine prices rival what you'd pay in the bar of a five-star hotel.

That said, the Raptors were apparently one lottery ball off Cooper Flagg, and if they had got him do you think the vibe and ticket sales would be stagnant. Things can change fast in the sports world and I wouldn't bet on the fortunes of the teams, or MLSE, being down for long.

They did this in the lower bowl last year, and it sucked. The worst part though is now the renos are done and it's really like a glorified airport. Nothing notable or inspiring or even remotely fun.

Not sure who is leading the Scotia renovations but it's an incredibly lost opportunity.

[dagger]

Prices are out of sync with other entertainment experiences. Bad teams, dumpy venue, in-game fan experience is the same loud garbage it has been since 1997.

I paid $40 recently to see a band from New Zealand who rarely tours. A memorable meal for two is about $100 per person. As long as these alternatives exist, I'll never go to a game and I'm ok with that.

I get the concert, but a memorable meal for two for $100? With wine, tax and tip? It would be memorable if a really good meal and dining experience were only $100.

[Dyabolikal]

I remember buying buying THREE PAIRS of Sprite Zone tickets around 2006 (albeit not top quality opponents) for $96 all in.

[mihaic]

Prices are out of sync with other entertainment experiences. Bad teams, dumpy venue, in-game fan experience is the same loud garbage it has been since 1997.

I paid $40 recently to see a band from New Zealand who rarely tours. A memorable meal for two is about $100 per person. As long as these alternatives exist, I'll never go to a game and I'm ok with that.

I get the concert, but a memorable meal for two for $100? With wine, tax and tip? It would be memorable if a really good meal and dining experience were only $100.

He said 100/person. It's still working. Granted I don't drink alcohol, so that aside, $200 for 2 in a very good restaurant is still fair game for a 3 course meal. Lower bowl tickets non-resale for a game are north of $500 if like me, you prefer sides (I personally cannot watch ot behind a basket, the other basket is too far, I'd need binoculars lol.

[mihaic]

I remember buying buying THREE PAIRS of Sprite Zone tickets around 2006 (albeit not top quality opponents) for $96 all in.

Very early 2000s was $15 in the sprite zone. I think even around $12 or so.

[whitehops]

Its all a business - the fan experience you had when growing up is not coming back. Its now about the luxury experience

I can find the economic logic in MLSE looking for a different kind of fan (ultra wealthy, extremely high discretionary income, increased food/beverage/merchandise spend in-arena). What I can't accept is that it is good for the fans and the community. The team has tanked, traded away beloved players, let others walk unceremoniously, fired a championship-winning coach and executive, and yet the thing that has caused my fandom to curdle into something ugly is this business.

it's 100% a strategic approach, and not only by MLSE but by most major sports teams now. they can raise ticket prices as much as they want and market/distribute them to corporations or the very wealthy and make more money than trying to get the "average" person to attend and sell out the crowd.

i've worked for a bunch of charities and non-profits (in the finance department) and the fundraising team would 100% go after the "white whales". a $10,000 donation from one individual (with opportunity to get more) is a lot more fruitful than trying to get 500 people to donate $20 and that's likely all the disposable income they have to spend.

it sucks but i don't think it's an MLSE-exclusive situation.

[gidget24]

Family has had season tickets since 95. I manage them currently and they are just too expensive for 300 level. Hard to sell without taking a loss each night.

As people have said they have been renovating but it almost feels like they pushed out the bars and concession stands so there is less room to walk in the concourse. It has been a while since I have played Madden and it feels like they are just doing what you did in GM roll, see how high you can raise seat prices for revenue and are probably okay with not selling out when everyone else is paying more and they are making more money selling 90% of the tickets at raised prices vs 100% of the tickets and prices from a year or two ago, which were already too high.

I will say this was the first year in almost 15 where we didn't see a price increase for our seats. I think that is because we sold so many below value last year that they realized people aren't buying from them and that resales are lower so can't go higher.


I don't think you will see changes though till they start loosing season seat holders and I know my family have had a few discussions on if it is worth the hassle, as much as we all love the team, if we can't go and can't even sell the games below value without taking a 30-40% loss on 300 lvl seats why do it

[C Court]

My son and I were talking about this same situation during the World Series. While we agreed that it was ridiculous for us to buy a pair of World Series tickets (we were at game 2 and 6 in 1993), the demand was extremely high.

My son knows execs at MLSE, Rogers, Ticketmaster and StubHub and they are not generally worried about ticket prices. The demand for a “luxury experience” at almost any price for a sports or music event defies pricing logic. It makes no sense, but they raise prices for tickets and food/drinks and add PSL fees and build high end luxury private seat areas and there inevitably appears to be someone who will buy the experience.

[refshateRaps]

Live sports are extra corny, WAY oversaturated by sponsor marketing and overpriced these days.

I just like the game itself, nothing else adds up and much of the rest annoys me to some extent. When the hype wears off, it becomes a very tuff sell at absurd prices even in a City full with a high percentage of wealthy people

[___Rand___]

I'm not crying for Ed Rogers and MLSE. I hope they wither and die. Free Toronto Sports!

[Kingsway_fan]

last year I was able to score a few lower bowl seats for $50-$70 by waiting 5 mins before tip-off, this year prices are not dropping at all

If the team doesn't get back on track when RJ returns, expect lot of ticket discounting.... well below list.

[ciueli]

I remember buying buying THREE PAIRS of Sprite Zone tickets around 2006 (albeit not top quality opponents) for $96 all in.

Very early 2000s was $15 in the sprite zone. I think even around $12 or so.

I bought a 10 game pack for the 2006-2007 season in the Sprite Zone and it was $12.50 per game plus tax, basically $14 per game. Even in 2012 I went to a game against the Wolves, got bottom row tickets in the upper bowl endline for $44 total for the pair, those same seats now seem to be going for around $140+ for similar opposition, you have to be a dedicated fan to pay those kinds of prices. FYI, inflation adjusted that $44 price in 2025 dollars is supposedly around $60.