Should Sporting Events Be Free?

Should sporting events be free? Would this be good for teams and fans alike?

I would love for sporting events to be free because it would allow the fans to attend their corresponding team’s games without having to go through financial detriment, at least for the free tickets. As for the team, it would be great as they’ll have an even bigger audience, potentially bringing other forms of revenue that can cover lost revenues from ticket sales. Moreover, it can also attract team sponsorships, which is a must in this era of entertainment. Together, the fans and teams will be able to foster a close-knit relationship with one another which brings both parties benefits in the long run.

What’s the most memorable sporting event you’ve ever attended? What stands out about the experience?

Honestly, I’ve never attended a ‘major’ sporting event, like if we’re talking that I attended a NYCFC game (an MLS team), negative. However, I have attended some amateur leagues, and those were fun as one will see fans from both teams yelling, celebrating, or even starting a chant, which is something I like to see in almost any sporting atmosphere. 

How often do you go to games in person? Do you ever find tickets too expensive? Do high prices scare you away — and even prevent you from being a loyal fan?

I haven’t attended any major sporting event, as in a game where it’s part of a league of some kind. In my case, I’m interested in football (soccer), and whenever I see the ticket prices for any MLS team or when the Men’s or Women’s Mexican National Football Team play in the U.S., I’m discouraged by the high prices, and also because it would require me to go travel across states. Does it prevent me from being a loyal fan, not, one doesn’t need to spend money to be a ‘loyal’ fan, there are other ways to show your team’s support, however, for those that do want to attend games though, it may prevent them. 

What’s your reaction to Paris F.C. doing away with ticket prices for the rest of its season? What might be the benefit of making this experiment with free tickets more universal? What might be the downside?

I was honestly surprised that a team was doing away with ticket prices as that’s a guaranteed revenue that they collect since people have to pay to watch the games. The benefit of making this experiment with free tickets more universal is that it would lead to other teams with small fan bases, potentially increase, and with it attract any sponsorship deals which is great help for teams wanting to climb up in terms of popularity and potentially bring some achievements that can further help them gain recognition, Fortuna Dusseldorf, a second division team in the 2. Bundesliga of German Football is about to make history, not only because they made tickets free for their supporters, but also having the opportunity to gain promotion the the Bundesliga, the first division of German Football. Why is this meaningful? If they do gain promotion, sponsorship deals, and incentives for the government to help the stadium increase will come forth. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all, but can be great for teams. The downside is, of course, lost ticket revenues, and for small teams who really need that revenues of all kinds would be detrimental as other teams may take their supporters away since they’re offering ‘free’ tickets.

What are other ways teams and sports leagues could attract more fans and build long-term loyalty, especially among younger fans?

I say if a team were to attract ways to garner the attention of prospective fans, especially the younger ones, they’d have to make time and connect with them. Perhaps host events where the people will be able to meet players in person with no entry fees or make weekly visits to schools or sports centers to connect with the younger fanbases. Now if a team doesn’t want to give away free ticket prices, they could adopt the ownership stadium that the German Bundesliga has the fans own the majority of the team rather than investment firms owning multiple teams. With this, fans will feel more connected with their teams, knowing that their voices will be heard as they have a say in certain decisions that a team/club makes.

What do you think? How important are the spectators to sporting events? Are they an essential part of the game, providing “the chorus, the texture, the soundtrack, the spectacle”? Should teams consider not just allowing fans in free, but possibly even paying them to attend?

The spectators are a must in every team, without them, what’s the point? Having no spectators means no game atmosphere, which is something that fans enjoy. Also, there will be no rivalries, which is something that T.V. broadcasters heavily emphasize. You can’t just have a team with fanbases go against another with little to none, there’s no joy. Moreover, it’s the fans that make superstars ‘Super Stars’ , without them, who will possibly care about them? Take football (soccer) for instance, in almost every European League, the fans are essential, on T.V. you’ll see teams with ‘ultras’, chanting, regular fans joining in the fun, cheering, all of this necessary for the sport to be enjoyable. During the pandemic, teams still played but stadiums shut down, What was the result? An emptiness. Now should teams pay their fans to attend games? No, tickets being free is more than enough.