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Ticket Hike No Way To Reward Fans

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 22, 2008

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to raise ticket prices again next year, the sixth year in a row.

Is there no end?

The economy has placed many fans on the financial injured reserve, so much so that Congress and the president plan a tax rebate to get people spending again.

With gas prices on the rise, insurance premiums through the roof and wages stagnant, the Bucs should have shown some restraint. Instead, they're raising ticket prices an average of $15 per ticket next season. This, in a taxpayer-supported stadium that sends significant revenues from non-team events back to the Bucs.

What a deal.

The Bucs offered little explanation for the price hike, other than a statement saying their tickets are cheaper than about half of the other teams in the National Football League.

We understand the need to be competitive, but in these trying economic times, raising ticket prices is a personal foul.

The Bucs claim to have thousands of people on the waiting list for season tickets, so the team should have no problem continuing the sellout streak that started when Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998. We'll see.

But every fan has a limit.

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