[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The most probable answer is that we always were willing, but the owners hadn't realized how far they could push it yet.

I can see ownership misjudging price pain points a little, but by 500%? I have a hard time believing owners could have charged $150 for Flames tickets in 1993, but they sold them for $30 because of a miscalculation. That would require a remarkable degree of incompetence on their part, and on the part of the sales people in 20+ other NHL cities.

Originally Posted by Kavvy

It may not account for the entire change, but population has increase, and quantity of seats has remained constant.

Assuming all other factors remain constant, your supply and demand equation just bent towards increased prices.

But how does that explain the 500% increase in tickets prices in Winnipeg, which has hardly grown at all in population in the last 20 years?

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I think prices for some things have gone down, while things for other things have gone up. I remember my dad buying a super VHS for $1,100 back in 1985. Electronics like TVs, CD players, Walkmans, and video games were way more expensive in the 80s than they are now (comparatively). You also have people spending a ton of money on music and movie mediums (cassettes, CDs, tapes, etc).

Nowadays, you have consumable media that is way is way cheaper (and free if you pirate off the internet). The money people use for entertainment has shifted from one form of medium to another, and hence why more people are willing to pay higher prices for things like sports, concerts, and shows.

That makes a lot of sense to me. Furniture, TVs, movie rentals, CDs, etc. used to be way more expensive compared to today's prices. People were happy to pay 70% the cost of a Flames game for a CD. Today, the relative value of those two products has diverged enormously. Concert tickets relative to recorded music have gone the same way.

So yeah, I think people today spend much less on physical items, so they have more money to pay for experiences, and have come to value experiences higher.

Originally Posted by getbak

As far as the jersey thing is concerned, I don't know if it's as much a money thing as a general change in society. 30-40 years ago, it was usually only children who wore jerseys to games, and adults still dressed up to go to games.

Yep. It would have been really weird to see a grown 40 year old man wearing a Flames jersey in 1989. A 40 year old woman wearing one would have been regarded as comical.

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

I think we live in more affluent times.

The number of people taking trips to Hawaii, Mexico, Vegas, Europe, Asia, etc. is far greater than it was in the 1980s. Back then summer vacation was driving to Saskatchewan to vist the relatives. Now it seems like everyone is flying off somewhere.

Back in the 80s, there were far more families living off of one income which meant far less spending money on things like entertainment.

I agree this isn't sport specific. Concert ticket prices have similarly increased. In 1981, it cost $10 for a day in Disneyland. Now it is $92.

Yeah, dual-income households are probably another factor. Back in the 80s, an engineer made a pretty good salary (though not as good as today). However, he probably had the only income in the household, or his wife earned very little as a receptionist or stationary clerk. Now professionals marry professionals, both keep their jobs, and that leaves a lot of discretionary income for play.