Conservative Colts fans drive ticket prices down on secondary market

Indianapolis residents are largely fiscally conservative. The expectations this year for the Indianapolis Colts are somewhere between modest and uncertain.

Those two factors combined mean the Colts this year have some of the cheapest tickets on the secondary market of all 32 NFL teams.

The Colts rank 28th this year in median ticket prices on the secondary market, according to Vivid Seats, a national ticket brokerage. With the Colts at $110, only Detroit ($108), Cleveland ($104), Jacksonville ($103) and Kansas City ($88) have cheaper seats, according to Vivid.

The Seattle Seahawks lead the league, with a median ticket price on the secondary market of $395. Seattle is followed by Denver ($355), New England ($345), Green Bay ($289) and Chicago ($280).

For the complete list, click here.

Vivid Seats also ranks how each NFL team affects secondary ticket prices on the road. The Colts rank a fair bit stronger in this category at No. 17. When the Colts come calling, their opponents’ tickets sell for 2 percent higher than they normally do on the secondary market. That may not sound like much, but 15 NFL teams drag down their opponents’ home ticket prices on the secondary market. 

No team is more of a drag than Cleveland. The Browns are enough to make ticket brokers shudder. When Cleveland comes to town, ticket prices plummet 18 percent. 

When Dallas, New England and Green Bay come to town, there is cause for celebration among ticket resellers. No road teams drive up prices more than the Cowboys (65 percent above the average median), Patriots (62 percent) and the Packers (56 percent). For the complete list, click here.

A look at the Colts regular season home schedule bears out what Colts officials and ticket brokers have been telling IBJ for weeks. 

The Chicago Bears are by far the hottest ticket on the Colts schedule. The median price for that game, according to Vivid Seats, is $232. 

Local ticket brokers told IBJ that, if the Colts home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t on Thanksgiving night, it would have rivaled prices for the Bears game. As it is, the median price is $183.

The median price for tickets on the secondary market for the Colts' other six home games ranges from $82 to $97, according to Vivid Seats. You can see the breakdown of ticket prices for each NFL team's home games by clicking here. 

Colts officials told IBJ last week that all the team’s home games are nearing a sellout. But if Colts fans are unable to get a good ticket at the box office, it appears there will be plenty of solid deals on the secondary market.