The two guest appearances by the US National Football League (NFL) triggered waves of enthusiasm and real hype in this country at the beginning of November. Sports puritans who swear by quintessentially German sports such as fistball or tug-of-war shook their heads at such excessive enthusiasm. After the gun smoke has settled a bit, it’s definitely worth taking a look at the industry and the numbers behind it. They say a lot about the actual relationship between sport and money in Germany – and about the increasing turn to disciplines that enjoy huge popularity on the other side of the pond. When sales for the two November NFL games in Frankfurt/Main were opened for the first time in June, 1.5 million applicants competed for the tickets. Within 15 minutes all the cards were gone. According to NFL Germany boss Alexander Steinforth, around three million ticket requests were received for last year’s Munich Game – the first regular-season game on German soil. The vast majority of card hunters had to come away empty-handed.
Where does this huge demand come from for a sport that is only practiced by a small group of enthusiasts in Germany? The industry service Statista Daily Data recently presented insightful figures that above all illustrate the monumental economic power of the NFL. It is the highest-grossing sports league in the world. With a total of 272 matches (plus playoffs) per season, it plays comparatively few games. In the NBA basketball league there are over four times as many (1,230). Nevertheless, last year the NFL generated revenues of $18.6 billion, almost twice as high as the NBA (around $10 billion). It even exceeds the combined revenues of the five largest European soccer leagues by around $1.4 billion.
Like all US leagues, writes Statista, the NFL is a veritable marketing machine: “With the small difference that everything about it is enormously inflated.” The NFL stadiums are among the largest in the world and are at full capacity for almost every game. At the same time, every game is celebrated like a large-scale event. Added to this is the brand strength and merchandising of the individual teams. With the Super Bowl, the NFL has also created one of the largest sporting events in the world, which for many viewers is all about the surroundings. The NFL earns tens of millions annually from the commercials shown during the Super Bowl halftime show alone. A 30-second spot at the most recent NFL final cost an average of around seven million euros.
In recent years, the NFL has expanded its presence to markets outside of North America. While there were more games in Japan during the NFL International Series in the 1990s, the football league has been focusing on the European market since the 2010s. NFL games regularly take place at Wembley Stadium in London. In 2022, a game was played in Germany for the first time since 1994, but only a friendly match. This year, German football fans could look forward to two league games in Frankfurt, including with the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs. Plans were already seriously discussed last November to include four European teams, including one from Germany, in NFL games on a regular basis in the next few years. It was reported that this was the only way to achieve further profit increases. The US market appears to be exhausted.
While the admission prices for the German guest games were between 225 euros and 75 euros, completely different sums are charged in the USA. For the absolute highlight of the season, the Super Bowl, the average (!) ticket price is already in the five-figure range; exactly at $10,959.29. At last year’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles, according to The Sporting News, the lowest (!) price was just over $5,800. Anyone looking for a seat on the upper deck for a better view of the action had to shell out an incredible $40,723 for the most expensive seat there (according to SI Tickets). Small consolation: He would be sitting in the coveted section 108, directly at the center line.
In contrast, tickets for the German Bundesliga look like real bargains. According to Statista, seats at FC Bayern cost between 40 and 80 euros for full-paying adults in the current season, while at Borussia Dortmund it is similarly expensive at 35 to 70 euros. Newcomers like Darmstadt 98, on the other hand, are a little cheaper at 36 to 57 euros. Standing room costs 15 to 19 euros at the three clubs mentioned. Just for comparison: According to the club, prices for day tickets for second division club 1. FC Magdeburg range between 17 and 39.50 euros.
The fact that Bundesliga clubs are demanding more and more money from their fans every year is of course nothing new. But: How much are people interested in football in Germany still willing to pay? Statista asked almost 1,800 people this not insignificant question (given the current economic situation) as part of the European Football Benchmark. Most of those surveyed, 38 percent, would spend around 20 to 30 euros on a card. With this budget, however, the majority of Bundesliga clubs would only have standing room. 20 percent of those surveyed are not even prepared to pay more than 20 euros. At least eleven percent, however, a stadium experience is worth more than 100 euros. Money isn’t everything after all…
2023-12-04 05:31:50
#Sport #lots #money #COMPACT #MEDIA
