Another View
First of two parts
I know many Black NFL fans, but can they afford to see games in person? It is as expensive today as ever to attend pro football games.
The 2023 average ticket price was $120.94. When you factor in parking, buying food and drinks and merchandise, the average cost balloons to $631.63.
The Vikings downtown edifice is regularly full, but mostly with white people. I haven’t run into too many Blacks at Vikings home games. It usually seems that more Blacks are working the games than watching the home team play.
Occasionally I do run into a Black fan or two, such as a Black couple visiting from Dallas, in town to watch their favorite San Francisco 49ers team play Minnesota on Sept. 15. Tommy and Jennifer Deboskie agreed to talk to us.
They briefly itemized their weekend stay in Minneapolis, which included a visit to Prince’s Paisley Park on their last night in town. “I think it cost us maybe $1,000 to come, with the tickets, flights, hotel, and it’s very expensive to come to Minneapolis,” noted Tommy.
“When we got here,” he continued, “we got a drink. We got one burrito, water, peanuts, and that was 40 bucks.”
It’s not that much cheaper for a family of four to see other men’s sports: NHL – $462.58; NBA — $444.12; MLS — $266.58
According to Seatgeek.com, the lowest price for 2024 Vikings tickets is approximately $74, with an average price of $350. Statista.com pointed out that the team’s average ticket prices went from $71.32 in 2006 to $123.87 in 2023.
Only on two occasions did Statista find where Vikings ticket prices went down (41 cents between 2006 and 2007 – 71.32 to 70.91) or showed no change in prices (75.69 from 2010-12).
The DeBoskie couple are admittedly huge NFL fans. They too have noticed very few fellow Blacks like themselves at pro games whether here in downtown Minneapolis or back home in Dallas.
“I guess they don’t have the means to be able to come,” surmisedTommy.
“The pricing is something that I think really, really hurts when it comes to [attending NFL games] because the middle class might not be able to get that,” added Travis Singleton. He said he attended the Vikings-Houston contest simply because a friend gave him a ticket.
Singleton also noticed the lack of Black fans sitting around him, comparing it to Minnesota Timberwolves games. “I feel like there’s more predominantly Black people around when it comes to the Timberwolves games than the Vikings games,” he continued. “I do know that basketball resonates with African Americans a lot more than football usually does.
“I would love to see more African Americans actually at the [Vikings] game,” said Singleton. “I felt comfortable when I came to Target Center last year and I felt like it was a cookout. But when I walked in US Bank [Stadium], it was a total different vibe.”
Jennifer Deboskie pointed out that even though she and her husband can afford to go to a football game, the price is too costly to bring their children or other family members along. “It’s just he and I,” she stressed.
Despite the lack of color at the Vikings game, both the Deboskies and Singleton felt they were treated well by the surrounding fans.
“We’re comfortable,” said Tommy. “Nobody heckled us. Nobody bothered us.”
“I did feel comfortable,” said Singleton. “The people I was sitting next to, they offered me drinks.”
The three Black folk we talked to in separate interviews all agreed there should be more Blacks at NFL games.
“I don’t know if it’s ticket pricing,” said Singleton.
“I don’t think we are respected as fans because if the [NFL team] owners respected us, they would keep the prices down,” Tommy DeBoskie concluded. “I think it’s all about the money grab.”
Next – a look at the cost of attending local college games