Why NFL Tickets Are Getting Cheaper

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Football fans should be happy that the lockout is over, and that, in most cases, ticket prices at stadiums around the country have remained flat. Four pro teams have even lowered ticket prices this season.

According to USA Today, the majority of NFL teams (24 out of 32) are keeping average ticket prices for the 2011 season at the same level as last year. By contrast, 18 teams increased average ticket prices for the 2010 season. SeatGeek has reported that four NFL teams (Browns, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers) have even scaled back ticket prices this year, which, as most fans know, is nearly unheard of in modern-day sports.

What explains the non-skyrocketing of ticket prices? Team owners seem to get that fans just don’t have much extra money to throw around of late. Game attendance has declined in each of the past three years, beginning in 2007 with the start of the recession. Even as the economy tanked, football tickets continued creeping upwards, increasing 4.5% in 2010 for an average ticket price of $76.47.

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In light of dwindling attendance, continued high unemployment and economic woes, and a lockout that did nothing to improve NFL public relations, the owners have apparently come to the conclusion that jacking up ticket prices this year wouldn’t be good for business.

Among the teams that have gone against the grain and did raise prices for this season is one playing tonight—the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots, who are the early favorites to win the 2012 Super Bowl, have the highest average face value for tickets ($117.84), more than double the team with the cheapest average ticket price, the Cleveland Browns ($54.51).

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In related news, while game attendance has been down, TV viewership is way up, per USA Today:

As more cash-strapped fans watched games for free from home last year, the NFL drew record viewership of 207.7 million in 2010. Game telecasts averaged 17.9 million viewers, the highest since 1989.

This Sunday, fans can watch even more football action than normal for free, as the NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone Channel will be complimentary for most cable customers.

Brad Tuttle is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @bradrtuttle. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.