Michael Leeds, a Temple University professor who specializes in sports economics, said the high prices are a simple case of supply and demand. Philadelphia has a huge football culture, which drives prices high. But unlike some other football-loving regions, Greater Philadelphia has no other major football program competing with the Eagles for fans.
“Someone once said, ‘If the University of Nebraska has a home football game, that stadium is the second-largest city in Nebraska,’” said Leeds. “It hurts me to say this as a Temple faculty member and a Temple football fan, but the Eagles are to a great extent the only football game in town.”
Fans aren’t entirely to blame. The Eagles’ high prices also come amid a broader increase in the cost of attending sporting events. Admission prices for games rose 123% between 2000 and 2025, compared with an 87% increase in consumer prices overall, according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The rising cost of attending games and other ticketed events has also drawn the attention of Pennsylvania lawmakers.
A bipartisan bill proposed by state Reps. Mary Isaacson, D-Philadelphia, and Tom Mehaffie, R-Dauphin County, would cap extra fees at 5% for the buyer and 5% for the seller. The bill passed in the state House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. If it does not pass by the end of the year, Isaacson plans to reintroduce it next year and said she feels optimistic about its chances.
“Hopefully our Eagles will be getting ready to go into their playoff run to the Super Bowl again and it will be a hot topic,” Isaacson said.