The Premium Price You Have To Pay To Get Beer At These NBA Arenas
No sporting event would be complete without the offering of some good food and drinks alongside it. From the calls for hot dogs and kettle corn at minor league baseball games to a nice sip of Coca-Cola sitting courtside, it all comes together to complete the fan experience. Because of the popularity of this combination, a lot of vendors take advantage of the chance to make some extra money, marking up the drinks they sell in sporting arenas by a lot. In the case of a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game, we're talking about tall cans of beer with a 400% markup, according to CBC.
Although some people don't think twice before shelling out the money for a $12 beer, the prices in some areas are higher, via Food & Wine. So when will consumers put their foot down and just stop buying beer in arenas? In the case of the NBA and its hefty beer prices, we may see some basketball fans approaching that threshold soon.
The cost of a brew at every NBA game
While prices for beer vary rapidly between each sporting event, most drinks at NFL games hover somewhere between $5 at the low end up to $14, per Statista. That's an average of about $9.25 per beer. However, the premium price for a brew at some NBA arenas has football stadiums beat.
Per Statista, the cost of a beer at many NBA arenas used to average around $7.50 in the 2015-16 season. Now they've jumped much higher. According to Bookies.com, the average cost of a beer at an NBA arena is now $10.53 for a 16-ounce cup. If you're curious about the most economically sound option, the cheapest price is $5.28 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. For those okay with splurging a little more, you could always hit the stands of the TD Garden in Boston, or the Chase Center in San Francisco for the most expensive brews at $17.28, per Bookies.com
If you like to indulge in a beer while cheering on your favorite team, don't forget to consider the price of the beer when buying your ticket. (Not to mention some food to pair with it). As pointed out by Bookies.com, these climbing costs can add up more quickly than you think.