Losing Tom Brady to retirement three months ago was a heavy shock to digest for most NFL fans. The emotional damage was significantly more for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan base who had rejoiced in a Super Bowl championship only two years ago, courtesy of their former QB1. However, the damage extends beyond the pirate fan base. Looks as though Brady’s departure hurt the Florida franchise more.
Even after retirement, Tom Brady is hellbent on giving fans the best experience at Tampa Bay home games. However, this comes at the cost of the Buccaneers losing millions. How? Well, home game ticket prices have gone down drastically because of TB12’s retirement to a point where the Bucs are in a serious mess.
The Buccaneers reeling from the TB12 effect
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As the NFL released its schedule this month, all 32 NFL franchises announced the season ticket prices this week. And Tampa Bay fans have a reason to celebrate since the prices have been slashed by 50% due to Tom Brady hanging up the cleats. Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the second lowest ticket prices among all league franchises this year, with the average price coming to $179. They are only $29 higher than the cheapest NFL regular season tickets at the Indianapolis Colts home games.
The Patriots might be have to fight for relevance within their division.
But a few days into the ticket-selling season, they rank as the most expensive average price in the NFL.@KaplanSportsBiz on this year's prices: https://t.co/tUqdLx66kX
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 16, 2023
“It just goes to show you the demand or the power of Tom Brady,” TickPick’s Kyle Zorn said, as per The Athletic.
In other franchise news, Aaron Rodgers’ arrival has pushed NY Jets ticket prices from the 29th-highest up to the 14th on the list. 2x Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes’ heroics propelled the Kansas City Chiefs from the 10th spot last year to the 3rd place this season. However, while Tom Brady left a dent in the Buccaneers’ season sale, the 15x Pro Bowler has somehow helped his maiden team out significantly in the process.
The New England Patriots are still riding the Tom Brady wave
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Six Super Bowl championships are bound to create a lasting impact on fans. While that holds true for the New England Patriots, their 2023 season ticket prices rank in the top 5, despite Tom Brady leaving in 2020. However, Brady is playing a major role this year in giving the Patriots the most expensive ticketed home game.
The average Foxborough home game tickets are priced at $560. However, the Patriots will be honoring Tom Brady at the season opener on September 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles. This has pushed the ticket price to a whopping $1022.
Even at 45, Tom Brady seems to have more authority and control over the game of football than most starting quarterbacks in the league. Maybe the numbers will rise again when Brady starts his broadcasting gig with Fox Sports in 2024.
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