Experiencing that elusive championship game in person tops the bucket list for live event fans of all ages.
"Priceless" opportunities usually don't come around often, but when they do, sports fans make sure to take advantage - according to our data.
Taking a look at average historical prices for sold tickets across postseasons for the four major professional sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) plus college basketball and college football, we were able to see just how much it costs to be there live when a new champion is crowned.
Highlights (jump to full key)
*We now know what would happen to ticket prices if the Chicago Cubs ever made the World Series. Ahead of the epic 2016 Fall Classic against the Cleveland Indians, speculation had pointed to Super Bowl-like prices, especially with both franchises seeking to end long championship droughts.
While many did splurge on highly priced seats throughout the series, when all was said and done, the average price for 2016 World Series tickets came out to $1,805 - a figure that made it the highest priced World Series ever, but still far short of Super Bowl numbers.
*On average, NFL fans have paid $3,653 to attend the Super Bowl since 2012. The next closest is $1,321 - the average price paid for tickets to attend the College Football National Championship Game (including post BCS era).
*Sports fans looking to attend the cheapest championship event overall should make their way to the next Final Four, as the College Basketball National Championship Game is annually the most affordable of the group. Since 2012, the average cost of a ticket has been just $337.
*Note: To accommodate the playoff semifinals, college football prices reflect the season during which the games took place. For all other sports, the year in which the game/series took place was used. For the study, outlying data was excluded.
Highlights
*Prior to the 2016 Cubs-Indians clash, the World Series had been the most affordable of the sports boasting a series rather than a single game. From 2012-15, the combined average price was $646 for sold tickets, but it now stands at $877 (+36%), propelling it ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals ($733) and NBA Finals ($678).