Universally acknowledged as the Motor City, Detroit has enjoyed much of its professional sporting success through the Tigers, who have won four World Championships and 11 pennants since the team’s inception in 1901. Despite owning four NFL Championships the Lions are one of just four teams to have never won a Super Bowl, with their last Championship coming in 1957. The Lions have struggled over the last two seasons and have failed to post a winning record since 2011, which in-turn has caused secondary prices for Lions tickets to fall well below the NFL average at Ford Field for the upcoming 2014 season. The Tigers’ success in recent years has lead the team to three consecutive playoff appearances since 2011 with all signs pointing to a fourth as they stand comfortably in first place in the AL Central division. As wins continue to mount for the Tigers, so does average secondary ticket price. With a 53-38 record over the first half of the season, the Tigers sit well above the MLB average price for games at Comerica Park.
With 26-year-old Matthew Stafford entering his sixth year under center, the Lions have reached the playoffs just once, in 2011 where they lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Game. Detroit has managed just 11 wins over its last two seasons, compiling 21 losses in that timeframe as well. Superstar wideout Calvin Johnson continues to put up Pro Bowl statistics with each passing year but has not been able to carry the 53-man roster himself. As the 2014 season begins in just over seven weeks, the average price for Lions tickets is $169.16, a considerable 24.57% below the NFL average of $224.28. Notable divisional games at Ford Field on the Lions schedule this season include a Week 3 game against the Packers, Week 13 against the Bears on a Thursday night and a 15 matchup with the Vikings.
While the Lions have failed to put together multiple winning seasons since the ’94 and ’95 seasons, the Tigers have managed to finish first in the AL Central every year since 2011 and are on pace to extend that streak through this season. The Tigers’ success comes largely from one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the league fronted by defending AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez, who has been an anchor through the first half of the season. As the second half begins this week, the average price for Tigers tickets at Comerica Park is currently $107.41, an impressive 30.96% above the MLB average of $80.18. The Tigers currently sit in first place with a comfortable 6.5-game lead over the Royals, the largest first-place lead among any division in the league. 11 divisional series at Comerica Park remain on the Detroit Tigers schedule and the Royals will visit just once more in the regular season. The Indians and White Sox will each travel to Detroit for two more series before the end of the season.
Detroit’s 30-year Championship drought has certainly caused much grief throughout the city since Ronald Reagan’s first term of Presidency, but the success of the Tigers in recent years has restored faith in the city’s professional sports franchises, albeit ever-so-slightly. As hope springs eternal for the Lions during the offseason months and Comerica Park continues to see above-average ticket prices on the secondary market, the Detroit faithful remain confident that their three-decade long pestilence may soon come to an end.