After welcoming its first ever professional sports title with a Seahawks Super Bowl victory this past season, the city of Seattle has plenty to cheer for moving forward. The impressive play of the Mariners this season has also generated a strong buzz throughout the league, prompting both fans and opposing teams to acknowledge them as a contender after a nearly 13-year playoff drought. The Seahawks remain a heavy favorite to make another deep playoff run this season after demoralizing the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. While Seattle sports are on the up-and-up, so are secondary prices for Seahawks tickets at CenturyLink Field during the upcoming season. The Mariners, who are seven games over .500 but still trail the first place Athletics by a demanding eight games, will see quite the opposite effect over the second half of the season despite their success as average secondary price at Safeco Field is well below MLB average.
The Seahawks will open the 2014 NFL season with even more to prove after a deafening 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in last season’s Super Bowl. The veteran-like leadership of young quarterback Russell Wilson served as a catalyst for the Seahawks all season long, allowing the team to enter the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The excitement surrounding the Seahawks after their Super Bowl win has certainly not gone unnoticed, either, as secondary market Seahawks tickets are the priciest in the league.
At an average price of $433.29, Seahawks tickets at CenturyLink Field are 93.19% higher than the NFL average of $224.28. Key matchups on the Seahawks schedule at home this season include a September 4 game against the Packers, September 21 against the Broncos and a December 14 matchup against the 49ers. According to TiqIQ.com, the most expensive game at CenturyLink Field this season will be the opening game of the season on September 4 against the Packers, which sees a current average price of $598.33.
Another team that plays in Centurylink are the Seattle Sounders of the MLS. Fans in Seattle love soccer and love the Sounders. Currently tickets for home games on the Sounders schedule are averaging $66.12 and they also lead the MLS in attendance with a per game average of 40,091.
A turnaround season hasn’t made Mariners tickets rise on the secondary market at Safeco Field but the team remains a healthy competitor in a cutthroat AL West division. The Mariners have not posted a winning season since 2009 and have not made the playoffs since 2001. While the team currently sits at 51-44, postseason contention is still feasible despite trailing the A’s by eight games. Wild Card hopes are high, however, as the AL West is arguably the most competitive division in the MLB this season. With a winning record and postseason play still in the cards, the Mariners have an average second half price of $56.06 , 30% lower than the MLB average of $80.18. While attendance rates are also low at Safeco Field (24th in the league at 23,858 per game), the Mariners continue to post wins despite playing in front of empty seats. 10 divisional series remain at home on the Mariners schedule this season while each AL West team visits Safeco Field once more.
With the Mariners winning games and the Seahawks winning championships, spirit undoubtedly rides high in the fastest-growing city in the United States. As its teams enter a new era of success, Seattle has earned a new sense of importance in a sports world that has become all too familiar with its failures. If the Mariners continue to excel and the Seahawks remain a top contender in the NFL, Seattle can certainly reestablish itself at the table of sports culture for years to come.