Patriots, Who Already Have Highest Prices in NFL, Raising Average Ticket to Over $100

The New England Patriots have announced they are raising ticket prices for the first time since 2004, and will be the first team to average over $100 for a ticket to a regular season NFL game. New England's average ticket price was close to $91 a ticket for 2007, when the NFL league average hovered just above $68. The Patriots have had the highest average ticket price in the NFL since 2002, when they raised their prices nearly 60%.

Price increases this time around range from a 10% boost for the cheap seats to a 51% increase for a "reclassified section of upper level seats in the corner of the end zone." You probably won't find too many blue collar or lower income fans attending games, as it would already cost an average family of four over $500 to attend a Patriots game, with drinks, programs, parking, etc., based on 2007 ticket prices. Gillette Stadium also charges the most in the NFL for fans to park, at $40-45 per vehicle, compared to an NFL average of under $20 per vehicle.

Per John Tomase's report from the Boston Herald, here is a quick breakdown of all ticket prices in New England for 2008:
Seats-New-Old-Change
Lower Level Sideline-$169-$125-35 percent
Lower Level Corner/End Zone-$117-$89-31 percent
Mezzanine Level Corner/End Zone-$117-$89-31 percent
Upper Level Sideline-$89-$75-19 percent
Upper Level Corner (Rows 1-7)-$89-$59-51 percent
Upper Level Corner (Rows 8-26)-$65-$59-10 percent
Standing Room-$49-$49-0 percent

The price increase will probably do little to dissuade ticket buyers, as the Patriots have sold out every preseason, regular season, and playoff game since the 1994 regular season opener, and have a large waiting list for seaon tickets.