For the third time in four years, the Bears will hold season-ticket prices right where they’re at.
In a letter to season-ticket holders, Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips talked about the Bears’ long-term plans and addressed the recent coaching changes.
He wrote:
“We are committed to delivering you a premium sports experience, and that starts with a winning football team. That standard has not been met in recent years and we know your patience has been tested. We remain confident in the plan that Ryan Pace laid out three years ago, knowing that it would not be easy and would involve major changes. The foundation is in place and we believe the future is bright. We will make you proud to be a Chicago Bears Season Ticket Holder.”
The Bears didn’t raise prices before the 2015 and 2016 seasons, but they did before last season, a three-year stretch during which they went 14-34.
According to a recent study, the Bears have the least affordable ticket among the 32 NFL teams.
Despite a promising young quarterback in Mitch Trubisky, an uptick in prices might have been a tough sell to a fanbase that is growing increasingly less patient by the loss.
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote in December, just before the team’s season finale against the Cleveland Browns:
Though the Bears claim a sellout streak that dates to 1984, they sold 482,951 tickets last year, their fewest since 1979. And the actual attendance, 403,799, was their lowest since 1978.
Phillips added in his letter: “A winning Chicago Bears team is the most important factor in providing you an exciting and rewarding game day environment. We will continue to elevate your Bears interactions throughout the year, working on new initiatives and enhanced customer service, with the goal of providing a first-class fan experience.”