Despite NY Jets Hype, the Giants Are Still the More Popular Team

There are two NFL teams located in the New York metropolitan area—the New York Jets and the New York Giants.

Both play in New Jersey. Both are moving into a state-of-the-art brand new stadium this season. Both have high profile quarterbacks. That is where the similarities end.

One of these teams had the league’s top rated defense last season, giving up a measly 14.8 points per game. The other was third worst, giving up almost 27 ppg. One team led the league in rushing yards with over 170 yards per game, the other was ranked 17th in rushing. One team made it to their conference championship game last season, the other didn’t even make the playoffs.

Since the end of last season, one team has acquired a Super Bowl MVP, a five time pro-bowl running back, and a pro-bowl cornerback. The other team’s highest profile acquisition this off-season was a shipment of Subway sandwiches  courtesy of Michael Strahan.

So which of these two teams would you expect to have higher expectations for the 2010 season, and therefore higher ticket prices?

If you thought the Jets, you are dead wrong. Despite one of the best seasons in team history,  a roster full of exciting young stars, and a brash and outspoken coach who is unafraid to speak his mind, New York Jets’ ticket sales still trail those of their interstate rivals, the Giants, by a large margin.

The Jets organization’s ticketing woes have been well publicized over the past few months, with many stories written about the possibility of local television blackouts  of Jets games until all PSLs (Personal Seat Licenses) were sold. Just within the past week the AP reported that the Jets are reducing prices for 18,000 PSLs .

With all this uncertainty in the primary ticket market, we decided to take a closer look at how 2010 Jets and Giants tickets are selling on the secondary market.

Average 2010 Giants tickets cost $243.29, the highest average price in the league. Jets tickets  meanwhile are trading at $205.63, the sixth highest price in the NFL. Taking a closer look, we found that, on average, Giants fans are willing to throw down $30.41 per 2009 victory for each 2010 game, while Jets ticket buyers were only willing to spend $18.69 per 2009 victory (including playoffs.)

There are obviously multiple factors that contribute to these prices being what they are. For example, both Jets' and Giants' ticket prices have been boosted thanks to the debut of their new stadium. However, the Jets superior play on the field has not manifested itself in greater demand for tickets off the field.

This Giants dominance in the NY football ticket market is surprising due to the fickle nature of most sports fans, who are willing to jump onto the bandwagon of whichever team happens to be playing the best at any particular moment. However, it appears, as evidenced by the Giants’ superior ticket prices, and the Jets’ continuing PSL debacle, that there’s more to ticket sales than last year’s won/loss record.

The Giants organization, due to its long history and solid management, has been able to build and maintain a fanbase that continues to shell out big bucks to see their Giants play, no matter the quality of the players on the field.

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