Sen Eric Schmitt pushes for legislation to tackle rising sports ticket costs

Sports fans hoping to follow their favorite team throughout the season may face steep prices as the cost of streaming services rises, but attending those games in person could be even less cost-effective.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last month, citing data collected from the Consumer Price Index program, that admissions for sporting events increased 123% from 2000. In addition to rising admission costs over the last 25 years, fans will pay for concessions and transportation and, while not a necessity, merchandise.  

Rising ticket costs are also impacted by the secondary market, which can include a number of additional fees. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., believes something needs to be done. 

“The Senate Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over amateur professional sports and these kinds of transactions you’re talking about with Ticketmaster and the like,” he said during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” when asked about the rising cost of ticket prices.

“So, I’ve got legislation. We’ve got to get rid of these – people don’t really know where all the fees are coming [from] and having greater transparency. 

“Kid Rock was in for a hearing earlier this year that this issue got brought up because, yeah, consumers are kind of getting ripped off. I mean, you want a marketplace where people can have access to tickets, but a lot of actors are sort of taking advantage of people who want to see their team and a bunch of hidden fees in the secondary market are being added in and people don’t know what they are.”

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Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, spoke at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in January to argue that ticket price gouging forces fans into expensive resale markets and that legislation falls short.

“You just ask anybody these days about buying a ticket to a popular sporting event or concert, and they’ll tell you that it’s a complete fiasco,” he said during an appearance on “America Reports”.

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Meanwhile, the FCC announced last month that it would seek public comment on the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services. The move comes as the NFL, NBA, MLB and other major sports have moved many games from broadcast and cable television to streaming services. 

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