Many sports fans aren’t letting the struggling economy impact their love of the game.
They’re still willing to spend on tickets and sports apparel, according to a recent survey.
While consumers are planning to increase savings more than last year, the American Express Spending and Saving Tracker, conducted in August by Echo Research, surveyed 2,025 people and found an exception in areas of popular interest.
Sports fanatics comprised 34 percent of those surveyed, and were the group least inclined to cut related spending or feel guilty for not doing so. Some 76 percent of sports fans surveyed said they didn’t cut back on sports-related spending. Only 29 percent of that number felt guilty about it.
Average current spending annually for sports fanatics is $725. That average rises among young professionals and the affluent to $1,143 and $1,544, respectively. Fanatics spent the most on occasional tickets to sporting events, related apparel and cable TV packages.
The survey data came as a surprise to some Denver sports fans who say they’ve cut back their spending.
“More power to the people who can afford to, but the reality is, there’s a lot of people who can’t,” said Fred Plessinger of Denver. Economic hardship kept the “diehard” Rockies fan from attending a game this season until Thursday. “Other bills have been more important than coming to ballgames,” he said.
Near Coors Field, peddlers Willie Gaskins and Ronnell Harris had difficulty selling tickets at face value to passersby insistent on getting the $50 tickets for half price.
“They ain’t spending much,” Gaskins said. “They’re only spending when there’s a good team in town.”
Both Gaskins and Harris estimated a 30 percent decline in ticket sales from the same time last year.
“The only good day was opening day,” Gaskins said.
A couple of hours before the game, Wayne Garcia stopped at the Sportsfan store downtown, hoping to find a Rockies tank top on sale and saying he would never pay full price for it. “My old one doesn’t fit anymore. It’s worn out.”
But sales at Sportsfan remain steady, says Alvin Abeyta, a store associate. “It’s been pretty decent.”
Among the best-selling items: Rockies and Yankees hats, Dallas Cowboys hats and jerseys and Tim Tebow apparel. “Anything Tebow, they buy,” Abeyta said.
On Wednesday, the NFL said season-ticket sales fell for the third year in a row.
Rita Wold: 303-954-1488 or rwold@denverpost.com
