The National Football League is a corporate behemoth and is always looking for ways to extract more money from fans. If you’re an old football nostalgic or consider yourself a purist of the sport, that might not sound too nice but it is a fact.
It’s one of the reasons that there are so many subscription packages out there, it’s why games are routinely played overseas and it’s what has led to the rise in hospitality packages. From the early tone of this article, you might think that we’re not huge fans of hospitality, but that’s not the case.
We think it’s a great way to make watching your team a memorable occasion, but only for the right price and the right package. This is why we have put together this piece, in which we put hospitality packages under the microscope to let you know whether the NFL VIP experience is truly worth it.
Filtering Out Crazy Prices
The cheapest hospitality package that you are going to get for the Super Bowl is $10,000. The median US salary is $54,000 a year so that hospitality package, for one game of football, is likely to cost you 20% of your annual salary.
Nothing is worth that. Unless you’re a millionaire with money to burn or you’ve just won a massive parlay bet.
It’s not just Super Bowl hospitality packages that are crazy money either, some teams have eye-watering prices for regular games too. If you want to buy a VIP package for the Dallas Cowboys’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles the cheapest package starts at $1,900 per person. The Cowboys are one of the most in-demand teams to watch, they are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl in the NFL odds and they have a whole host of star names, so they would argue that justifies the cost.
If you want to go all out and get the best experience possible, you’ll have to part with $6,500 per person which, like the Super Bowl hospitality package, is unfortunately out of the price range of most normal people.
What’s Included in the Cowboys’ Most Expensive Package?
Let’s take a quick look at what you get for your six and a half thousand dollar hospitality package with the Cowboys:
- Premium sideline ticket
- Two nights at the team hotel
- Uber to and from the airport
- Gameday transportation
- Player and cheerleader meet and greet
- Tour of the Star
- VIP Pre-game tailgate party
- Photo op with current and former players
- Sideline pass (pre-game)
- VIP tour of the stadium
- Cowboys United membership
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Welcome package
- Souvenir t-shirt
- Premium Gift
- On-site tours staff
It’s a lot, to be honest, but it’s also a lot of stuff that is grossly overpriced. No seat in the stadium is better than the angle you get on the TV. People don’t go to the stadium for the view, they go there for the atmosphere and the atmosphere in those seats isn’t likely to be amazing.
Things like breakfast in your hotel and a taxi to the stadium are good, but for six and a half thousand dollars you’d expect them. So all in all, we don’t think it’s anywhere near worth the money for the average person.
These packages aren’t aimed at the average person though, they’re meant for the super-rich and wealthy who likely see $6,500 as small change.
The Cheaper Alternatives
The Cowboys are having a good season but they’re not the best team in the NFL by a stretch and they don’t have the best quarterback in the league. A team that arguably has both is the Kansas City Chiefs and surprisingly, their hospitality packages are way cheaper.
Hospitality starts at $200, rising to $2000, and includes everything that the Dallas Cowboys packages do. For $300 you can get some of the best seats in the house, access to the players and special off-limits areas along with your game day souvenir and access to the pre-game tailgate party.
This seems like a pretty good deal when you consider that the Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions and look well set to lift the Lombardi trophy again this season.
The Verdict: Is an NFL VIP Package Worth it?
Yes and no. Yes if you are willing to shop around and get a better deal, like the ones that the Kansas City Chiefs are offering. If however, you’re looking for a VIP fan experience at the Super Bowl itself or with a team like the Dallas Cowboys then no.
VIP packages are ultimately a collection of things that you could experience individually for much cheaper, so once prices begin to rise above the $1,000 mark you’re beginning to get into the realms of silly money.