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The Detroit Lions haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, but barring a very unexpected twist, they’ll be punching their tickets to the postseason this year—and it doesn’t look like the franchise is going to waste any time attempting to cash in now that Dan Campbell has helped them right the ship.
As you may know, the Detroit Lions haven’t even earned the right to appear in The Big Game since the start of the NFL’s Super Bowl Era, and the 1991 season marks the last time they were able to win multiple playoff games (they came up short against Washington in the NFC Championship).
Fans of the franchise have been subjected to a fairly underwhelming product over the course of the new millennium, and while it initially appeared like that might continue to be the case when they hired Dan Campbell as their head coach in 2021, he’s finally been able to get the Lions back on the right track.
Detroit hasn’t officially clinched a playoff spot (they would have if the Eagles had beaten the Seahawks on Monday night), but there’s virtually no scenario where a team that’s currently sitting at 10-4 with a commanding lead in the NFC North will miss the postseason as things currently stand.
While there’s no telling how deep of a run they’ll make when everything is said and done, it appears the powers that be have already decided fans should pay more for the right to attend games in 2024, as The Detroit Free Press reports the team has already informed season ticket holders they can expect a significant increase in prices next season.
On Monday, the Lions sent out season ticket renewal notices, and a spokesperson for the team admitted the annual price rose by an average of 30%. However, some fans say that number is even higher in certain sections; one man claimed his went up 78%, while another asserted his had spiked 86%.
NFL teams are obviously businesses that subscribe to the concept of supply and demand, so while the Lions may be convinced the price spike is justified, it does feel like they’re pouncing on an opportunity to milk fans for all they’re worth in the hopes this season’s glimmer of hope is the sign of a bright future.