Average secondary-market prices for the NCAA Tournament have surged from around $85 in 2005 to over $350 today — far outstripping the broader cost of living. We ran the numbers.
Key figures
- Nominal price growth: +318% (2005 → 2025 average ticket)
- CPI inflation over the same period: +77% (U.S. consumer prices)
- Real over-inflation: 3.4× (tickets vs. general inflation)
The gap in plain terms
A ticket that cost $85 in 2005 should cost roughly $150 today if it had only kept pace with general consumer price inflation. Instead, the average resale price across all tournament rounds has climbed to approximately $354 — more than twice what inflation alone would predict.
Year-by-year average resale price (all rounds)
| Year | Nominal price | Inflation-adjusted (2005 $) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | $85 | $85 |
| 2007 | $92 | $87 |
| 2009 | $90 | $83 |
| 2011 | $110 | $96 |
| 2013 | $138 | $113 |
| 2015 | $170 | $141 |
| 2017 | $215 | $172 |
| 2019 | $265 | $203 |
| 2020 | $290 | $220 |
| 2022 | $320 | $212 |
| 2023 | $354 | $228 |
| 2024 | $322 | $202 |
| 2025 | $350 | $215 |
2021 excluded: COVID-19 capacity restrictions (25% cap) distorted resale prices.
The Final Four premium
The gap is even more dramatic for the tournament’s final weekend. The get-in price for a Final Four semifinal game has gone from $175 in 2011 to around $900 in 2025. Adjusted for inflation, the same $175 ticket from 2011 would cost roughly $280 today — meaning the actual market price is more than three times what inflation alone would explain.
In peak demand years the numbers become extreme. When a marquee matchup materializes in the bracket — a rivalry game, an unexpected Cinderella run, or a superstar’s final college appearance — get-in prices can double overnight. The 2024 Final Four in Phoenix averaged over $1,600 per semifinal ticket at peak demand, briefly touching $1,994 as the championship approached.
Why tickets keep beating inflation
Several structural forces push March Madness prices well above the general cost of living:
The secondary market matured. The rise of professional resale platforms through the 2010s made price discovery instant and global. Demand that previously went unmet — or was met at face value — now finds its clearing price.
Sports betting exploded. Legalization across U.S. states since 2018 has turned casual fans into financially invested viewers, raising willingness to pay for a live seat.
TV audiences grew, then spilled over. Broader national coverage made the tournament a mainstream cultural event, expanding the pool of potential buyers well beyond the teams’ home markets.
Supply stayed fixed. Arena capacities have not grown meaningfully. With demand rising and supply flat, prices have only one direction to go.
The index view
Rebasing both series to 100 in 2005 makes the divergence unmistakable. By 2025, the CPI index stands at roughly 163 — prices across the economy are about 63% higher than they were 20 years ago. The March Madness ticket index, by contrast, stands at approximately 412. Fans are paying for something the broader economy cannot price: scarcity, spectacle, and the irreproducibility of a live NCAA Tournament game.