Bears season-ticket holders feel blitzed by steep price increases

Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

Bears fan Mike P. from Downers Grove loves his season tickets in section 320 at Soldier Field, but this season, the cost to attend a game has jumped by nearly 50% for him to watch from the same spot he has sat in for years.

“I gotta be honest with you, I wasn’t happy,” said Mike, who didn’t want his last name used.

Fans are excited to see their new franchise quarterback Caleb Williams in action this year, but several season ticket holders were left feeling angry or misled after taking a closer look at their season ticket costs following the release of the Bears schedule last week.

That's because the Bears are considered the "home" team for a game in London this fall, although tickets to that game are not included in season ticket packages. That left fans with tickets to only nine (one preseason and eight regular season) games at Soldier Field, instead of the usual 10.

In an email to season ticket holders earlier this year, the team wrote that season ticket prices for 2024 "have increased on average 8%, with increases ranging from 6.2% to 11.3%."

But the team was referring to the overall price for ticket packages at Soldier Field. With one less game, the per ticket increase was therefore far higher for many fans than what the letter noted.

Rob Schwarz Jr., who splits four season tickets with his siblings in section 131, said he initially wasn't upset about the price increase, but his feelings changed when he dug deeper.

Schwarz and his siblings paid $7,072 for 10 preseason and regular season games at Soldier Field last year, an average of $176.80 per ticket. This year, they paid $7,568 for nine games at Solider Field — nearly $35, or 18.9%, more per ticket on average.

"It's frustrating," he said.

“As a 'package' they didn’t lie, but the letter was definitely misleading,” Schwarz said. "I also wish they were more transparent and less misleading in their numbers. Are we only paying 7 percent more than 2023? Yes. Are we paying more for less? In a way, yes.”

Chris Earll, who splits season tickets with three other fans, said his group's four section 115 seats cost $7,112 this season — a 10.7% increase for the package compared with what the group paid last season. But per game this season, the group is paying $197.50 per ticket, a 23% increase compared to $160 per ticket last season.

“I’m excited about the season because of the games and hopefully the quality of play,” Earll said. But "as a season ticket holder since the late '90s, I just don’t feel like I’m getting any more bang for my buck.”

Mike P., who had his hours cut at his job, said the increased prices “makes it rough" for people in situations similar to his.

“When you get that bill, it’s like: ‘Woah, man.’ It hits you,” Mike said.

A spokesperson with the Bears declined to comment on the price increase.

Attending the game in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars will also not be cheap, fans said.

Sandy R., who owns three season tickets in section 340, spent thousands of dollars to see the Bears play in London in 2019.

"We have one less game at Soldier Field. I'm trying to get to the game that's replacing that game, and it's going to be very difficult to get tickets at a reasonable price," Sandy said. The Bears are "pricing themselves out of [reach to] the normal fan.”

Still, other fans saw the steep increase as a cost of doing business.

Timothy Shanley's per game costs increased 31.7% compared to last year, but he told the Sun-Times the higher costs are "what comes with being a season ticket holder."

"This is more than just a game for me, it's a lifestyle," said Shanley, founder of the Chicago Bears Tailgating Club. "I don't feel any type of animosity. ... What is the sense of owning the tickets and then getting a little uptight about the fact the prices are going up?"

For detractors criticizing the steeper costs, Shanley says to "check back in six months."

"Winning solves everything," Shanley said.