Few things are as exhilarating as being in the crowd for one of the biggest sports extravaganzas of the year. Unfortunately, the demand to be there with the rest of the “who’s who” can cost a pretty penny, as the most expensive sporting events in history proved.
Mayweather v. McGregor—$157K
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey toured the country for nearly 150 years before they closed shop in 2017, but they gave the hot tag for another circus with the boxing exhibition of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
Everyone knew the undefeated pugilist would defeat the MMA star in a boxing match. However, the country wanted to see how Mayweather would win over the trash-talking Irishman.
One fan was so adamant about seeing the one-night-only spat that they paid over $157,000 to watch Mayweather eventually knock out McGregor in the 10th round, even though the “Notorious” one did win a few rounds, to everyone’s surprise.
Lakers v. Celtics—$167K
A year before Kobe Bryant dazzled the Staples Center with one of the best performances in the NBA All-Star Game, the 2010 NBA Finals came to L.A. The writing was on the wall that this would be the last ride for the two franchises, as the team’s core players were approaching their inevitable date with Father Time.
Since both fanbases have well-known Hollywood stars backing their teams, it wasn’t surprising that someone spent over $167,000 on tickets to see the Lakers avenge their 2008 NBA Finals loss to the Celtics. In the Game 7 rock fight, Los Angeles went to the foul line 20 more times than Boston, which still infuriates many C’s fans.
Ravens v. 49ers—$175K
The Super Bowl will always fetch an outrageous price for one of their tickets, but the showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 takes the cake. We infamously remember this as the Super Bowl when the lights went out after Queen Bey’s unforgettable halftime performance.
Once the power returned, the Ravens won the championship to the thrill—or dismay—of the person who paid over $175,000 to witness Joe Flacco becoming elite.
Cavaliers v. Warriors—$194K
The Cleveland Cavaliers v. Golden State Warriors rivalry may not have had the historical significance as the Lakers v. Celtics. However, there wasn’t a hotter rivalry going on in the mid-to-late 2010s.
A year after LeBron James and Kyrie Irving came back from three games to one—giving Cleveland their first championship since the Browns’ NFL title win in 1964—the two teams squared off again. The Warriors fared better this time, winning the series four games to one, as the person who paid nearly $195,000 saw firsthand.
Cubs v. Indians—$1.17M
The Chicago Cubs breaking their World Series drought was priceless to millions of Cubs fans worldwide. But if there was a price you could put on the Cubs’ first World Series win in 108 years, $1.17 million sounds about right. That’s what it cost one person to watch the Cubbies complete the three games to one deficit over the Cleveland Indians in 2016.
Next time you are upset about the soaring ticket prices of live entertainment, remember these most expensive sporting events in history to realize it could always be worse.
|
|
