Ticket sales for Phillies and 76ers tied to wins

Without a doubt, the economic recession has had an impact on professional sports.

Even in tough economic times, rabid fans still find a way to stretch their entertainment dollars and root for their home teams - unless their home teams aren't winning.

The Phillies and 76ers have had different experiences during the economic turmoil - reaping the benefits and ruing the consequences, respectively.

Over the past three years, the Phillies have averaged 43,911 fans per game. They've ranked among the top five teams in baseball in both the amount of tickets and the percentage of tickets sold in each of the past three seasons and have sold over 10 million tickets during that time.

While the Phils have won a World Series, two NL pennants, four division titles, and 371 games the past four seasons, the Sixers have struggled. In the three seasons before this one, the Sixers have not finished above .500 once, nor have they won a playoff series.

The results show at the ticket window. As a result, they have ranked no better than 22d in the NBA in total attendance for the past four seasons, and they are currently dead last in the percentage of seats that are sold per game.

The Phillies' recent run of success began in 2007, when they surged past the New York Mets in a late-season run to win the National League East, making the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

"The Phillies are the best team in the National League," said Ron Reco, 73, a retired print broker who lives in Chestnut Hill and has been a Phillies season-ticket holder since 1995. "Their ticket is the hottest item in baseball right now."

Adding to the allure of the team is the fact that they have assembled, at least on paper, one of the best starting rotations in baseball for 2011. Pitchers Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels are worth the price of admission any day, in any park.

That's one of the reasons Reco, a St. Louis Cardinals fan, keeps checking out the Phillies. In fact, Reco has also found a way to benefit from his passion for the game. He purchases season tickets because of their resale value even in a tough economy. He said he was able to sell two World Series tickets in Section 131 of Citizens Bank Park for about $1,700 in 2008.

"I'll go to all of the Cardinals-Phillies games, and a few others, because I love baseball," he said, "but I've started a personal business with selling the tickets. The team is so good that Philadelphia will always come out to see them, so I've been successful selling them."

Unfortunately, Philadelphia hasn't always been coming out to see the Phillies' basketball brethren play. The 76ers haven't been anywhere near as successful as the Phillies in the past few years, and fans have stayed away from the Wells Fargo Center as a result.

Reco used to purchase Sixers season tickets, but stopped after their 2001 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

"I just knew the Sixers wouldn't be very competitive from that point on," he said.

In 2006, when the Sixers traded Iverson, they lost a great deal of star power that they have yet to regain, hurting their overall brand.

Anthony Iraci, 30, a teacher from Roxborough and avid Philadelphia sports fan, said: "I'd be going to more games if they had a big-name, franchise player. You really need that in the NBA these days. I wouldn't call Elton Brand or Jrue Holiday household names."

On StubHub.com, the cheapest Sixers ticket for their March 1 game against the Dallas Mavericks was $9 and the most expensive was $160. Meanwhile, the cheapest ticket for the Phillies opening-day game against the Houston Astros on April 1 is $69, and the most expensive is $315.

Despite the economy's struggles, the Phillies are so popular right now that they were able to raise ticket prices for the 2010 season by an average of $2 to $5.

"There are three reasons why we have success selling tickets," said John Weber, the Phillies' vice president of sales and ticket operations. "First, the Philadelphia fans are fantastic. Second, Citizens Bank Park is beautiful, and it's a place fans gravitate towards. Third, and I would say this has the highest percentage of the three reasons, is the product of the team and its sustained success."

Though the Sixers have not been as attractive, their future isn't grim. They've been playing very well since a 3-13 start under first-year head coach Doug Collins, and should reach the playoffs. As one of the youngest teams in the NBA, they could become a contender in the next couple of years.

Lara Price, the Sixers' senior vice president of business operations, is very optimistic about the Sixers' future.

"Our attendance continues to grow," she said in an e-mail. "We've turned it around on the court pretty quickly. We have seen an increase in attendance, as well as TV ratings."

Though the Sixers have been competitive this year, it may require NBA dominance to bring out fans en masse in this economy.

"You can't give [Sixers tickets] away nowadays," Reco said.

Even some diehard Phillies fans are holding back, like Iraci. He used to be a Phillies season-ticket holder who purchased game plans with three other people, but because of the economic strain, he had to stop.

"This economy makes you hold back on some things you'd normally do," Iraci said. "The number one reason we had to stop buying tickets was definitely money."

"Winning and offering value to the consumer is ultimately what determines the attendance," Price said.