Colts drag down ticket prices on the road

Usually the better the team, the more upward pressure it puts on ticket prices when it plays on the road.

So it’s odd that the division-leading Indianapolis Colts appear to be having a negative drag on ticket prices for games it plays on the road.  

A study released this week by Chicago-based secondary ticket broker Vivid Seats shows that the Colts are the 17th most popular road team in the 32-team NFL.

Eleven weeks into the season, and Vivid Seats officials conclude that the Colts push ticket prices down 12.2 percent when they play on the road. So, when the Colts are the visiting opponent, on average they cause a 12.2 percent decrease in ticket prices (compared to the home team's average) on the burgeoning secondary market, one of the key indicators of real-time supply and demand.

That’s surprising for a team that’s 7-3 and is led by up-and-coming quarterback Andrew Luck.

The Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos are the biggest road draw so far, driving up ticket prices 37.1 percent. New England is a close second with a 33.9 percent positive impact on road game ticket prices.

The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are next, both driving up road ticket prices 25.6 percent. Green Bay rounds out the top five, driving up prices 19.9 percent.

Only 11 teams at this point in the season are driving road tickets up at all. The Washington Redskins have zero impact and the remaining 20 teams have a drag on ticket prices when they play on the road.

The Colts aren’t the only winning team having a negative impact on opponents’ home ticket prices. Despite having a 10-1 record, Seattle has a 1.6 percent negative impact on road game tickets and 9-1 Kansas City has a 13.2 percent negative impact.

It appears that nothing hurts like a big-time loser with no true star power. No offense to Maurice Jones-Drew intended. Jacksonville, the worst team in the league with a 1-9 record, has the biggest negative affect on road ticket prices at minus 37.9 percent.

The Arizona Cardinals (-33.4 percent), St. Louis Rams (-29.9 percent), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-25.7) and Cleveland Browns (-24.8 percent) round out the five worst teams on road game ticket prices.