By Jason Notte
The Street
Sports teams and facilities keep squeezing money out of fans for tickets, parking, concessions and new buildings. How much would fans pay to squeeze back?
The cost for a family of four to see a Major League Baseball game rose 2.5 percent from last season, to nearly $208. If that same family went to an National Basketball Association game this year, they paid 4.5 percent more than they did in 2010-11 and more than $300 for that privilege. The National Hockey League also bumped up costs by 5 percent to take $326 from that family for tickets, food, beer, souvenirs and parking. That's still a better deal than football families got last season, when they shelled out $427 to fill NFL stadiums.
That's more than $1,200 for a family of sports fans to see just one game a year in each league. If they invested that amount into a sports team's stock instead, they'd at least have the board's ear when complaining about price hikes. At best, their investment would pay for itself if their shares perform and recoup some game spending every now and then.
There aren't many teams or venues that let fans buy into the franchise beyond the ticket window or concessions counters, but here are seven that give their faithful a stake in the action:
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