High PA, National Stadium Concession Prices Drawing Congressional Scrutiny

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The high cost of hot dogs and other munchies at sporting events and concerts across the country have risen to the point where they are attracting congressional attention.

U.S. representatives Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Dan Goldman of New York have introduced the Honest Oversight of Ticketed Dining and Onsite Grub (HOTDOG) Act to mandate that the Federal Trade Commission conduct a nationwide study of concession pricing practices at sports venues.

The HOTDOG Act would direct the trade commission to evaluate pricing practices at professional sports stadiums that were constructed or are operated with public money. The commission would examine the prices of comparable food and drinks inside and outside stadiums; pricing practices such as dynamic pricing, service fees, and promotions; transparency of concession prices to consumers, and other types of pricing policies.

The bill would require the commission to issue a report to Congress detailing the results of the study and any recommendations for legislative, regulatory, or industry action to improve affordability and transparency.

"Concessions at pro stadiums across the country have become a ripoff, with so many teams pricing out fans and families," Deluzio said in a statement.

"People should be able to go enjoy a game and grab a bite or a drink without breaking the bank. We’ve got to ensure that hardworking families can afford to enjoy nights out at ball games - especially when their hard earned tax dollars are supporting big sporting projects across the state and country.”

The websites for the state's four largest sports venues - Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park in Pittsburgh - do not currently list the prices of food and drinks.

However, Sports Epreneuer reported earlier this year that a 16-ounce beer at the Linc costs $18.50 and bottled water costs $7.75.

Across the NFL for the 2025 season, the average price for a 16-ounce domestic beer in stadiums is about $9.76.

The average lowest price for a hot dog across Major League Baseball's 30 ballparks in 2024 was nearly $6, according to the Washington Post.

There are stadiums with more fan-friendly concession prices. Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, for example, boasts a "Fan First" pricing such as $5 beers and $2 hot dogs.

But that's the exception rather than the rule, which is why Deluzio and Goldman's legislation is being supported by organizations such as the Sports Fan Coalition.

"For too long, fans have been gouged at the concession stand in the same venues built with their own tax dollars,” coalition director Brian Hess said.

“The HOTDOG Act will shine a much-needed light on exploitative pricing practices and help identify solutions that make attending games affordable for working families again. When taxpayers invest hundreds of millions into stadiums, they deserve transparency about why a hot dog costs three times what it does on the street outside."