Masters badge trumps Super Bowl ticket

Badge prices for the Masters Tournament increased $75 this year and will now cost $325 for those lucky enough to be on the patron list. And while that’s a healthy percentage increase, it’s really miniscule when you compare it to the cost of going to the Super Bowl these days.

Tickets for today’s big game have a face value of $500 to $1,500, and on the secondary market it’s even worse. According to a report on ESPN.com, the cheapest tickets for Super Bowl XLIX from a broker will set you back $8,000.

Here’s a brief look at the history of ticket prices for both events, which have risen from humble origins to some of the toughest tickets to obtain:

Masters badges started out at $5.50 in 1934 when the tournament began and hit double digits after World War II when they rose to $10. They doubled in price to $20 in 1967, which is roughly the time frame when demand began outpacing supply.

Still, Masters badges remained a relative bargain through the 1970s and 1980s, and hit the $100 mark in 1993. Modest increases in 2002 and 2005 drove the cost up to $175, and the price jumped to $200 in 2009.

The badges cost $250 beginning in 2012, the last increase before this year’s.

Click here to see a slideshow of Masters badges through the years.

The cost of a Super Bowl ticket has had a more meteoric rise.

The first game between the AFL and NFL champions ranged from $6 to $12 in 1967, and didn’t even sell out. Prices rose to $60 by the mid-1980s, according to a CBS News report, and a decade later had nearly tripled to $175 by 1994. By 2003, the price was up to $400.

The Super Bowl hit the $1,000 mark with its highest priced ticket in 2009.

The Masters badge is a far superior value. Consider:

A Super Bowl ticket is only good for one day, and for a game that lasts about four hours. The Masters badge gets you in Augusta National for four full days.

A beer at the Masters is no more than $4. Try triple that price at the Super Bowl.

And can you get an egg salad or pimiento cheese sandwich for under two bucks? I didn’t think so.