#SHSI Episode 32 - The Cost Of Winning: Why Springbok Tickets So Expensive?!

Starting around 2023-2024, things started to get out of hand for some—insane. The Boks' popularity hit fever pitch. All six home tests in 2024 were sold out completely. Why? It was the first chance for many to see the team since they lifted the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Rassie’s champions were home! The blockbuster series against Ireland and the All Blacks, especially that emphatic win in Mbombela, cemented their status as global powerhouses. Those were instant classics.Basic economics: when something is in crazy high demand (Boks!) and supply is limited (stadiums max out around 55,000), prices go up. That’s one factor. Even though prices crept up in 2024, there wasn't massive pushback. I even saw tickets for the Ellis Park NZ test around R1,500. Doable-ish. Sure, Cape Town was always pricier than Joburg or MP (we kind of accept that, right?), but complaints hit the national stage when Capetonians reportedly paid R4,000 to see the Boks vs. All Blacks.Rugby’s appeal is growing in SA (especially with more Black middle-class fans wanting the live experience). It’s the second most followed sport (~10 million fans), behind soccer (~40 million fans)