JUSTIFIABLE TICKET PRICES FOR SPORT EVENTS, FOCUS ON JUSTICE – ANALYSIS OF THE 2019 IIHF ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET PRICES

ANALYSIS OF THE 2019 IIHF ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET PRICES

Abstract

The IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) ice hockey world championships are among the major sport events. A possible measure for the level of interest is the audience’s attendance. What is the key driving factor behind the number of on-site viewers? The attendance of the sport event depends largely on the official ticket prices, which are defined by the organizers. Are the ticket prices justifiable? The basis of legitimacy and the righteousness is the Aristotelian supreme virtue, the justice. The study examines the following theories of justice in connection with the event: evolutionist conception, Aristotle’s justice theory, Bentham and Mill’s utilitarian perception, libertarianism, meritocracy, egalitarianism, and the theory of the positive discrimination. Based on the presented theories of justice, it must be decided, which theories of justice do the organizers follow regarding the determination of ticket prices for the individual games, and why? In the study, the examined sport event is the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. How could the organizers determine fair and just ticket prices for the group matches and for the knock-out system? Whichever justice theory is followed, it must be consistent with the essential nature (telos) of the event. During the research, we can conclude: each of the examined theories of justice appears – however, none can be realized alone and exclusively in relation to the ice hockey world championships official ticket prices. In summary: the determination of the event’s official ticket prices (by the organizers) is considered to be fair; it just depends on which justice theory is considered legitimate and justified in relation to certain individual games’ ticket prices, and why.