CLEVELAND -- Two weeks ago, Baker Mayfield pleaded with Cleveland Browns fans to fill FirstEnergy Stadium.
If they're going to do just that, they're going to have to pay a pretty penny.
Heading into their final home game of the season on Sunday, the Browns have won four of their last five games. That -- perhaps coupled with Mayfield's encouragement -- has led to a season-high in ticket prices on the secondary market.
On ticket resale sites like StubHub, Seat Geak and Vivid Seats, the cheapest tickets for Sunday's game against the Bengals are listed at $100. To put that in perspective, tickets to last year's home finale vs. the Baltimore Ravens costed an average of $36, while tickets to FirstEnergy Stadium in December 2016 were running for as low as $1.
According to Statista.com, Browns tickets have resold for an average price of $66 this season.
Of course, plenty has changed since the Browns amassed a 1-31 record over the course of the 2016 and 2017 campaigns. Not only has Cleveland amassed its best record since the 2014 season at 6-7-1, but it also appears to have finally found a franchise quarterback in Mayfield.
Following the Browns' most recent home game, a 26-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 9, Mayfield noted that Cleveland's home stadium hadn't filled its 67,895-seat capacity.
“We would love to have more fan support," Mayfield said. “Today was cold, I get it, but having more people, especially at our last home game coming up, we would love to have more people in the stands cheering for us because we feed off of the energy.
"You can tell. It is very obvious. I do not have to say it how our defense feeds off of the energy in the stadium and being able to start fast and get that going and put teams in a bind and put pressure on them.”
We won't know until Sunday whether or not Browns fans will comply with Mayfield's request. But assuming this price rise is the result of increased demand, it'd tough to argue his words didn't resonate.
