Sports and the economy — Will fans keep coming?

Tickets to entertainment and sporting events could also be among the luxuries families opt out of depending on their financial situations, especially considering prices to watch pro games continue to rise. Average prices to NBA games increased to $48.83 last year, while baseball's average price went up 10 percent to $25.43 and NFL tickets cost 8 percent more ($72.20), according to the Team Marketing Report.

"I think it's fair to say that a sporting event may well define disposable income," Stern said.

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The Jazz aren't the only pro sports franchise to fare well even in tough times. The Miller-owned Salt Lake Bees experienced increases in ticket sales (up 11 percent), concessions sales (up 18 percent) and novelty sales (up 12 percent) this past summer.

Excitement, buzz and cash generated from their stadium's grand opening should help Real Salt Lake weather this storm. Getting a reported $1.7 million from Rio Tinto for naming rights for the new digs doesn't hurt, either.

"We're actually bullish with where we're at," RSL president Bill Manning said.

Along with the naming-rights jackpot, RSL also has sold out the 32 luxury suites for three years in its $110 million Sandy home, and sponsorships for 2009 have already surpassed this year's total. The club will also receive $1.5 million in revenue from pricey Center Circle Club Seats ($7,500 apiece) to go with $1.1 million gained from suites sales in 2009. Plus, season-ticket purchases, Manning added, are "moving along pretty briskly."

The new stadium, Manning said, has been somewhat of a "trump card" for the franchises' finances.

"Had we not had this I think we definitely would have felt it," he said.

The Utah Blaze are experiencing mixed results at the box office, which can be traced back to the economy, according to president Jason Jones. Ticket sales to families and individuals are down, but that decline has mostly been offset by an increased amount of package purchases by corporations. Overall, the Blaze are less than 10 percent below last year's sales at this point.

"The tough thing in a tight economy," Jones said, "is often the first thing to go is the entertainment dollar."

The Blaze have increased the number of staff dealing with ticket and sponsorship sales to bolster their ledger. They are also having "nonrevenue generating" employees take on assignments that could boost revenue. For instance, the director of communications, whose primary focus is dealing with media and facilitating publicity, is working with local chambers of commerce to find new clients and business opportunities.

Jones knows that winning can also bring more attention and fans his team's way, too.

"We believe the product's still a novel product and people are still very interested," he said. "We certainly plan on putting a competitive product on the field and there will be no shortage of entertainment."