Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: Chicago Bears—More Wins Mean Higher Prices | Is Kris Bryant Done Playing Baseball?

Date: February 18, 2026

Host: Dan Bernstein
Producer/Co-host: Matt Abbatacola

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Chicago Bears’ significant season ticket price increase following their best season in years, the nature of sports as luxury (and populist) experiences, how ticketing, attendance, and fan culture intersect, and pivots to broader sports business issues before tackling the tough reality of Kris Bryant’s likely exit from baseball due to chronic injury. Other topics include inside stories around sports unions, luxury travel tales, Olympic musings, and a heartfelt, meandering segment on quirky grandparent names.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chicago Bears Season Ticket Price Hike (00:58–21:19)

• Ticket Price Jump: The Bears raised season ticket prices by 13.5%, on the heels of previous annual jumps (10% and 8% in recent years).
• Analysis: Dan frames the pricing as a “luxury item”, noting the irony versus the Bears' populist branding. Bernstein says the “physics of economics don’t apply to the Bears” (01:23), since tickets outpace inflation by a wide margin.
  • Quote: “A Bears season ticket is a luxury item, and it flies in the face of the way the Bears are sold: the populist myth of Bears football.” – Dan (03:38)
• Average Price: The cheapest season ticket is around $3,310; average 10-game package at $2,822. Per-game seats average $370 (Cowboys are around $400) (09:54–10:06).
• Attendance Drops: Despite on-field success, 2025 home attendance (58,127 average) was slightly down from the prior year, possibly due to cold weather—including an 8-degree game versus the Browns (06:37–07:00).
• Transportation & Access: South Lakeshore construction and other city projects may deter some attendance, but weather seems the larger factor (10:44–11:13).
• Upshot: The hosts recognize the Bears' family ownership—unlike diversified owners—relies on team revenue and can’t afford fan-friendly price breaks. Large corporate accounts and loyal season ticket holders insulate the club from fan backlash (13:10–14:41).
  • Quote: “They raise prices considerably even when they’re bad. If you’re not going to do it when you’re good, when will you?” – Dan (13:10)
• Predictions: If the Bears keep winning or take a Super Bowl, further price hikes of 18–25% are predicted (21:03–21:33).

2. The Luxury (vs. Populist) Sports Experience (15:13–21:33)

• Travel & Luxury Tangent: Dan and Matt veer into tales of flying Turkish Airlines and Emirates, likening Bears ticket costs to high-end travel as an “experience economy” metaphor.
  • Quote: “Experiences matter more... it’s better to spend money on that than worrying about how fluffy your pillow is.” – Dan (20:03)
• Comparisons: Discuss the tendency for major sports events (and ever higher ticket prices) to track with this luxury/experience-driven trend.

3. MLB Labor and Tony Clark’s Ouster (31:38–38:54)

• Tony Clark Scandal: Dan recounts the drama around Tony Clark’s firing from the MLBPA for alleged financial corruption and an inappropriate relationship with a sister-in-law holding a no-show union job.
  • Quote: “If you’re gonna be corrupt and you’re having sex with your sister-in-law, that’s a good reason to get fired.” – Dan (33:13)
• Labor Stoppage Talk: The hosts are split—Dan expects a work stoppage due to player financial unpreparedness and owner leverage; Matt thinks a strike is unlikely, fearing fan alienation (34:40–37:24).
• MLB Player Problem: Dan dissects how players' strategic misunderstanding of the “aging curve” leads to lost leverage and income, criticizing current service time and seniority models (38:54–39:58).
  • Quote: “If anything, the best you’re going to be is your first couple years and then it’s a steep decline down with age.” – Dan (38:55)

4. Inside Baseball: Early Signings and Young Prospects (40:34–43:22)

• Follow-up on MLB teams (Phillies) informally earmarking $1.8 million for an 11-year-old Venezuelan prospect; this is common practice in Latin America, though the process raises ethical/psychological concerns for young athletes.
  • Expert Insight: Dan relays a source who says these deals often fall through, and a real international draft may soon replace them (41:40–42:50).

5. Is Kris Bryant Done? (44:56–52:51)

• News: Former Cubs MVP Kris Bryant is on the 60-day IL, effectively done, and suffering debilitating degenerative disc disease.
• Personal Impact: Dan and Matt express sadness for Bryant, emphasizing that money is irrelevant in the face of chronic pain.
  • Quote (Bryant): “Some days it’s hard to grab the toothpaste... I wouldn’t wish this on my own worst enemy.” (47:56–48:24)
  • Quote (Dan): “If right now he could write a check to get rid of the horrible pain he wakes up with every day, you don’t think he would?” (51:14)
• Reflection: Bryant’s career arc is described as a “Greek tragedy”—from meteoric rise to heartbreaking early exit (48:26–49:47).

6. Olympics and Sports Media Chatter (56:19–61:14)

• Olympic Recap: Matt provides results and observations on the US Olympic team’s medals, highlighting men’s bobsled, freestyle skiing, and hockey updates.
• Production Praise: Both hosts heap accolades on NBC’s Olympic production and commentators.
  • Quote: “Mike Tirico is a robot. He doesn’t bobble, he doesn’t misspeak. It is amazing.” – Dan (60:40)

7. Lighter Segments and Sidebars

• Quirky Grandparent Nicknames (25:03–31:33): Hilarious exchange about family naming traditions—Nana, Papa, Bubby, Zadie, and assorted oddities—leads to stories about grandparents and intergenerational quirks.
  • Quote: “She wasn’t really delicate with the lipstick... Me and Dan would call her Lipstick Monster.” – Matt (26:47)
• Wisconsin Sturgeon Spearing Family Story (63:41–70:11): Dan shares a fun local news clip about a family’s ice fishing tradition and their sons, Raiden and Riker, spearing massive fish—interspersed with jokes about kid names and Midwest culture.
• Luxury Travel Digressions (15:05–19:13): Enthusiastic asides about Turkish Air lounges, warm towels, back rubs, and the experience of flying luxury airlines.

8. Quick Hits and Memorable Moments

• Bold predictions: Bears ticket hikes could spike another 18–25% if the team wins a Super Bowl (21:03–21:36).
• Bryant’s Tragedy: “Some days it’s hard grabbing toothpaste... it just feels like I’m being electrocuted in my whole body.”—Kris Bryant, relayed by Dan (47:56–48:24).
• Grandparent Bits: “We actually used to call her Lipstick Monster. She wasn’t really delicate with the lipstick.” – Matt (26:56)
• Sports Union Burn: “If you’re gonna be corrupt and you’re having sex with your sister-in-law, that’s a good reason to get fired.” – Dan (33:13)
• Olympic Color Analyst: “I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I love him.” – Dan, on the Big Air broadcast commentator (57:17)
• On Bears Attendance: “Cold weather would certainly keep me from going. I’m not going out when it’s 8 below zero. There’s no shot I’m going.” – Matt (11:32)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Bears ticket luxury:

  “A Bears season ticket is a luxury item, and it flies in the face of the way the Bears are sold: the populist myth of Bears football.” — Dan (03:38)

• On pricing:

  “They raise prices considerably even when they’re bad. If you’re not going to do it when you’re good, when will you?” — Dan (13:10)

• On sports as experiences:

  “Experiences matter more... it’s better to spend money on that than worrying about how fluffy your pillow is.” — Dan (20:03)

• On Kris Bryant’s ordeal:

  “Some days it’s hard grabbing toothpaste... it just feels like I’m being electrocuted in my whole body.” — relayed by Dan (47:56–48:24)

• On Tony Clark/MLB union:

  “If you’re gonna be corrupt and you’re having sex with your sister-in-law, that’s a good reason to get fired.” — Dan (33:13)

• On Olympic production:

  “Mike Tirico is a robot. He doesn’t bobble, he doesn’t misspeak. It is amazing.” — Dan (60:40)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

| Segment/Topic | Timeframe | |------------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Bears’ Season Ticket Price Hike & Fan Reaction | 00:58–21:33 | | Luxury vs. Populist Sports Experiences | 15:05–21:33 | | MLB, Tony Clark, Labor, and Aging Curve Discussion | 31:38–39:58 | | MLB Early Signings (Young Prospects) | 40:34–43:22 | | Kris Bryant’s Injury and Career Retrospective | 44:56–52:51 | | Grandparent Naming Traditions | 25:03–31:33 | | Wisconsin Sturgeon Fishing Family Story | 63:41–70:11 | | Winter Olympics Recap & Production Analysis | 56:19–61:14 |

Tone & Style

• Authentic, conversational, with frequent Chicago wit and humor.
• Candid, deeply knowledgeable, occasionally meandering into personal anecdotes.
• No-nonsense takes on sports business, but plenty of nostalgia and humanity, especially around topics like Kris Bryant or family traditions.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a tour through the intersection of sports business and fandom: why it costs so much to be a Bears fan, why teams keep charging more (and keep filling stadiums), and how experience-driven luxury now shapes even America’s most populist pastimes. The show also delivers a moving account of Kris Bryant’s health struggles and the end of an era for Cubs faithful, plus a grab bag of sharp, funny stories about sports traditions, family quirks, and the Olympics.

If you care about Chicago sports—and like to hear it discussed with honesty, warmth, and plenty of straight talk—this episode is rich in insight, fun in detours, and memorable for its unfiltered perspective.