Each year, Team Marketing surveys teams in the four major North American sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) and calculates the Fan Cost Index, which approximates how much it costs to attend a game for each team.

While the numbers in the Fan Cost Index are good for comparative value, they are somewhat unrealistic in that the price is for a family of four and accounts for purchases like programs and hats.

Instead, we used Team Marketing's data and created the Adult Cost Index (ACI). The ACI is how much it might cost one fan to attend a game, and requires the person to purchase an average-priced ticket, one beer, one soft drink, one hot dog, and half the cost of parking at the stadium. The biggest difference is that we have removed the extraneous costs and assume the fan shares the cost of parking with one other person.

On the next few pages we'll take a closer look at the 25 most expensive teams. The list includes four teams from the NBA, four from the NHL, 17 from the NFL, and no MLB teams. With an ACI of $82.63, the Boston Red Sox are the most expensive baseball team, but are ranked just 53rd overall.