THE SIDELINES : Phoenix Team Cuts Ticket Prices

Phoenix Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, vilified by some fans for having the NFL’s highest ticket prices the past two seasons, has done something about it.

Bidwill announced a restructuring program Thursday that will cut the cost on 55,911 seats and reduce the average ticket price to $30.77--down from $38 in 1988 and $36.33 last year.

Overall, the pricing format for the 1990 season will lower the average ticket price 15.5% with reductions from $5 to $25 per ticket.

Ticket prices will still range from $200 per game for 202 premium loge seats at the 50-yard line to $15 apiece for seats in the south end zone at 74,724-seat Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

But Bidwill said 9,201 premium seats have been eliminated so there are now 43,000 tickets priced at $15 and $20 per game with about 10,000 of the new $20 tickets located on the sidelines.