Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — the host of tonight's CFP National Championship Game — has the cheapest concessions in sports: • $2 sodas • $2 pretzels • $3 pizza slices • $5 cheeseburgers The idea was inspired by the concessions at Augusta National Golf Club, but while other owners thought Arthur Blank was crazy, the idea was actually genius. The Atlanta Falcons consistently rank first in the NFL’s annual internal survey for food quality, price-to-value ratio, speed of service, and variety. The Falcons say that the price decrease led to an 88% increase in merchandise sales in the first year. Fans are now spending 16% more money on concessions than they did a few years ago, and an average of 6,000 more fans enter the stadium two hours before each game. However, the best indicator that the new model works is that several other professional sports teams have copied it. From Ryan Smith and the Utah Jazz to Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns, owners across North American professional sports are lowering concession prices for fans. The idea is that a better gameday experience keeps fans coming back and often leads to the eventual purchase of higher-margin items, like merchandise.