The NFL for Super Bowl XLVIII is "on the verge of approving a plan that would more than double the prices the league charges for the most coveted Super Bowl tickets," according to Matthew Futterman of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. NFL execs said that club-level seats in the mezzanine with access to indoor restaurants are "likely to cost about $2,600," compared to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans "where the top tickets went for $1,250." The execs also said that the "next-cheapest tranche of seats (those in the lower bowl) would cost about $1,500 ... up from $950 for the second-tier seats sold in New Orleans." They added that a "committee of NFL owners studying the matter is likely to approve the plan this week." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said that the league is "considering the plan because it is interested in capturing some of the value it has been yielding to fans and brokers who resell their tickets at a markup." Not every ticket "will crack four digits," as the NFL is "dropping prices for the cheapest seats to $500 next year from $600" this year. The execs said that in all "about 39% of the roughly 77,500 seats would cost $1,000 or less." The NFL this season "plans to raffle off 1,000 $500 tickets -- but those tickets will be non-transferrable." NFL data on the secondary market during Super Bowl XLVII "shows many $600 tickets sold for $2,000 while seats near midfield went for up to $6,100 and premium club seats changed hands for $6,400 -- both multiples of their face value" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/17).
BOXED OUT: In Newark, Jenna Portnoy wrote not even New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is "more powerful than the Super Bowl." Christie over the past few weeks had "boasted about how he would get to hand-pick two dozen VIPS for a sweet reward: the chance to enjoy the biggest sporting event in the country with him in his luxury suite at MetLife Stadium." But Christie’s MetLife Stadium box "will be out of bounds" on game day. Christie's Press Secretary Michael Drewniak said, "The governor does not have a suite for the Super Bowl." Regular season box holders like Christie "take a back seat to Super Bowl organizers who can command a pretty penny for the luxury digs" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 9/16).
