StubHub and ticket brokers are saying that the Warriors are "withdrawing the right to hawk game tickets online unless brokers use the team's resale site," according to Ron Leuty of the S.F. BUSINESS TIMES. The Warriors said that their "effort to rein in brokers is designed to cut into fraudulent tickets." The team is "refusing to renew" bundles of season tickets for brokers who sell fraudulent tickets "and offering those recaptured tickets to individual fans." Leuty noted on any given night, as many as 2,000 Warriors tickets "are sold by brokers through secondary ticket marketplaces." Warriors VP/Communications Raymond Ridder said that about 50 fans "on average arrive for each Warriors home game only to be rejected at the gates because their tickets are no good." But Leuty writes the issue also is "a struggle for control of tickets, ticket prices and buyer data." The Warriors and Ticketmaster "control the data on primary season ticket buyers." But once individual game tickets are sold on rival resale sites, the team and Ticketmaster "know little to nothing about the fans actually using the tickets or those fans' buying habits." StubHub Head of Communications Glenn Lehrman said, "What people really want to know is who's sitting in the seats. It's demographic data on buying habits -- how often you buy tickets from the Warriors, if you order Diet Coke. Then we can send you offers." StubHub-supported organization Fan Freedom Project Exec Dir Christopher Grimm said, "The data is nice, but the league and Ticketmaster get a cut of every ticket sold on those platforms. It's about getting a piece of the resale market." Leuty wrote it is "clear that a 'buyer beware' campaign is designed to drive fans to the team-authorized NBAtickets.com site." The campaign's "centerpiece video, shown during Warriors games, spotlights a man trying to sell airline tickets at an airport," with the tagline: "You wouldn't do it for a plane ticket so why do it for Warriors games? Keep it real with verified tickets" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/19).
