Monday’s CFP title game between Alabama and Georgia will "mark the first major championship sporting event" in the U.S. where most fans will "not be allowed to use paper tickets to get into the game," according to A.J. Perez of USA TODAY. Rather, Ticketmaster will "require all but a select number of fans to use their Apple iOS and Android devices to gain entry into Mercedes-Benz Stadium." Ticketmaster Dir of Communications Ashley Dos Santos in an email wrote, "The use of mobile ticketing for this title game is to further increase the safety and convenience of both the ticketing process and mobile entry for fans. Tickets will only be printed onsite as needed." Perez notes mobile ticketing "creates another layer for fans looking to buy and sell tickets through secondary ticket market sites like StubHub and SeatGeek." Fans would "need to log into the Ticketmaster site or use the company’s smartphone apps to transfer tickets before the game, instead of simply transferring the tickets to a secondary ticket market site directly." StubHub Communications Manager Cameron Papp said, "You now have hurdles to jump through. What has resulted is less inventory for the game, which is in high demand already." Tickets are "on pace to set a record" for a CFP title game in terms of average price. Yesterday, only a "handful of seats on secondary ticket sites were going for less than $2,000." A small number of paper tickets have "been issued to VIPs, although general fans won’t be able to print out tickets and bring those to the game to get into the event" (USA TODAY, 1/4).
SUITE LIFE: In Atlanta, Jennifer Brett notes online gameday real estate broker SuiteHop has a "number of offerings, including a private, 30-person suite on the 40-yard line for $196,473." If that is a "little too steep, there are single tickets available in a shared suite for $3,750" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/4).
