Demand for Heat tickets has dipped to the point that the team has "begun offering tickets at up to half off the regular price, in an attempt to unload excessive inventory and compete with bargain basement deals found on the secondary market," according to Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. The Heat have "tasked a third-party ticket service, GoldStar.com, with doing its price-chopping" in a way to "not offend season-ticket holders who paid full freight." GoldStar launched the Miami component of its website yesterday, and GoldStar CEO Jim McCarthy said, "If a game is 95 percent sold out, it's an opportunity for a venue to make a few more dollars, get more people in the building." Beasley notes partnering with GoldStar allows the Heat to sell "leftover inventory at a price that's competitive with StubHub, yet saving them the embarrassment of having an open fire sale." Tickets to the April 19 game against the Bulls have a $125 face value, but "can be had for just $65 through GoldStar." StubHub's cheapest ticket for that game currently is $79. Meanwhile, the NHL Panthers are "offering seats through GoldStar for as little as $15" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/21).
