Ticket brokers for Super Bowl XLVIII yesterday said that the market for Sunday's Seahawks-Broncos matchup is "soft, and tickets are available for much closer to face value than anticipated," according to Gary Mihoces of USA TODAY. N.Y.-based Prominent Tickets Founder & CEO Lance Patania said, "Everybody said it's Wall Street, it's New York City, it's North Jersey, a lot of people, a lot of money, they're going to drive the market. It's been doing anything but that." He added, "The issue with the weather is one thing, but the teams are not drawing. If this game was in San Diego or Miami, it would still not be a good ticket because the teams are not sexy." California-based Spotlight Ticket Management co-Founder & CEO Tony Knopp yesterday said that he had been "informed of Super Bowl tickets available for $1,050." Knopp: "There were years in the mid 2000s where the get-in price vacillated between $2,800 and $4,000 right around this time" (USA TODAY, 1/28). In N.Y., Jeane MacIntosh reports more than 18,000 tickets "remained available on the secondary market" yesterday. TiqIQ VP/Data & Communication Chris Matcovich said, "Everyone had this notion at the beginning of the process that this would be a hot ticket and prices would match everything else in New York. The fact of the matter is that is not the case, and it doesn’t look like that will be the case a week out" (N.Y. POST, 1/28). Also in N.Y., Christian Red notes the combined 4,700 miles that separate the Broncos, Seahawks and MetLife Stadium is "another reason why brokers are worried they may lose a small fortune." StubHub communications specialist Cameron Papp said, "It’s not that surprising to see the decrease leading up to the event. ... If the Patriots had made it, it may have made it easier for brokers" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/28).
KEEPING THE FAITH: NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman said, "The secondary market is very strong, but it has ebbs and flows. Tickets are in incredibly strong demand, and if anyone has any, I’m sure those of us up here who are getting calls would be happy to have them.” In N.Y., Ken Belson notes the NFL "perhaps indirectly played a role in the secondary market when it changed the face value of some of the tickets to the game." The league this year "lowered the price of the cheapest tickets to $500, from $650." Only 1,000 of them "were sold, and only through a lottery that 30,000 people entered." The tickets must be "picked up at the stadium on game day to prevent them from being resold." The league also "doubled the price of its most expensive tickets -- club seats that include access to indoor lounges -- to $2,500." By raising the price of the face value of these tickets, the league "unwittingly encouraged resellers to raise their prices, too" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/28).
BRING IN THE 12TH MAN: In Denver, Andy Vuong cites StubHub data as showing that Seahawks fans are "expected to outnumber Broncos fans by a clear margin." StubHub yesterday said that 18% of its Super Bowl ticket sales have "come from the state of Washington, followed by New York" with 14%. Colorado residents have "snatched up" 12% of tickets sold. That information "jibes with a report from SeatGeek," which said that 18% of all Super Bowl ticket shoppers are "originating from Washington" versus 8% from Colorado (DENVER POST, 1/28).
