The moment Michigan State upset UConn, local fans starting snapping up tickets for the NCAA Championship Game. The lowest price available to get into the game has more than doubled, to just under $200 (ticket plus commission).  Given that most Spartan fans will be within driving distance of Ford Field, they get to avoid spending their money on hotels and airplanes, which is nice…

A search on FanSnap shows there are still over 2000 tickets available from eleven ticket companies, including Barry’s Tickets, eBay, Golden Tickets, Great Seats, Razorgator, StubHub, TicketNetwork, Ticket Solutions, Ticket Town, Totally Tickets, and TotalTickets.com.

Tickets are available everywhere from the first ten rows courtside to the “nosebleed section.”   I have seen Final Fours in the Alamodome and the Georgia Dome.  Watching the semifinals on TV, which set a record for attendance of over 70,000, it sure looked to me like Ford Field may be the most outstanding big college basketball venue in America.

Bring on Carolina!

Mike

It used to be that national sporting events would be stuffy corporate affairs with the stands populated by sponsors, VIPs and other “suits.”

One of the major benefits of the robust ticket resale market is that fans now actively buy and sell tickets to these (and all) events either through brokers or directly on marketplaces like StubHub, eBay, or the NCAA’s endorsed exchange, Razorgator.

The Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl a few years ago was the watershed moment - the end of the pure corporate event. It was like a Steelers home game, populated with real Steelers fans, thanks to the resale market.  The fan’s world has changed forever.

A quick “final four championship” search on FanSnap shows thousands of tickets are available for the NCAA championship game. With Michigan State’s win, all those disappointed UConn fans will flood the market with their tickets. So will the fans of whoever loses the second semifinal. Half of the state of Michigan will want to go. The opportunity to see the locals win a national championship at home is priceless.

The Ford Field stands Monday night will be green.

Watching ticket activity around the two hot national events this month – the Final Four and the Masters – reminds me of something I sometimes take for granted. 

My kids have no idea what a tea kettle is.  Or an LP record.  They also have no clue what the words “sold out” mean.

Since the ticket resale market has gone mainstream in the past decade, there is no such thing as “sold out.”  It is possible to get into almost any game or show, no matter how hot.  With tickets, just like any other commodity, demand creates supply.

That’s really the primary difference between the original distribution of tickets (the “primary market”) and the resale market.  There is no such thing as sold out. The other major difference between the two ticket markets is that fans have many choices where to buy from in the resale market, where the original box office ticket distribution is always contracted with a single company.

You choose to go to events.  You can choose your location and how much to spend.  You can choose who to buy from.  Enjoy those choices - and your ability, and right, to choose.

If it’s on your “bucket list,” this year may be a great year to catch the Masters or the Final Four.  Don’t forget that a few years ago this would not have been possible.

Mike