Tickets of America Media

Andrew: I mentioned tickets before, what’s it going to take to get you into the building? Michael Lipman joins us every week from www.ticketsofamerica.com.

Michael: Andrew, don’t you love this time of year?

Andrew: I do… but not until next week to be honest with you, the conference championship games don’t do much for me. However, I know it’s a big draw in NY. We talked about it last week. So, Big East Tournament, Title game, Saturday night. What are talking here?

Michael: Wee I’ll tell you something, before UConn lost it was $200.00 to $1500.00. Now since UConn lost it’s $100.00 to $1000.00.

Andrew: Wait…UConn was that big of a draw?

Michael: Oh, UConn is the tournament, if you don’t have a NY area school in the final it makes a huge difference, because of the drive over factor.

Andrew: I understand that, but to me, even though there’s a drive down from Stores, and not that much of a drive, to me for some reason UConn is that sexy team this year, maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way.

Michael: Well it’s just the fans, it’s like a culture, I mean the whole state is really behind basketball, and I’ll tell you one thing, people look at the finals and obviosly people are looking at the ACC final and circling that. We talked about the prices last week at Cameron it was $1900.00 to get in. Right now for the ACC Championship everyone is looking ahead to the NCAA and the Conference championship right now is $150.00-$250.00 to get in, Duke vs. UNC, one week later.

Andrew: Michael, what about in the Big Ten? Where Indiana is on to a second round game and they are in Indianapolis.

Michael: Great Fans. Obviously they’re going to have an impact and if they go to the championship of the Big Ten that is going to definitely drive the price. But you know what interesting enough, even so with the Final Four, we call it the Final Four, we don’t call it the Final Two. The Semi Finals is definitely a bigger tickets and there’s definitely more value for the championship because you have two losing teams selling their tickets. So that also dictates the price and really has an impact. the Semi Final game definitely is a bigger ticket.

Andrew: Michael Lipman, www.ticketsofamerica.com joining us on Game Time Live on FOX. Michael, compare it, these championship weekend tickets, these conference championship weekend tickets, to anything we’re going to see next week in the first round.

Michael: Nothing, the way they have the format, you can go to ticketsofamerica.com Sunday when they put the draw out, it’s really tremendous because the teams are playing closer to their homes. They put UNC in Raleigh, that’s going to drive the price to the moon. Memphis playing in Arkansas is going to drive the price to the moon. And I’ll tell you, in Miami, the people, they are not the best fans for the Miami Hurricanes, but as many games as have been selling out, they put them in Tampa and they are going to drive over and put the price up.

Andrew: Miami fans!

Michael: They are hot right now!

Andrew: I know, I just didn’t know they had any basketball fans.

Michael: I didn’t know either! But they’re selling out every game now.

Andrew: I didn’t even know they had a basketball program.

Michael: And obviously Florida State if they get in to the tournament you the drive over factor again. Where ever the game is, if there is a team close, they will drive over and push the price up. And that’s good the NCAA did is keep them close together.

Andrew: We have about a minute left, what is the perfect Final Four match up for a ticket broker?

Michael: It depends what side of the fence, obviously ticket brokers such a ticketsofamerica.com, we take orders all year long, so if you have a lot of orders you want a soft Final Four, if you have a lot of inventory you want to see a big Final Four. So if you want to see a big Final Four you want Texas to make because it is in San Antonio. UNC and Duke are also big every time they get in

Hi, this is Sid Rosenberg.

Are you tired of being forced to watch the big game on your TV or getting locked out at the box office? Would you prefer to watch the action live? Ticketsofamerica.com is never sold out and is your answer to all your ticket needs. Call (305) 379-7978 or log on to ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/>.

Ticketsofamerica.com has tickets for all the Miami Heat, the NFL games, the Super Bowl, or any other sporting or entertainment events, whether you’re looking to sit in the front row or any seat in the house. Ticketsofamerica.com has the largest inventory of tickets nationwide and handles each client with great service, whether you’re looking to buy or sell tickets. Don’t be locked out, ‘cause we’re never sold out.

Don’t forget ticketsofamerica.com when you’re looking for tickets to the big games, great concert seats, or special events. Ticketsofamerica.com, we’re never sold out.

Call (305) 379-7978 or log on to ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/> and tell them Sid sent you.

Michael: Hi, this is Michael Lipman, president of Tickets of America.

Live the Ticketsofamerica.com experience. Parking directly below you courtside seats, strutting into the Flagship lounge, sipping cocktails with the “A” list, and having the usher the black velvet rope hand delivering you and your VIP client, or special one, to your courtside seats while waving to your friends and “high fiving” Shaq and Wade.

Ticketsofamerica.com is never sold out! Call now! 305-379-7978, 305-379-7978.

Ticketsofamerica.com even has tickets for the Sold Out BCS Bowl games! We also have all tickets for sports, concerts, Broadway shows! We are your sports passport to the world!

Whether you’re looking for that VIP experience or any seat in the house, Ticketsofamerica.com has the largest inventory of seats nation wide! Call now! 305-379-7978! Don’t be shut out because we’re never sold out! Tell them Michael sent you!

Andrew: To get a ticket maybe you should go to www.ticketsofamerica.com, Michael Lipman joins us every week, hi Michael!

Lipman: Hey! good evening Crystal and Andrew, how’re you guys doing?

Andrew: good how are you?

Lipman: I’m great great, march madness, big week for us!

Andrew: I heard a rumor about march madness, let’s talk about these stadiums here, Detroit’s Ford Field and then Reliant stadium the one I just mentioned in Houston, they’re not going to do them in their traditional layout, which is, throw the court at one end and one endzone of the dome stadium, and then drop a curtain, these configurations are going to be different, what does it mean for the fan?

Lipman: Boy, it really deplets the huh, well for me it makes the prices go down because we buy tickets well in advanced and unfortunately for me they cost me a lot of money, for the fans, they’re the real winners, because obviously more supply is going to bring the prices down, and I tell you, if you had the game at the Toyota Center in Houston, you’d probably looking at about a $500 ticket versus a $250 ticket, I’m talking lower bowl strips for the South region, right now the south region is going anywhere from $250 to $2500, and the hottest ticket obviously at a regular stadium where the Bobcast play, the east regional, obviously some great matchups, like we talked last week with the home cooking, you have North Carolina, in the East region, you’re looking at a $400 and up strip right now so, and definitely the ford field, I mean the economy in Detroit, tickets are actually going under face value, according to www.ticketsofamerica.com

Andrew: under face value! really?

Lipman: for the midwest region, yes!

Andrew: is that because nobody likes Kansas or nobody wants to go to Detroit? it’s, several factors, A: you have to look at what the local economy is going to drive, because obviously you have the teams thats going to drive the market up, and you do have some good teams like Wisconsin and Kansas, and they’re good traveling fans, but the local economy in Detroit is very bad, as we all know, there is a recession going on, so I think that has a good impact on the price especially the premium tickets, obviously you’re seen much higher premium tickets in the East region where they’re topping at $2000 a book, and the south region is topping at $2500, and the west you’re looking at $1750 for the top courtside seats, for the midwest we’re talking about Detroit is only $850, so it’s really 40cents
on the dollar less than the other markets.

Andrew: Michael Lipman, ticketsofamerica.com, Michael we’ve talked about this in the past, we have 16 teams remaining, your dream final four match up, other than we know Texas because they’re going to be in Texas.

Lipman: well, obviously, the North Carolina fans are not going to let go of their tickets, they have driven the final four to the roof before, so obviously North Carolina is going to make a very big ticket, Texas obviously is going to make the largest ticket because of the drive over factor, the kansas fans definitely would drive the price up, and actually I think memphis would drive the prices up too with the drive down factor or Tennessee, and UCLA fans obviously representing the west coast in Texas, I think they would drive it, so I would say those are the major schools that would make this a tough ticket for the final four, but obviously Texas is the million dollar question because without Texas in there, you’re looking probably about $200 a book, which is just about face value, versus Texas being in there you’re looking at a $500 a book, so Texas is the factor for this final four when it comes to prices.

Andrew: and for those who don’t know, Austin and UT is only about 65-70 miles away from San Antonio. Michael I have only a minute remaining here, opening day now that we have this game out of the way, stateside which is the most sought after opening day ticket for next week

Lipman: obviously because of the Red Sox getting the rings, Fenway Park is going to be packed on April 8th, right now you have a record opening day, $250 to get in the door for an opening day baseball game and the field boxes are going for $2500 and up, the most expensive seat for opening day is at Yankee stadium on 3.31 which the legend field boxes are going for $3500 a piece, so once again it’s Boston/NY

Andrew: wow! Michael Lipman, www.ticketsofamerica.com, Michael as always sir, thank you very much!

Hi, this is Sid Rosenberg.Are you tired of being forced to watch the big game on your TV or getting locked out at the box office? Would you prefer to watch the action live? Ticketsofamerica.com is never sold out and is your answer to all your ticket needs. Call (305) 379-7978 or log on to ticketsofamerica.com www.ticketsofamerica.com.

Ticketsofamerica.com has tickets for all the Miami Heat, the NFL games, the Super Bowl, or any other sporting or entertainment events, whether you’re looking to sit in the front row or any seat in the house. Ticketsofamerica.com has the largest inventory of tickets nationwide and handles each client with great service, whether you’re looking to buy or sell tickets. Don’t be locked out, ‘cause we’re never sold out.

Don’t forget ticketsofamerica.com when you’re looking for tickets to the big games, great concert seats, or special events. Ticketsofamerica.com, we’re never sold out.

Call (305) 379-7978 or log on to www.ticketsofamerica.com and tell them Sid sent you.

Announcer: It’s time for Ticket Talk with Michael Lipman from Tickets of America! Tickets of America is never sold out, call 888-383-1515 or go online to www.ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/>.

Evan: 4:49 and Evan Cohen back with you on ESPN Radio 760. Joining me now on the Metro PCS Hotline from Tickets of America it is Michael Lipman! Michael, how are you today?

Michael: Hey, good afternoon Evan. It’s been a busy, busy day strategizing in the ticket world after last night’s injury.

Evan: Yeah, it’s interesting, I was thinking about that when I.there’s been a big debate about who brings people to the seats, is it Duane Wade? Is it Shaquille O’Neill? Is it both of them? So take me through, because you’ve been down here in South Florida for a while and you know how fans think better than anybody, in terms of people buying tickets at Tickets of America. Was it Shaq, was it Wade? What was it that brought people to the table for the Miami Heat?

Michael: It was definitely Shaq, I mean when Shaq was rumored to come from LA to the Miami Heat, that’s when the season ticket holder base went nuts. Granted the year before that happened.or the month before when they made that great playoff run out of no where and they actually lost in the semi-final of the Eastern Conference to the Indiana Pacers and Wade went nuts in the series, as well as the series before when they went seven games with the Hornets. That really got fans excited but when season tickets holders really went over the top was when Shaq came.

Evan: Interesting, I’m here with Michael Lipman of Tickets of America, “Never Sold Out,” 888-383-1515, www.ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/>. So you said you’ve been strategizing, take me inside what that means exactly. What has gone on in your world since Duane Wade got hurt and we don’t know if he is going to play again at the triple A all year.

Michael: Well. the bottom line is, we are really vulnerable to the.being in the service industry in Florida, to the tours and what comes in, so you find that the hottest Heat tickets are during the holiday times, the kids Spring Break time, and certain times a year, and Presidents Day weekend, three day weekends, Memorial Weekend, whenever there’s a lot of tourist down here. That all comes in to effect, those times of the year won’t be affected, what is affected is the weekday games with corporate people, if you don’t put a winning product on the court, which we have found this year, definitely sales are down, and not having Shaq for the first half of the season basically, we really suffered. Wade was playing so I think the combination of them both not being on the court at the same time.bottom line is the Ws and Ls.

Evan: Again, Talking with Michael Lipman here, I’m Evan Cohen on ESPN Radio 760. www.ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/> - 888-383-1515. For all of your ticket needs, not only here in South Florida but all over the country, if you have friends across the country, Michael can hook you up anywhere. I’ve been on the website, it amazing the amount of inventory they have with these tickets. Anyway, Let’s just say for arguments sake, the Heat all of a sudden out of nowhere, now I don’t think you think this is going to happen or that I think this is going to happen, but let’s play the hypothetical game, somehow they start winning some games even without Duane Wade you think maybe all of a sudden it’s a buzz now, because Shaq is there and they’re winning without Wade, that hey maybe you got to come see this team win without their best player.

Michael: Yeah it’s a combination of that, when you have busy times of the year, obviously you have the Sony Ericsson, there will be a lot of tourists in town during that time, there are a lot of Heat games, I think the times you’re going to see how strong the fans are is during the Monday, Tuesday, the weekday games, are you going to have a sellout crowd. Weekends you’re guaranteed a sellout crowd just because the kids want to go to the games; it’s not a school night, and there are a tremendous amount of weekend games. And we have great seats, prices have not changed, we haven’t lowered the prices but we have great deals to begin with. You can sit lower bowl for most games for $69.00, just go to www.ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/>. You can sit upper level for $29.00. I mean you can’t beat those prices to begin with. Evan: Right, and the other thing is, we all know about South Florida is that Wade or not Lebron James is still here on Sunday.

Michael: Right and the Detroit Pistons are coming here Saturday night, and then there are teams like the Nets and.you know we are still fighting for the division, so also Orland and Washington. I mean it will be very hard for us not to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. I mean we’re not talking about a tough conference here, we are in seventh, eighth place, for us to drop out of the running would have to be a disaster.

Evan: Evan Cohen talking with Michael Lipman from Tickets of America at 888-383-1515, www.ticketsofamerica.com <http://www.ticketsofamerica.com/>, alright, let’s move on from the Heat. March Madness coming up, I still think in my opinion, the Gators are the best in America, you could say Wisconsin, Ohio States, those teams play this weekend. If Wisconsin beats Ohio State than the Gators wind up at number one again, they beat South Carolina last night. I would be shocked if they didn’t make a run in the NCAA Tournament. At this point, gun to my head Michael, I’d pick them to go to the Final Four. So I got to assume March Madness is already starting to heat up, especially with Gator fan looking for tickets to see them in the tournament.

Michael: I think you’ve brought up an interesting point here, it doesn’t really matter who’s number one today, I think the bottom line is once they put the draw out, there are four number one teams. So, I think, when it is all said and done, as long as they get a number one seed, which I can’t see happening, I think those three teams you just said are pretty much locked.

Evan: Now I don’t know this off the top of my head, and you may not either, I am almost positive part of the NCAA tournament takes place in Florida this year, but I can’t remember where, I may be wrong Michael, do you have nay idea about that?

Michael: You have the ACC Conference Tournament in Tampa this year, but there are no regionals down here this year. You have the Tampa ACC Tournament, which we have great seats for, so that should be a great thing. I remember the last time it was in Tampa it was the Final Four, the biggest Final four in the history on final Fours, you had Duke, Michigan State, Ohio State and you had Yukon in there. That was a monster ticket. It’s going to be at the St. Pete Times, we have great seats, your audience would be a car ride away, and that’s great basketball. I think, Evan, that is the best value in sports, for anything, is the NCAA Tournament and these Conference Tournaments. We specialize in the big East tournaments; our office in NY City is exactly across from Madison Square Garden on 31^st and 7^th in the lobby of the Affinia Hotel. So we take a strong position on the Big East basketball tournament and the ACC, we have a satellite office in Tampa, so we can satisfy all your needs for the conference tournaments. Then we move into the first and second rounds, regionals and of course the Final Four. There will be a huge amount of action there with Florida favored to go back to the Final four in Atlanta, Georgia.

Michael J. Lipman won’t stop running tomorrow until Super Bowl XLI kicks off.

“Sunday is always an interesting day,” said Lipman, chief executive of Tickets of America, a Miami company that will continue to broker Super Bowl deals until game time on Sunday. “In the last several Super Bowls, prices shot up the day of the game, but this year, it’s been difficult to predict because there were such high ticket prices right off the bat.” Brokers on Friday predicted that the average price of resold Super Bowl XLI tickets (with face values of $600 and $700) would remain above $4,000, easily breaking the $3,000 average resale record set last year in Detroit. Though seats were available for $1,800 on Friday, brokers and resellers say the average was pushed up by strong demand for better seats from Super Bowl-starved fans in Chicago and Indianapolis.

Tickets still on the resale market are in the hands of brokers and online resellers in Miami who’ve set up shop a short drive from Dolphin Stadium. Lipman is operating out of his Miami headquarters building and a satellite location at Shula’s On The Beach, a Fort Lauderdale steakhouse. He’ll also dispatch representatives to deliver tickets to customers as they approach the stadium.

Based on the number of Super Bowl tickets still available Friday, there were plenty of deals to be done by game time. Tickets of America’s website had about 100 tickets available. StubHub.com listed more than 800 tickets and Ticketsnow.com had more than 1,800 tickets. TicketsNow.com also offered an eight-passenger private jet with round-trip service from New York to Miami for $24,000.

StubHub.com’s data showed that the average ticket price on Friday fell to $4,170, down from $4,498 on Wednesday. The highest priced tickets on the website continued to hover between $9,000 and $10,000. But TicketsNow.com had several seats priced at $1,800 — less than the $2,415 asking price for a VIP ticket to Playboy’s annual Super Bowl party. As for fans who didn’t make it to Miami, but still have money burning a hole in their pockets? Take heart. A ticket for a primo seat at the sold-out NBA All-Star game at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Feb. 18 can be had online for just $6,500.

Greg Johnson, Times Staff Writer
February 3, 2007

• Several NFL people have expressed skepticism about whether Daunte Culpepper — whose decision-making and ability to make quick reads have been questioned — will be a good fit for Cam Cameron’s offense.

• Some NFL people have wondered whether Dom Capers will earn more than Cameron. But that’s not the case, the Dolphins told an involved official. Former Packers GM Ron Wolf said there’s no way a team can pay an assistant more than the head coach: “I don’t care if the head coach is 20 years old.”

• Eddie Jones has spoken to Memphis about a buyout, and the Heat is expected to explore a potential return if he’s set free. Friends of Jones say a return appeals to him.

• The Dolphins’ dramatic increase on some club seats — resulting in some cancellations — is one of several price hikes for South Florida fans. General ticket prices also are expected to rise. Some Heat premium seats are skyrocketing (one floor seat owner is being raised from $62,500 to $89,250 per year for all AA Arena events). Tennis’ Sony Ericcson Open is raising prices for the first time since 2002 (by $5). And the CA Championship at Doral — now a prestigious World Golf Championship event — will charge $45 for adults per day, up from $25, $30 and $35.

• Tickets of America’s Michael Lipman said first-week demand is the highest in Super Bowl history, with upper-level end zone seats selling for $3,200 — $1,000 more than last year in Detroit.

• The lighter side: Practically everyone has a Super Bowl party here this week (including LeBron James on Wednesday at Mansion). The most star-studded? Probably the one by Shaquille O’Neal, who — with 790 The Ticket owner Joel Feinberg — is inviting 50 celebs to an exclusive dinner at Casa Casuarinas (formerly Versace Mansion) after Heat-Cavs on Thursday.

By Barry Jackson, Miami Herald.

January 28, 2007

Want a seat at the 50-yard line? Be prepared to shell out up to $10,000

Tickets for Super Bowl XLI have a face value of $600 and $700, but thousands of them are available at resale for prices of $3,000 and up.

The tickets have been in high demand for months, long before the participating teams were known, because the Feb. 4 game is in South Florida after two years in colder climates in Detroit last year and Jacksonville in 2005. Now, with the game pitting the Chicago Bears, who haven’t been to the big game since 1986, and the Indianapolis Colts, who’ve had a Super Bowl drought since 1971 when they were in Baltimore, ticket sellers say, demand is even higher.

As long as you’re willing to pay, there are tickets to be had through brokers, as part of travel packages or on auction Web sites.

In fact, some tickets may change hands a half dozen times or more before they end up being scanned at Dolphin Stadium on game day.

Here’s how: Dolphin Stadium has 70,000 seats for the game that are distributed by the NFL, with 17.5 percent each going to the Bears and Colts; 5 percent to the Dolphins as the host team; and 34.8 percent divided among the other 29 NFL teams. The league keeps the other 25.2 percent for a fan lottery, the NFL Players Association, the media, television networks and sponsors.

The teams decide how to distribute their allotment. The Dolphins entered all their season-ticket holders into a lottery for the opportunity to buy $600 upper deck seats. Entries were weighted based on how long they had been season-ticket holders and the number of tickets in their account. The NFL also held a lottery and offered tickets for sale to South Florida politicians. While everyone pays for tickets, even Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga, sponsors and business partners have been holding contests for chances to win tickets.

After that, it’s up to the ticket-holders to decide whether to keep the tickets or re-sell them. “People get tickets from NFL personnel, corporate sponsors, from season ticket holders who won lotteries,” said Michael Lipman, CEO and president of Miami-based Tickets of America, which sells Super Bowl tickets, and White Glove International, which sells packages with tickets and hospitality.

Although Florida repealed its scalping law last summer, meaning there’s no longer a cap on the prices to resell tickets, ticket experts say that just means tickets don’t have to be included in packages with parties, limo rides or souvenirs. Lipman, who plans to sell 1,000 to 2,000 tickets, some in packages with a pregame party, said the original ticket-holder might sell his ticket to a broker for $2,500, who then resells it for $3,000 to $4,000. The process can be repeated several more times, particularly as supply and demand change in the days leading up to the game. Lipman calls it “playing the futures market.”

For example, corporations began buying up hotel and ticket packages months ago. In the weeks prior to the AFC and NFC championship games, the lower-priced tickets were selling for about $2,700. That shot up to $4,000 on Monday when the competing teams were identified, but then fell to $3,200 by Thursday. Lipman expects that price to stay fairly steady into next week, but rise again closer to the game, as Bears and Colts fans begin arriving and staying with friends and family in the hopes of scoring tickets.

Jennifer Swanson, marketing communications director for TicketsNow, an Illinois-based online marketplace for licensed ticket brokers to sell their tickets, said she was surprised to see the prices dip this week.

After upper-deck tickets reached $3,700 on Monday, they were down to $3,215 on Friday afternoon, and what had been a pool of 977 tickets rose to 1,828, she said. Fifty-yard-line tickets are still high, costing up to $10,000, she said. And the site has a suite for 50 people for $475,000, but even that’s down from $600,000 earlier this week. “This is a good time to buy,” Swanson said. “If this supply keeps up, this is going to level out. I don’t think we’re going to see another huge spike.” The early prices were higher than last year because of the draw of South Florida.

Robert Tuchman, CEO of TSE Sports & Entertainment, which arranges travel packages for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, is bringing more than 1,000 people to Super Bowl this year, up from the typical 400 or so. But Tuchman’s company, which includes hotels and a golf tournament in its packages, sets the prices long before the teams are known. He said the Bears, with their historically passionate fans, drive up his prices to get the tickets, but he said he thinks the Internet has helped open up the marketplace for Super Bowl tickets.

“In the past, people didn’t know where to go. They would have to call a broker on the phone or a ticket company,” Tuchman said. “It’s not about how hard it is to find them, it’s about how much are you willing to pay for them?”

By Sarah Talalay
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Jeff Block is pensive about cashing in his life insurance policy, wistful about putting off his wedding engagement, fearful about making the big purchase.One thing the 31-year-old financial analyst is sure of: If he comes up with the cash to follow his beloved Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl, he won’t be buying tickets from a traditional scalper. His attention is focused on one of the many online ticket resellers.

The secondhand ticket market has grown up a lot in the last decade, shifting from a business largely conducted by salesmen lurking outside stadiums to one chiefly online, both in simple Craigslist postings and more sophisticated Internet databases.

“The street business has really died,” said Don Vaccaro, who has been selling tickets since 1979 and is the founder and chief executive of Vernon, Conn.-based TicketLiquidator.com. “The old-time brokers are saying, ‘Look, you got a bunch of geeks selling tickets now.’ It’s really a lot more brains going in now.”

There are about 70,000 seats at the Feb. 4 game, but ticket distribution is tightly controlled by the NFL: 25.2 percent to the league itself, largely for sponsors, licensees and the like; 17.5 percent each to the two competing teams, the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, with some raffled off to season ticket holders; 5 percent to the host Miami Dolphins; and 1.2 percent to each of the remaining 29 NFL teams.

Many of those lucky enough to get tickets when they’re first sold won’t part with them. Princeton University economist Alan Krueger studied the ticket market during the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa and found only about 20 percent of seats were resold.

“People were very reluctant to sell their ticket,” he said. “If they won their ticket in the lottery they acted as if they were chosen by God to go to the game.”

That leaves desperate fans with a choice: Pay up or park yourself on your couch.

If they choose the former, and turn to a broker, they will be buying tickets that have been marked up at least twice _ by the original holder or holders and then again by the resale company, which typically tries to secure a price 20 percent to 30 percent higher than it paid. The result is upper-level seats from around $3,000 to luxury sideline suites for over a half-million dollars, though the average regular Super Bowl ticket sold online is about $5,115, according to an analysis by SeatSmart.com, an online ticket search site.

The face value of all Super Bowl tickets is $600 or $700.

The National Association of Ticket Brokers says there are about 600 brokers nationwide; those in the industry say their online presence has increased competition and pricing transparency. They say _believe it or not _ tickets used to be marked up even more.

“It used to be, buy a ticket, triple your profit,” Vaccaro said. “Now it’s buy a ticket and you’re lucky if you get 20 percent.”

If that isn’t pulling at your heartstrings, consider the rate at which some companies are growing. Mike Domek started his company in 1992, generating $100,000 in sales its first year. Last year, Crystal Lake, Ill.-based TicketsNow.com hit $200 million in revenue.

And it’s not just big sporting events like the Super Bowl, the World Cup or the Masters adding to their bottom lines. While Domek made more on the Super Bowl last year than any other single event, tickets to the musical “Wicked” collectively generated more revenue than anything else.

Mike Janes, a senior vice president at online ticket broker StubHub.com, said people will spend the money because such tickets are seen as admittance to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. StubHub was recently purchased by eBay Inc. for $310 million.

“People spend a lot of money, thousands of dollars quite often, for experiences like going to Hawaii, going on a cruise, going to Las Vegas, going to Disney World,” Janes said. “Fans, especially passionate fans, think nothing of spending that amount of money on an event like this.”

Gene Kudron, a 49-year-old who lives in Winfield, Ill., and owns a small manufacturing company, is among those who decided it’s worth the cost. He bought four Super Bowl packages on RazorGator.com for a total of $24,800.

“I had it up on the screen and I didn’t hit that button for probably 10 minutes,” he said. “I tried to justify it 15 different ways but it’s an opportunity I probably won’t have again.”

Though much of the initial allotment of Super Bowl tickets is going to corporate buyers, many of the resold ones are, too. Companies buy them up to reward clients and employees and brokers say they account for most of the business up until the two weeks before the Super bowl.

“They’re the only ones who will allocate funds no matter what team is involved,” said Michael Lipman, president of Miami-based TicketsOfAmerica.com.

Lipman will sell about 20 to 40 game tickets to Richard Bennetti, chief executive of Ocean Drive Limousine in Miami, who gives them to clients. Bennetti says it keeps customers interested in his business by giving them an unmatchable experience.

“It’s like giving a small baby its first taste of ice cream,” he said.

The majority of states have no price cap on ticket resales by brokers; Florida eased its rules last year and some other remaining ones appear poised to follow. Still, companies can often get around any restrictions by offering travel packages, with tickets, airfare, a hotel room and other perks bundled together. Scalpers who work right outside events typically face tougher constraints, but overall the legal environment has become friendlier.

“The clear trend,” said Gary Adler, a lobbyist and attorney for the National Association of Ticket Brokers, “is toward opening up markets.”

Krueger said his survey showed most fans support a legal ticket resale market but don’t want to see the NFL charge more. Many argue the league could improve the Super Bowl situation by giving more tickets directly to fans, but Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman, said there will never be enough.

“If we could build a stadium for 400,000 fans we still wouldn’t have enough tickets,” he said.

As for Block, he was still struggling with his decision as game day neared. He was worried more about the cost than upsetting his girlfriend.

“She puts up with a lot,” he said.

By MATT SEDENSKY

from Associated Press