By Christine Paluf
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest money-makers for many industries, from television ads to ticket prices and half-time performers, it’s a golden cash cow if you can get a foot in the door.
Finding tickets to this extravaganza is an elusive endeavor, and a costly one. For those that missed the June 1 submission date for the random NFL lottery, there are still ways of obtaining a seat.
The secondary market is a great place to start, and with the estimated face value of 2007 tickets ranging from $500 to $750 a piece, mark up can be considerable. StubHub.com has packages listed for the Feb. 4 game at Dolphins Stadium starting at $4,475. The all-inclusive deals are a common way to find tickets, some including airfare and hotel or even food along with the seat. But on the same site, those packages can run upwards of $9,250, which includes a stay at a South Beach penthouse.
If it’s only tickets you’re searching for, some of the lowest prices can be obtained on sites that help reduce some of the costs incurred by brokers. Charging lower fees than other sites, TicketLiquidator.com is able to offer tickets starting at $2,400. The most expensive seat listed on the site goes for $5,950, and seat locations are listed along with the ticket, so you know what you’re getting when you buy. This highest priced ticket will place the buyer in section 112, row 44.
If a general seating area is enough of a promise, trying a newer, non-traditional way to get tickets may be a good bet…literally. Consider the futures market, a common occurrence in economic circles and commodities with a large price fluctuation, the futures market has now applied itself to the Super Bowl ticket industry.
Necessity is the mother of invention, but frustration fueled by not being able to obtain Boston Red Sox tickets can be quite a motivator as well. In this case, some MIT students developed the idea of applying their knowledge of finance and econ to the ticket industry, and Yoonew.com was born.
The site lets you choose the team you believe will make it to the Super Bowl, with contract pricing dependent on their statistical chances of reaching the event. The prices change frequently, and the earlier you ‘place your bet’ the better your chances of a low price. Last season prices changed daily. Pricing is determined by a number of factors, including the market value of tickets or stadium capacity.
If the team you choose makes it to the Super Bowl, whatever you paid for the futures is what you pay for your ticket. If they don’t make it, you lose your money, as your contract expires. Not a bad deal if you predict the right team at the right time.
Another site that offers an alternative to the unpredictable NFL draft is TheTicketReserve.com. Guess work can pay off on this site, but it works a bit differently than Yoonew.com. If your team makes it to the Super Bowl and you have futures options tied to that team, you are guaranteed a ticket at face value. The site also allows you to buy futures in many teams early and resell or trade them on the site down the road.
There will be two teams headed to the Bowl, so one could conceivably buy futures in every team, and sell off the less-desirable futures. There is the possibility of making back the money initially spent … as well as the chance of paying for all of them, but it’s all about the risk you’re willing to take.
