With four days to go until Super Bowl XLV finally kicks off, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Dallas Cowboys fans will not like what they see in the stands at Cowboys Stadium.
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been very popular in Dallas since they edged the Cowboys in a pair of classic Super Bowls in the 1970s, but Steelers fans will make their presence known when the AFC champions faces the NFC champion Green Bay Packers Sunday night, February 6.
“All the demand is coming from the Steelers fanbase,” Premium Seats USA president and CEO Jimmy Siegendorf told TicketNews as he waited out a delay at the airport on his way to Dallas today.
Siegendorf said Premium Seats — which sells Super Bowl packages that include travel, hotel and game day parties as well as the tickets — has sold about 60 packages to Steelers fans from all around the country but “…only a handful” to Packers fans. Steelers fans also made up the bulk of Premium Seats’ business two years ago, when the Steelers edged the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.
The Steelers’ dominance of the resale market was no surprise two years ago given the Cardinals’ meager fanbase and lack of winning tradition (the Cardinals won just nine games during the 2008 season and their three playoff wins were two more than they had in the previous 61 years combined). Even on Ticketmaster’s secondary ticketing Web site TicketExchange, more fans from Pennsylvania are buying tickets than fans from Wisconsin, according to the company.
The Packers, who won the first two Super Bowls and have been perennial contenders even though this is their first Super Bowl in 13 years, are decidedly more established than the Cardinals and are the undisputed kings of Wisconsin sports. But, high prices have spooked some Packers’ fans, and overall the team is no match for the lure of the Steelers, which are going for their third Super Bowl win in the last six years and their record seventh overall.
The Steelers have sold out their last 319 home games at Heinz Field and Three Rivers Stadium. According to figures provided by SeatGeek.com, the Steelers’ average ticket price of $213.94 ranked fourth in the NFL. Steelers fans also have a reputation for traveling well and were named the best in football by ESPN.com in 2008.
“They have such a strong fanbase and have played well for so many years,” Siegendorf said. “Everybody loves a winner. I think they’ve collected some fans over the past six years that might not have been Steelers fans before.”
