Dispatch
Demand, hype pump up price of OSU football tickets
Friday, September 01, 2006
Barnet D . Wolf
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Ohio State is No. 1, and scalpers are selling Buckeyes football tickets for record prices.
Brokers say single-game and season tickets are costing them at least 10 percent more this year, and customers will have to pony up accordingly.
"When you come out with this No. 1 ranking in all the polls, everybody sees this and they want more for their tickets," said Jamie Kaufman, president of Dream Seats Inc.
"We’re seeing a lot of excitement, a lot of hype. All that just builds and builds."
If the Buckeyes win their home opener Saturday against Northern Illinois and then beat Texas, prices "will go through the roof," he said.
That was echoed by Wes Winters, an owner of Scarlet and Gray Tickets.
"If we beat Texas, wow, they will go out of sight," he said.
Of course, a couple of losses could send prices tumbling.
Although Ohio Stadium seats 105,000, fans find it increasingly difficult to qualify for tickets through the university based on a points system that accounts for donations and years of ticket purchases.
Prices are up $1 this year to $59 apiece, or $413 for all seven home games, but that hasn’t hurt demand.
Add the No. 1 ranking to a home schedule that includes Michigan and Penn State, sprinkle in 6,000 more student season tickets than last year and the picture is clear.
"I’ve never seen anything like it," said Dennis Hoobler, Ohio State’s associate athletics director for development and ticketing. "I mean, it’s always strong, but this is remarkable."
Nearly 1,600 OSU faculty and staff members who qualified for tickets this year couldn’t get them. Some potential donors to the Buckeye Club, a scholarship program that is a way for the public to qualify for tickets, were told that there were no more tickets.
The intense interest extends to the resale market, said Matt Colahan, manager of Tickets Galore in Dublin.
"I wouldn’t say it’s totally out of sight yet, but demand is high and there’s potential for prices to go higher."
A check with ticket brokers showed that they’re asking at least $850 for a season ticket.
Northern Illinois game tickets begin at slightly less than $100. A year ago, scalpers got about $90 for tickets to the opener against Miami University.
Michigan remains the hottest ticket, with prices ranging from about $350 to $1,875. That’s comparable with past prices for that game.
The biggest increase might be for Penn State tickets, which scalpers are pricing at $250 and up. That’s 50 percent higher than 2004, the last time the Nittany Lions were here.
OSU has tried to cut down on scalping by students and faculty and staff members who receive discounted tickets. School officials are requiring them to show their university ID upon entering the stadium. But they can avoid the ID requirement by paying the full price.
About 65 percent of the faculty and staff members who got tickets chose to do that. Most students will get a chance to do so when school starts next month. Language printed on the back of all OSU football tickets forbids selling them for more than the face value.
"We don’t like that it happens, and we’re exploring what we can do about it," Hoobler said. "But this has gone on forever. People say, ‘I paid for that ticket. I can do what I want.’ "
Some universities have tried to beat brokers at their own game and are charging premium prices for certain games.
For example, the University of California charges $40 for a seat at most games, but it’s $48 for the UCLA contest and $60 to watch the rivalry with Stanford.
A ticket to a Northwestern home game costs $30 for non-Big Ten games and $50 for conference games. End-zone tickets normally are discounted, but not for the OSU game.
So far, OSU hasn’t done that.
Brokers point out that while Buckeyes tickets are expensive on the resale market, they’re a bargain compared with those for games in Notre Dame Stadium, which seats 25,000 fewer than Ohio Stadium.
With the Fighting Irish expected to be in the national title hunt, Notre Dame also reported record demand.
The least expensive available ticket for the Notre Dame-Penn State game Sept. 9, for instance, goes for nearly $800. The most expensive: $2,600.
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Friday, September 01, 2006
