$194 per ticket!!! Whoa! NFL games

[Nayan]

I agree with a PP who suggested it be a Christmas gift. A chance to see your fave team/players (before they retire) would be a memory for life.

 

[Turn the Page]

I just checked ticket prices for the UofM-OSU game this year and the cheapest tickets on ticketmaster appeared to be about $335. And sadly it doesn't appear that it is going to be an epic game this year though I could be wrong.

By comparison $194 seems like a bargain but I agree, I would have a hard time stomaching that price for a football game too.

 

[gopack]

Buy the tickets and make your son happy! He sounds like a good kid. I think you will regret it if you don’t and the prices will probably keep going up. My son had the opportunity to go to Wimbledon this year while he was taking classes in England. He is a major tennis fan but I had to think long and hard about buying that obscenely expensive ticket. I am too embarrassed to actually say how much it cost. However, I am so glad I spent the money. He loved it and appreciated it. I would be regretting it now if I had not bought it.

 

[Marchand63]

I don't want this turning into a hater thread, so I won't name teams. lol

DS12 is a huge football fan. He LOVES the game, plays it himself, studies it, understands it. Knows the plays, players, technique, strategy, etc. Used to go to DS18's high school games and instead of goofing off with his friends, he would actually sit and watch the plays. Asks DH (who is his coach) to go over game film with him from his 7th grade youth league games lol. We went to a NFL preseason game last night - the first game he's ever been to live, and he didn't even want to leave his seat for a second to go to the concession stand. He was enthralled with seeing it live, and the two teams that were playing weren't even his favorite teams!

He did however, get a copy of the home teams schedule when we walked into the stadium, and of course noticed that for the first time in many years, his ALL TIME FAVORITE team is coming to town in October - and he was so out-of-his mind excited. He wants to go so badly...it would be a dream come true to him. And this would be his only chance to see this team, and one of their star players, as the team is getting older and will probably see a lot of players retiring in the next couple years.

When we got home I checked and ticket start at $194! Either DH or I would have to go with him, of course, so out the door cost would be nearly $500. For a 3 hour football game! It's almost triple the price of some of the other other home games because of who the visiting team is.

Is that totally insane, or would you pay that kind of money to see your favorite team/players? Clearly this would be an early Christmas/Birthday present for him...we would check with him first to make sure he is OK with it being that way, but I am 100% positive he would say yes.

Is there ANY way to get discounted tickets? Any tips or secret tricks?

I assumed it's the Patriots. The team, star player getting older automatically made me think TB.

I know it's not Patriots you could barely get in the parking lot for $194.

As TB getting older yeah he's still setting records & the best interest NFL.

 

[Jen414]

I would buy them. We are Patriot season ticket holders and although we just pay for the whole season up front, each game is priced differently on our tickets. Prices are based on who the opponent is, what day it is (Thursday night and Monday nights are more expensive and the opening game is up there as well) and who the opponent is. We go to a lot of Red Sox games as well, and that's how they price their tickets too. I think our pre-season tickets said $72, but some of the games are close to $200. When we take our daughters to their one regular season game, it's a $1,000 day when all is said and done.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I would buy the tickets and make it a birthday present. Life is short and if he loves it like you say it will be an amazing experience for him. Yes the tickets are expensive but so are concert ticket and broadway tickets and theme park tickets and a billion other things. The value is in what you will get from the experience. If it's not a hardship I say go for it. He will remember it forever. That value is priceless.

 

[officerjudyhopps]

I personally would not pay that much for Eagles tickets and they just won the Super Bowl. But then again I’m not a huge football fan. Phillies baseball tickets, possibly. I think I’ve spent like $150 on baseball tickets but that was 10 years ago when they sold out every game and won the World Series. They were also club seats so sitting in the a/c instead of 100+ degrees and having a private bathroom was totally worth it.

I can’t say though don’t do it. I’ve been buying tickets for Broadway shows that are well over $300 some days so I really can’t judge there. If it’s something that you want to see and that’s the only price then do it because you don’t want to miss out. With Broadway though these shows can close at any time whereas with sports the team will most likely never move (it has happened but not very often).

If I were you, I’d buy the tickets. Go enjoy the game with the family! I mean one Disney a world ticket is practically that much anyway and we don’t seem to mind paying that!

 

[Praying Colonel]

A sure sign I'm entering the "get off my lawn" phase of my life: I look at the prices for most live events (major college/pro sports, concerts, etc.) and the prices shock me. No way I'd pay that under virtually any circumstances. An exception might be as a present for someone. For example, the last concert I attended was a present for DW.

 

[mnrose]

Buy the ticket. I bought my exchange student tickets to an NFL playoff game last year for Christmas (she'd never seen a professional American football game, even on TV). It turned out to be a game for the ages (Vikings vs. Saints, which had one of the most exciting endings ever in professional football). I spent considerably more than what you are talking about and I don't regret it one bit. My attitude now is experiences are the thing. Possessions, beyond basic necessities, don't do much for me. Live life to the fullest!

 

[sunshinehighway]

I know it's not Patriots you could barely get in the parking lot for $194.

As TB getting older yeah he's still setting records & the best interest NFL.

Stubhub has tickets for the Bears Patriots game in October for just about that price. They start at $189.

 

[SharonZ]

I agree with a lot of Teams going to tier pricing depending on the opponent, season opener, Monday Night, etc. With my NHL seats, the games are still all priced the same which means I pay the same amount for preseason games as I do opening night. Sometimes tickets are released closer to the game that are not being used by the opposing team.

 

[GreatLakes]

Ugh...I think prices will stay high for this visiting team even if the home team stinks. The visiting team is probably one of the most sought-after teams to watch in the NFL.

But I will definitely keep an eye on the resale market and hope for the best! Thanks!

You gave me another thought, too...the local facebook swap sites would probably be good for season ticket holders looking to get rid of their seats. Although I can't imagine many people will for this particular game, but I will watch and see!

That is a big key. When Green Bay came to Cleveland last year they pushed the price of ticket through the roof even though Cleveland didn't magically suck less that week (even if they managed to almost win that game).

If his team is the Packers (you don't have to answer) you will not find a cheap ticket. They are so hard to see at home that even locals will travel to away games as it may be their only option to see them.

 

[Scifidiner]

A sure sign I'm entering the "get off my lawn" phase of my life: I look at the prices for most live events (major college/pro sports, concerts, etc.) and the prices shock me. No way I'd pay that under virtually any circumstances. An exception might be as a present for someone. For example, the last concert I attended was a present for DW.

This. I've been to a lot of college and NFL games throughout the years, and I usually come away disappointed. I'm at this point in life, paying to watch someone else do something is less appealing than it used to be. However I understand wanting your child to have the experience.

 

[mom2rtk]

None of us knows the dynamics of your family. How much of a hardship the expense would be, whether the siblings would find it fair. If you can find a way to do it though (birthday or Christmas gift is a great idea), you should jump on it. Even from the nosebleeds, it would be a memory he'd treasure forever. If not? Why not make a night of it and invite his team over to watch the game on TV with him?

My son got tickets to see Peyton Manning come to town as his Christmas gift one year. Tickets weren't $200, but it still wasn't cheap. The weather sucked, but it's a great memory he'll always have.

 

[iivye]

I would pay it. It sounds like your son will appreciate it. If you do look at resale sites keep in mind that many charge huge fees on top of the prices you see so it's very hard to find a "deal" that is better than purchasing direct.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

None of us knows the dynamics of your family. How much of a hardship the expense would be, whether the siblings would find it fair. If you can find a way to do it though (birthday or Christmas gift is a great idea), you should jump on it. Even from the nosebleeds, it would be a memory he'd treasure forever. If not? Why not make a night of it and invite his team over to watch the game on TV with him?

My son got tickets to see Peyton Manning come to town as his Christmas gift one year. Tickets weren't $200, but it still wasn't cheap. The weather sucked, but it's a great memory he'll always have.

We could afford it, although we are not rich by any means, if it was truly a Christmas/Birthday gift, as we would spend that much anyway.

We don't care whether his siblings think something is "fair" or not....we don't play that game in our house. Each kid has different passions, and they get their turn, eventually, doing/experiencing the special things they love. For things like this, we focus on the kid it would mean something to....DD14 and Nephew12 couldn't care less if they saw a football game, so there is no way I would pay to bring them. DS18 would like to go if given the chance, but he got to see Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner play for Michigan back in the day, which he appreciated more than he would this NFL team. He likes the team, but not as passionately as DS12.

The kids around here are true hometown fans (we have no idea how DS12 starting loving this team all on his own, as DH isn't even a huge fan), so it wouldn't be much fun for DS to watch with them for this game, although that would be an AWESOME idea for other games!

We did just find out that there is another city within reasonable distance from us that is also hosting the away team this year, and the ticket prices are less, so we may go that route, too!

Thanks!

 

[cabanafrau]

Nearly all NFL teams are essentially sold out for all games every year, much of it with season ticket holders. Therefore, you're mostly relegated to the secondary ticket market (StubHub, etc.).I

Is this really the case? I swear the past few years there has been at least one game where our local TV stations do a report that if X amount of tickets aren't sold by Thursday the game will not be broadcast here. When I get a chance I'm going to ask around to some people who I know occasionally go to a game and find out what they think about our attendance here.

Maybe Lions fans are just doggedly optimistic and simply don't put their money where their mouth is?