(teksmith)
Never at a loss for new ways to make more money off its overeager fan base, the NFL will charge $200 for spectators to watch the Super Bowl on a giant screen outside the stadium.
ESPN reports the offer is being extended to Dallas Cowboys season ticket holders. The tickets come in blocks of four and come with sets of game programs and scarves, as well as a parking pass.
Face values for in-stadium tickets range from $600 to $1,900. Scalpers will charge significantly more.
How much would you pay for a ticket to the game that didn’t actually get you into the game?
NFL: ‘We’ve never done this before’ [ESPN]
(Thanks, Daniel!)
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Nothing. I don’t see the point of going to the physical location of an event when you’re not actually attending the event. When you look back at your experience, are you really going to be that proud when you say, “yeah, that was quite a day…I remember watching the jumbotron as they scored that last touchdown..”
Actually that depends on the stadium. M&T Bank Stadium about 40 miles north of you doesn’t offer a bad view anywhere, even in the nosebleeds, I can actually see which player scores a touchdown on the field, I don’t have to watch the jumbotron to do that.
No, I mean, what’s the point of going to the stadium to watch it outside the stadium on the big screen? You weren’t actually at the event, so isn’t there something hugely lacking when your recollection of your experience includes the words, “when I watched it on the big screen.”
It’s not the same thing as being there.
But you are at the event. The game may be important, but the community and vibe of a huge sporting even sell the tickets.
Consider the latest BCS championship game. As soon as the game was over, many news stations cut over to Toomer’s Corner in Auburn, Al. The people were going insane (even more insane than a usualy victory night at the corner). Were they at the game? No. Did many actually drive down to Auburn to watch the game there? Yep. Did that have a MASSIVE party? Heck yes.
Did they pay $200 for the luxury of doing so? Probably not. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t tailgate or that it isn’t fun for people to do so, but paying $200 for it?
Parking and lodging fees can easily add up to $200 (and I would assume those who would pay $200 to watch the game on the screen would equate to college football fans who buy luxury condos next to the stadium). I know you would also have to pay these fees at the Super Bowl game in addition to the $200 ticket, but considering the culture of my region, this doesn’t seem that extreme.
I paid forty bucks to park for a regular season Panthers game a few years back (the Packers were in town). Given that this is the Super Bowl, and there’s a big screen to watch the game on…yeah, $200 still seems a bit steep to me, but i can see people being willing to pay.
I think you missed Pecan’s point. Why go to the stadium only to watch it outside? Why not watch at home, with reasonably priced snacks and refreshments? Not in the stadium at all.
Actually, this is quite common in Green Bay. Thousands of people tailgate for each Sunday Packers home game even though they don’t have tickets. The atmosphere in the parking lots at Lambeau Field is incredible. For some people this is the closest they can get to a Packers game at Lambeau. Every seat belongs to a season ticket holder and the stadium has been completely sold out since 1960. The waiting list for season tickets at Lambeau is over 83,000. My parents put my name on the list when I was born in the late ‘70’s and my name has not come up yet. On average only about 70 tickets become available each year, making the average wait for tickets over 90 years.
Needless to say, I have tailgated without a ticket and listened to the game on the radio
I was going to say, 200 dollars for a really great party might be worth it, but they would have to supply eats and drinks.
The only NFL game I’ve been to that I remember actually has a moment like that, but it only matters because it was the Browns and it was during their mostly all-defeated opening season in ’00 and it was the one game that they won.
And my dad wanted to leave and I made him stay for the 2 seconds left miracle.
Just because you aren’t at a seat in the stadium doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t “at the event” Most sporting events, especially football games with tailgate parties and such, have festivities beyond just the action on the field/court/rink.
My brother did this during all of the Cavs playoff games in the last few years. It was to be a part of the action when you couldn’t afford the game tickets. You still went into the city, ate out, and made a fun night of it. But in the Cleve, it was FREE to stand outside the Q and watch on the big screen.
Especially since you probably won’t get to experience the true meaning of watching the super bowl… the commercials.
This is the same way I feel about concerts where the only tickets you can afford are the ones where the band will look like ants and you’ll watch it all on the tv nearby anyways.
sooo… $200 to park outside a $600 event?
Actually, more like $800…according to the article, it’s $200 per person, and tickets are being sold in blocks of four. For that price, a person could just buy a big screen and watch the game at home.
Or go to the sports bar down the street and buy all the beer and wings they can consume and come out way ahead.
Until the next morning, when they come out way, way behind.
Lame.
Pay $200 to watch a freaking game on tv and pay over priced concession prices? NO FRACKING WAY. How pathetic is your existence that you need to pay $200 to say you were freaking there?
If one of these toads and any other sporting event season ticket holder wants to go bankrupt and I knew they were doing this crap I would deny it and make them pay every frackin dime til their last days in a retirement home.
Sheeple
hehe “Fracking”, I love it when I see another Battlestar Galactica fan. I myself can’t even use the original “real swear word” anymore…. Fracking just is so much cooler.
Interesting bit of trivia. If you say “frack” you’re referring to the original Battlestar Galactica. In the re-imagined one, it’s spelled “frak.” This was deliberately done by the producers to make it align more with being a swear word.
$200 for the atmosphere – I imagine it will be a giant party like thing. Maybe if I was single and the Eagles hadn’t blown their first round game. Of course, if that was the case, I would have paid the scalpers. Unfortunately for me, Donovan couldn’t get past the NFC championship until after I was married.
I can see that for a big fan, the atmosphere might be worth something, but I could park at a lot with a bunch of other fans, fire up a generator and connect a big screen TV to a an antenna and have essentially the same experience.
Personally, I’ll stay at home to watch the commercials, check the score at half time to see if I need to tune in the last 2 minutes of the game to see what the final score is for discussions around the water cooler, or if the game is essentially over at half time.
Depending on the matchup you could probably get into the game for $200. If the Bears and Jets end up in the game I guarantee you could buy a ticket near game time for much less than face value. The new Cowboys Stadium will hold over 100,000 people and if the Steelers don’t make the game the secondary market will be in shambles because there just isn’t the market for tickets that there once was, especially with such a massive inventory.
By the way, the NFL is counting the people who watch the game outside as being at the game so it should help them break attendance records.
Right. If two teams from two of the biggest markets in the USA are in the Superbowl, the secondary market will be in shambles.
Here’s a deal. If you can find a ticket to a Jets/Bears SB for under $250, I’ll send you the price. Otherwise, you send me whatever the lowest priced ticket available is.
Yeah, it’s not like Bears and Jets fans are loyal or anything, right?
Sure, teams like Green Bay and Pittsburgh travel very well… during the regular season, to meaningless games against losing teams in other cities.
The Superbowl? Who *doesn’t* want to go to a Superbowl for their team?
I haven’t been to an NFL game in decades. My grandfather had season tickets to the Cowboys 20 years ago.
My experience with professional sports is more centered around Texas Motor Speedway. I can see some people wanting to go for the party atmosphere, but I certainly wouldn’t.
Would somebody pay me 200 hundred dollars to watch the superbowl? Please!
I wouldn’t pay $200 for luxury box seats to a football game, why would I pay to watch it on a giant TV while freezing?
You’re gonna be freezing in Dallas?
It’s 34 degrees in Dallas right now, but with wind chill it feels about 23 degrees. So yes, you will freeze in Dallas.
It’s been below freezing several times this year. 34 degrees right now (9:30 am CST). No reason to think winter will go away in the next couple of weeks.
So, yeah.
This is reason number 8,452 why I hate the NFL
Hahaha! No.
You’d have to pay me to watch the superbowl… unless the Bears make it this year. I still wouldn’t pay though.
Better to put that money towards a big screen and watch it at home where parking is free and hot dogs don’t cost more than a tank of gas.
No.
Someday, we will all pay to watch the Super Bowl. Thank you, ESPN. (Can you say, “monopoly”)
Actually we all DO pay to watch it!!
http://www.azsnakepit.com/2010/9/9/1679461/where-your-cable-dollars-go-the
The amount that cable companies pay to ESPN channels is flipping ridiculous compared to all the other sources. I would gladly cut $4 dollars off my bill if they wanted to stop sending me these channels.
This is the most easily disprovable myth if you understand economics. ESPN is pretty consistently the most-watched cable network. Many people continue to purchase cable solely for live sports. If you could purchase a la carte, would the price of ESPN go up as you and ten of your friends no longer pay for it? Yes. But not much. Because millions of people would be willing to pay the $5-10 for it. On the other hand, when those millions of people no longer pay for whatever channel you want, the price will skyrocket or the network will shut down. You should be happy that you only throw away $4 on ESPN. Because that $4 gets millions of people to subsidize whatever you watch.
The lengths that some people will go to in order to watch big sweaty men grab each other
While many of you (myself included) scoff at the idea of paying $200 to attend what is essentially a Superbowl Tailgate Party – there is a certain type of person who will enthusiastically jump at this opportunity.
Just like there are people who buy the stuff sold on TV at 3:00 AM
Just like there are people who go to Star Wars conventions dressed in costumes.
Just like there are people who collect those foam beer-can holders.
There is a certain type of person who wants to be as close to “the action” as possible and is willing to pay for that access.
The NFL – one of the most efficient and successful marketing operation of all time – knows this…and they know their market and exactly the type of person who will buy what they are selling, in this case.
Sure – we can all watch the game for free in the comfort of our own homes, but the NFL is not talking to us.
Exactly – who are these other people to judge?
As a person born and raised in Arlington I do not look forward to unwashed out-of-towners to be clogging up the streets. There’s a Wal*Mart across the street from the stadium in clear view of the giant screen that I could park at but I have no doubt they’ll be watching for that.
You’re worried about unwashed people entering Arlington?</SnootyFriscoResident&rt;
*sigh* My HTML-fu is weak today.
*shakes fist dramatically*
You Frisco people and your conveniently placed Ikea!!
Norrrrrrth sidddde! The traffic here is going to be a real bitch for some time. Closures from the 28th to the 8th from what I saw.
It’s a ploy to shut up the season ticket holders for the Cowboys since they likely will be offered very few tickets to actually get inside the stadium after tickets are distributed to the NFL staff, the two teams in the superbowl, and maybe even season ticket holders for said teams. Of course, Cowboys fans being the way they are, will be whining and bitching that they can’t see the game at “their” stadium so now this offer is on the table. I have to admit that a guaranteed parking pass as part of the cost is a pretty sweet deal.
Truly though, if the Ravens had not blown it last weekend and ended up in the Superbowl this year, I’d look into a way to get my hands on a ticket to at least the tailgate.
How many Dallas fans are going to want to see Pittsburgh play Green Bay in their stadium?
Not my thing, but my impression from my friends who enjoy football is that:
1. Tailgaiting is half the fun
2. Stadium seats aren’t that comfortable
3. It’s easier to tell what’s going on watching the jumbotron anyway.
To me, this sounds like the best of all worlds and for less money. And you’re the first one out of the parking lot.
I won’t even watch it for free at home.
no not even $2, unless they promise boobies.
This could benefit scalpers. More customers. People come, tailgate, get into the atmosphere, get drunk, then make a bad decision about that $2,000 upper deck seat from the guy in long jacket.
I wouldn’t pay 200$ to watch the game IN PERSON from the 50 yard line, so this – is ridiculous.
While I am a free-market capitalist, I find the concept of people being paid millions of dollars to play a game to be ludicrous in the extreme. I am also angered by municipalities ponying up millions of dollars in incentives to attract these over-paid bozos to come and play in their cities – money which the taxpayers will have to furnish. This sort of price gouging of the spectators is par for the course, and should surprise no one.
Sadly, as long as we have idiots willing to pay these prices, this sort of behavior will continue.
Sporting events aren’t for you then.
This season, the students at my school were selling their big game football tickets for about 100 to 200 a game. Even on seasons we aren’t playing well, tickets sold through the university are still about 40 to 70 each (excluding the game with our rival school).
This isn’t really new. The NFL did this for the first time in Jacksonville a few years ago, and they’ve slowly increased the size over time. The original event included a food and vendor area (not concessions). You would get food tickets and could visit any of the catering tents. To watch the game, there were “dens” scattered throughout this area and people would sit on couches, recliners, etc. rented for the occasion.
Seems like a good opportunity for scammers to sell these as “Super Bowl Tickets” on eBay
Also for them to goose attendance figures (and boost Jerry’s ego):
“NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Tuesday afternoon that tickets sold outside Cowboys Stadium will be counted in the official Super Bowl XLV attendance. That means there is a very good chance that the first North Texas Super Bowl will break the attendance record of almost 104,000 set in the Rose Bowl in 1980.”
No. If I must watch I’ll find a friend with cable to watch it with.
This capitalism crap is getting too out of hand
Wasn’t the new Dallas stadium built with an “outside viewing/party area” in mind? Don’t get me wrong, its still a little ridiculous, but I think may not be as silly as many people feel.
I’d never spend $200 to watch a game from outside the stadium, but that’s more likely than me ever spending $1900+ to watch a game from inside the stadium.
Nope
Seriously, NO.
I might pay 5 bucks to never hear or see anything about it though.
As a Packer fan, should things go our way Sunday I would be tempted to throw away every bit of frugality I have learned and pay Stubhub $3000 to go to the Super Bowl.
When the NFL dealer comes to your school and asks you if you want some — Just Say No!
Hahahaha NFL… you so crazy….
….and “NO” by the way.
Rumor has it that this is how Jerry Jones is going to try and set a new record for Superbowl attendance. As for me, I don’t plan on being anywhere around this city during Superbowl weekend although I could make a killing off of doing a park and shuttle from my house.
ZIP
how much for a pair of binoculars & a lawn chair outside of the gate?
I bet parking alone for those who have actual game tickets will be at least $100 per vehicle. Parking for the SB in Phoenix three years ago was $75. You had to order parking “tickets” online days before the game and they were shipped to you via FedEx or UPS. That was the only way to park on-site, and there was no other parking for miles around.
I went to an Atlanta Braves game for the first time late last season. Beautiful stadium, nice atmosphere and a great place to catch a ballgame. When I went to a concession stand, I noticed several dozen (maybe over a hundred) people sprawled about on the pavement of a large open courtyard area. Most of them were sitting down and looking up. I wondered “what the heck…?” and then peered around to see that they were all watching the game on a jumbo screen. Some of them were probably waiting for someone else to bring them back a beer/hotdog, but many were obviously there just to be in that specific spot because they had blankets spread out, lawn chairs etc like it was a picnic. To each their own, but doing this INSIDE the stadium (and a nice one at that)?!? I don’t get it.
More reason why I don’t do national pro sports in this country and I don’t do cable at all (for the ESPN comment earlier). As long as the market is willing to bear these outrageous prices, they will continue. Sadly, 90% of the market is comprised of dim-witted sheeple.
I actually charge $200 to have to watch the freakin’ stupid Super bowl. Stupid waste of time.