Just a little history; I have never been to a pro football game--It always seemed to expensive and too inconvenient to me. However, my grandson recently started college and wanted us to attend a game with him (KU Jayhawk which happens to be playing at Arrowhead Stadium for the next few home Games) SO I picked out some good seats at $80 each, Go to check out and get hit right between the eyes with a list of fees per ticket. (ticket prices for 3 totaled $240 but by the time I paid for fees and parking, total cost was $393.36)......I would have refused but I had already promised the wife. I am stuck with this bill but Never again will I attend a high level sporting event. I just detest the dishonesty involved with the whole experience. Rant complete, over and out.

I get the rant, the fees do seem high any time you use these sites. The seller is also paying fees on purchase price so like eBay they make a killing on both ends.

What both parties are getting for the (high) fees is confidence and convenience. Gone are the days of worrying about your tickets being fake until you are able to gain entry. I have friends who paid a fortune for national championship tickets to find exactly that many years ago. Also don't have to wait ton delivery - instant. Sellers don't have to go to venue or hunt down buyers, they just hold them up virtually and voila.

The cost are high, but the benefits are legit, IMHO.

How much was the parking BTW?

wow, $153 added on. how much was the parking, and were the tickets bought through the school web site, or a 3rd party site like stubhub etc?

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However, my grandson recently started college and wanted us to attend a game with him...

Priceless!
It'll mean more to him than leaving it to him in your will.

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Never again will I attend a high level sporting event. I just detest the dishonesty involved with the whole experience. Rant complete, over and out.

Yeah...
College Football has become pro-level expensive.
And now the players want to be paid!

Our Arizona Wildcat season tickets (2) were about $1,000 with indoor parking next to the stadium at $120. Seats are on the 30 yard line, 25 rows up. I thought that was a deal!

College athletics are no longer a enjoyable affordable sporting event..... They have become big frigging business for the schools/ the ticket hawkers/ concession stand operators/ and any others that make money when people come to attend these events... And now the athletes are allowed to make money on their likeness and receive compensation for their participation in their given sport.......If a athlete on any type of public sponsored scholarship should be forced to payback at least 3 times the money amount of the scholarship if they drop out of school prior to graduation and join the professional ranks.. And what happens when these athletes that go pro and for what ever reason cannot continue and become wards of the state when that scholarship money could have been used by someone that could become a productive member of society.... sorry for the soapbox.......... drill sgt.

Did you buy directly from the university or through Ticketmaster or StubHub or something?

The fact that they’re playing at arrowhead is likely driving up the parking number. On campus there are usually more cash options.

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Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Did you buy directly from the university or through Ticketmaster or StubHub or something?

I buy from the University.

My college has a lottery system for contributing alumni. Tickets are reasonable, even though they are a top ten team. Others pay outrageous prices.

Louisville's best sports bargain is triple A baseball, Cincinnati Reds top farm team. I go to a few games a year and typically get free street parking and 1/2 price sr tickets for $8 on Wed.

Sparse crowds usually, if no fireworks promotion or giveaway attendance is lucky to break 3000 and park holds about 15,000. Nice venue, too sit on front row if you want. Home Bullpen is on 3rd base side and I typically get front row there.

I detest UofL's Yum Center, high priced and inconvenient as hell - UofL football you better bring your checkbook

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Originally posted by mcrimm:
Our Arizona Wildcat season tickets (2) were about $1,000 with indoor parking next to the stadium at $120. Seats are on the 30 yard line, 25 rows up. I thought that was a deal!

Yea but you have to watch Az.

Unfortunately that’s the bullshit of buying tickets to anything these days. My wife sent me tickets to take the boys to the Back To The Future - Musical at the Pantages and I saw $95 per ticket thinking I’d get also get reamed by fees. Sadly I was happy to see the $95 was the $73 ticket plus $22 fees. Used to be able to buy tickets to Kings games at the Staples Center direct at the box office for face value or less, I don’t even think that’s possible these days.

It's been a problem since at least 1988. I recall going to buy tickets (direct at Wrigley) for one of the Cubs vs Cardinals games that year on the day tickets went on sale. None available.
Seems Ticketmaster had purchased everything and was already reselling with their fees.
It has really curtailed the number of games I've attended over the years.

Yep

The wife and I are heading to MI for Thanksgiving, she is an OH alumna (fun times with my folks the MI fans) I checked prices briefly for the MI vs OH game the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my Google Fu told me I could get tickets under $200 each.

I asked the wife and folks if they wanted to go, I'll buy, all said heck yeah. So I got started digging and realized there are zero tickets under $200. Whoops

$2600 for 4 tickets, mediocre seats. I just checked on parking, starts at $650

Lesson learned

This is part of the reason I didn't go to the College World Series this year. It seems the box offices have gone the way of the dodo bird. They used to release some the day of the game via a lottery at the box office, doesn't seem like they do that any more. Somebody buys up all the tickets when they are released and secondary market with ridiculous fees are all that's left.

Last year I went to the Alabama vs Kentucky football game. The box office had no tickets, no turn backs and the only way to get tickets was via Ticketmaster or other secondary site.

I realize its capitalism and an easy way for the venues to divest themselves of the burden of selling tickets, but it makes it more expensive for me and I chose to attend way fewer events. I can understand some fee for the reseller but once they get too high I stay away. It's a shame that this is where we are now.

Just to clarify one thing about ticket resales. For many colleges at least and I suspect pro teams, the only way to resell tickets that a season ticket holder has is through one of these services. So for games/teams that sell out, there won't be any available directly from the school in many cases closer to the game no matter what.

So using Auburn as an example, for football they sell out nearly every seat to season holders. Same for basketball, gymnastics, etc. The few lingering seats in the upper corners of the west facing decks will be offered up individually, but will also sell well before the week of game, usually before first game of season.

All tickets are electronic and have been most places for years now, so I can't just stand on street corner selling my tickets. There may (??) be a way to pick up a printed ticket, but it's far from the norm and they aren't mailing them.

So I have tickets to the AU/AR game and decide I am not going to sweat my ass off to watch us get embarrassed. The university has an arrangement with SeatGeek to handle all ticket resales. I log into my AU ticket account, then via a link to SeatGeek, list my seats there. Buyer who wants them pays SeatGeek my asking price plus their fees, I get asking price less about 10%.

So to the uneducated buyer they could assume that every ticket listed on SeatGeek was bought by them or their shills. Reality is those folks make enough money without the risk of buying individual tickets, and can rely on the secondary market for plenty of inventory and fees.

Well, in cases like very popular teams there are certainly individual buyers that are trying to get tickets at release just for the purpose of reselling, and that is what limits inventory and drives up prices whether it's a national championship game or Taylor Swift. But Taylor Swift tickets selling for $1,000 doesn't mean she and her team are getting that, it means them pricing tickets at $250 or whatever is under the true market value.

I will not pay to watch a Pro or College game . The prices are high enough and then the fees on top of that ... nope . If it's not on TV then I don't watch it . And no pay per view either . It's just a ball game . I can live without it .

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The wife and I are heading to MI for Thanksgiving, she is an OH alumna (fun times with my folks the MI fans) I checked prices briefly for the MI vs OH game the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my Google Fu told me I could get tickets under $200 each.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
As a student we were given tickets to all games. It was part of your tuition. You could resell these tickets {not sanctioned by the University} for ten times face value. Since we had won the National Championship the year before reselling was very profitable.