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Georgia Bulldogs fans are invading South Bend this weekend. And with a visitor’s allotment of just 8,000 tickets, demand among Bulldogs fans for seats in Notre Dame Stadium far outstrips supply.
The cheapest ticket on SeatGeek is $554, which is nearly six times the face value of that upper tier seat. The most expensive ticket currently is $2,498. Anyone who purchases that seat is paying 8 times more than the $300 face value.
So let me raise the question: Under what circumstances, if any, is it permissible for a Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan to sell their tickets to a Bulldogs supporter?
I couldn’t conceive of such a scenario in 2000, when I entered Notre Dame Stadium with my student ticket and was floored by how much red I saw.
I was angry.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers had an estimated 25,000 fans inside the stadium, which means at least 21,000 Notre Dame fans had sold their tickets to Huskers faithful.
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Those 21,000 greedy bastards had robbed my team of its home-field advantage, and I blamed the Irish’s narrow defeat at the hands of the No. 1 team, in part, to that greed. (With the hindsight of age, Notre Dame’s offense was putrid that day.)
Now I’m older. I love attending Notre Dame games and rarely, if ever, have extra tickets. If I do, there’s inevitably a guy or girl at our tailgate that is looking for one. I sell it for face value and don’t think twice about it. When I went to the Texas Longhorns game last year, I bought two tickets from a Notre Dame fan at a tailgate. He charged me face value and I gladly paid it.
But I’ve got to be honest: If I had a $300 Georgia ticket — which I don’t — and a Bulldogs fan wanted my ticket for 8.3 times face value, I’d sell it to him and have no second thoughts. As a dad of two and a husband, $2,500 would probably pay for most of a nice vacation to Disney World.
Yes, that makes me selfish.
Yes, that makes me greedy.
But I don’t feel that my obligation to fellow Notre Dame fans outweighs my desire to provide something nice for my family. I also happen to think “home field advantage” is a nebulous term that can’t be quantified, which helps me justify my position because I don’t feel like I’m directly responsible for my team winning or losing. (Of course, 21,000 people thinking exactly as I do now is how we got the Nebraska scenario.)
Now, a disclaimer: My opinion is likely a little-held one and does not represent the views of One Foot Down or the other writers.
So let’s do a couple of polls and let’s discuss this in the comments.
Scenario #1: You purchased a $95 upper tier ticket, but your buddy bailed on you. So it’s an extra. A Georgia fan stands in front of you, offering $95. A Notre Dame fan is also there, but only has $50. Who do you sell to?
Poll
Scenario #1
This poll is closed
-
18%
Sell the extra to the Georgia fan for $95.
(215 votes) -
81%
Sell the extra to the Notre Dame fan for $50.
(941 votes)
Scenario #2: You purchased a $95 upper tier ticket, which is now an extra. A Georgia fan is offering $190 for it or you can give it to a broke Notre Dame fan for free. What do you do?
Poll
Scenario #2
This poll is closed
-
49%
Sell the extra to the Georgia fan for $190.
(552 votes) -
50%
Give it to the Notre Dame fan for free.
(566 votes)
Scenario #3: You have a $300 preferred ticket, which is now an extra. A Georgia fan is offering you $1,500 for it. A Notre Dame fan is offering $300. Who do you sell it to?
Poll
Scenario #3
This poll is closed
-
65%
Sell the extra to the Georgia fan for $1,500.
(727 votes) -
34%
Sell the extra to the Notre Dame fan for $300.
(391 votes)
Scenario #4: You have a $300 preferred ticket, which is now an extra. A Georgia fan is offering you $3,000 for it. A Notre Dame fan will give you $400. Who do you sell it to?
Poll
Scenario #4
This poll is closed
-
79%
Sell the extra to the Georgia fan for $3,000.
(869 votes) -
20%
Sell the extra to the ND fan for $400.
(227 votes)
Poll
What is your general opinion about re-selling an extra ticket?
This poll is closed
-
35%
I want to maximize the price I get, regardless of the rooting interest of the buyer.
(361 votes) -
47%
I will always sell to someone who roots for my team instead of someone who roots for the opponent, assuming I can at least receive back what I originally paid for it.
(484 votes) -
16%
I will always sell to someone who roots for my team instead of someone who roots for the opponent, regardless if I have to lose money to do it.
(171 votes)