How much would you pay for a Michigan-Notre Dame football ticket? $3,500?
How much would you pay for a ticket to the first night game in Michigan Stadium history?
How about $7,000? That’ll get you two tickets in row 3, section 21 for the Notre Dame at Michigan football game Saturday (8 p.m., ESPN). You can buy them on StubHub, the University of Michigan-sanctioned website for fan-to-fan sales. The cheapest tickets offered on the site this afternoon cost $220 each. That’s for two tickets in row 74 of section 7 in a corner of the stadium.
There's always interest in a Michigan-Notre Dame game, but this year it's like no other.
File photo
"This game has basically been sold out from the minute ticket applications came out,” Brandon said today at a press conference. “We always hold back some tickets, but those went quite some time ago. I was at a regents meeting several weeks ago and told them that even if you're a regent, we have no tickets left. We've gotten to a point where there is no backlog of tickets. There are none left, and that's not a typical occurrence at Michigan Stadium.”
Michigan officials anticipate a record-breaking crowd when Notre Dame (0-1) and Michigan (1-0) meet for the 39th time in history.
"I don't know how many more people than 114,000 that we'll have in the stadium, but it's going to be the largest crowd that we've ever had," Brandon said.
Michigan could easily sell another 25,000 to 50,000 tickets for the game, Brandon said.
"The supply and demand model is getting blown up here,” he said, “We wish we had a bigger stadium and we wish we could accommodate everybody's wishes. And that's not just seats in the stadium, that's parking and everything - we have nothing left. We'll find out how many people Michigan Stadium holds on Saturday.”
"In modern time, based on a lot of people who have been around a long time and all the records that we have, this would be the highest demanded ticket ever."
The average price for secondary market tickets for the the Michigan versus Notre Dame game is $377.63, according to Chris Matcovich, director of data and communications at ticket aggregator TiqIQ. That's more than 101 percent above the Wolverines' season average ticket price of $187.84, Matcovich said in an e-mail.
By comparison, tickets are available for the Sept. 17 Eastern Michigan at Michigan game from MGoBlue.com for $70. Want a better seat? Tickets for the Eastern at Michigan game were selling on StubHub today for $29 to $492.50.
Tickets to the Notre Dame game were also available at a variety of price levels on eBay and Craigslist. Such sales, when sellers are asking more than face value, are not legal, Michigan says.
Michigan Stadium's official capacity is 109,901. It set an NCAA regular-season attendance record with 113,090 last year against Connecticut.
AnnArbor.com sports reporter Nick Baumgardner contributed to this report.
Comments
obviouscomment
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 4:11 p.m.
I prefer to watch from my comfortable couch and avoid the traffic, drunk students, and crowds.
lumberg48108
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:58 p.m.
No one is giving away tickets to this game... next week, well, they will be lucky to get $100 for four - that is supply and demand my rule is not to pay more than face for a game that pits an average/overated ND team against an average U-M team in a non--conference game, a game that has the cache' of being the first night game as its only selling point
Mick52
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 5 p.m.
Finally someone posts this point. Why would anyone overpay for this game? Usually when the scalping prices are real high it is because both teams are highly ranked. If you spend a lot of money and its a boring game, or if your team loses...what a waste of money. With this game, neither team is ranked in the top 25 And if you team wins and still is unranked or ranked low in the top 25, how big a thrill was that? Or if both teams have mediocre seasons. Why pay a lot for this game?
Bogie
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:54 a.m.
Are you kidding me? 3500 is a great price! This is like frazier vs ali! This is like Cleveland vs Detroit in the nfl championship! This is like the yankees vs oakland! This is like watching man o war at the Kentucky derby! This is like watching football at night???.....................................They were all significant 30, 40, 50 years ago! You could probably find a better night game at local high school for 7 bucks! LOL!
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:32 a.m.
We need to think of this as a consumer issue more than a sports entertainment issue. In other words: lets put some sanity and ethics into this picture. 1. Ticket scalping is almost impossible to stop and it also fulfills the wildest dreams of Laissez Faire econo-fanatics. "Whatever the market will bear" is the joyous rallying cry of... this type of individual. [Not to mention - dentists!] It is NOT established in our society, in our courts or in our public institutions: it's another one of those "lets have fun and make money in the bargain" schticks. 2. The big colleges are in a frenzy over becoming bigger: with the "generous help" of salesmen who have promoted our beloved college football at a shameless level. Hey - it's just a game! The easiest way to part a person from their money is to get them excited - excited people make lousy decisions about their expenditures. Calm down. 3. Despite the excesses, ticket selling is the smaller part of the giant (anti-competitive) promotional scam being brought down on our heads. It's the TV rights! and sponsorships that are costing fans too much. Big Ten Network is spending big time to become even bigger. All the networks and the cable TV corporations are out there throwing 100s of millions of $$ to get their share of the pie. On top of that: the cable guys and the TV makers lobbied and - got Congress to illegally force!- the imposition of "digital tv" on the American people. Add up the cost of your TV, your peripherals and the yearly cost of getting access to cable TV signals and you get a whopping total for every fan (consumer). People complain about (non-existant!) rising taxes and yet are completely into their own spending on -- what amounts to 3 months of weekly editions of "the game." We have been had - and there will be a time when people begin to realize they're paying too much for too little.
John B.
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 4:14 a.m.
My cable TV signal costs me negative three Dollars per month. I had just HSI, and they offered to lower my cost by three bucks if I added basic TV. Uh, OK. Works for me.
treetowncartel
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:56 a.m.
Your first part sounds like it might belong in the Ypsi street walker stories.
A2Monty
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:38 a.m.
There is only 2 available in this section. I wanted 12 so I could bring family and friends. Darn it.
nixon41
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:19 a.m.
ZERO. Why pay anything when you can watch it for FREE on TV, snack when you want, not pay for parking, stand in line to use the bathroom,get ion line to get out of the city. This is A NO BRAINER.
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:41 a.m.
Can't help but ask: was your TV free? Is your cable access free? Is your internet access free? Are your snacks free? What about beverages? You actually don't think those who control alternative means of 'seeing the game' are letting you and millions of others off the hook, do you?
Keith
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:44 p.m.
I can get you tickets for $2,000USD/per person (WHAT A BARGIN) You can sit in my living room and drink all the beer you want, (ID Required) Anyways, Beat ND and Go Blue!!! Here is a shout out to the D-Line ....Outscore our Offense this time. The difference between good and GREAT is a little bit of more effort.
JMA2Y
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:35 p.m.
NCAA individual schools, Michigan is one of them, partners with StubHub. That might mean they and NCAA gets a cut or a commission. StubHub has won in court when accused of scalping, all because of the law that says tickets cannot be sold at the event site or a public place for more than the face value, and that online retail isn't a public place. StubHub and other companies are donating money to lobby states to lessen scalping laws to protect themselves.
Kevin McNulty
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:05 p.m.
I used to do ticket scalping enforcement with my partner when we both worked at UMDPS. We did really well. Like shooting fish in a barrel. After a while some of the "pros" got to know us and when we asked how much they would reply, "face value." To which we would ask if they had a permit to sell. No permit, here is your ticket, hand over your stack there. Ah the law is amazing. One way or another we got ya. If you read the Michigan law that covers this, you will find a long statute that includes language that makes asking for a price higher than the face value set by the authority in control of the event. The law specifically bars asking a price in excess of the face value in a public place or thoroughfare. Because of that I lost a scalping charge that was published online because a local attorney argued the internet was not a public place or thoroughfare. A US Atty I know told me later he would have argued the internet is a public place. Anyway the possibility exists that if a ticket is sold for an expanded price as long as it is done in private it may not be scalping. Some states do not have scalping laws. I think the law should be updated. I should add that the people at the UM Athletic dept ticket office were dedicated to keeping the tickets in the hands of fans and not people who abuse their access to tickets to make money as reported in this story. The fact is there are many people on waiting lists who are Michigan fans and want to go to the games, not make money on their tickets. I hope they find out who was issued this ticket and bar them from getting season tickets in the future.
Barb
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 2:08 p.m.
Wow - nothing getting hate for enforcing the law. If you don't like the law, why not go after the lawmakers instead of the enforcers?
craigjjs
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 11:51 a.m.
Well, aren't you the proud Ticket Nazi.
Engineer
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:57 a.m.
What a waste of tax payer dollars. Paying you to write tickets because someone sold their ticket to somebody else who was more than willing to pay the higher price. Perhaps more effort should be put into tracking down the serial rapist and leave the football fans alone. No wonder this country is in the shape it is!
David Briegel
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:10 a.m.
And you are proud of yourself because........................?
Kai Petainen
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:57 p.m.
thanks for explaining this. i have always wondered how the presumed 'illegal' activity was legal.
stunhsif
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:03 p.m.
I wouldn't pay a lousy penny for a Michigan game, unless they were playing the Spatans. My hard earned green goes to the green of MSU. Go Green Go White
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 4:19 p.m.
Had you gone to a real school you would have more than that lousy penny now.
nixon41
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:20 a.m.
A person after my own heart :)
racerx
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:53 p.m.
Well, I have my ticket and I'll be at the game. I'll be at the game early to watch all the events for Desmond Howard also. I will also enjoy the first night game in Michigan's history, as I enjoyed the first rain shorten game last week in Michigan's, what 132 year history. This is going to be a fun event! Under the lights! Against Notre Dame! Michigan football! 114,000 thousand people or more! Waiting for the crowd to erupt when the attendance is announced. To those who are hating, look for me with the biggest grin on my face as I take it all in! The crowds, the overprice food, the long bathroom lines, the drunken students and fans, the whining kids, all of it. There's nothing quite like it for the fan of college football, and, it just doesn't get any better than this!
Barb
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
I'm with you, @racerx. Really looking forward to the game.
treetowncartel
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:53 a.m.
Lightning, not rain, was the proximate cause of the shortened game. Prety genius that it ended up being a push in Vegas too.
treetowncartel
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:40 p.m.
Brandon said today at a press conference. "We always hold back some tickets, but those went quite some time ago. I was at a regents meeting several weeks ago and told them that even if you're a regent, we have no tickets left. This is a disturbing qoute, from a University that prides itself on everybody being equal. Looks like preferred treatmenrt is available if you pay to play.
tdw
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:34 p.m.
Didn't read the article or comments.Me never,I would't go to a U of M game even for free.Not because I dislike U of M or Ann Arbor ( which I do ) but just because I'm a Male mutant and I couldn't care less ( I hope is is the correct way of wording to keep the English teachers off my back ) about sports ( for the most part ) and I REALLY hate crowds.But hey.....If someone has the money and wants to spend that much,or any amount for that matter that's their business,their money, not mine.
Lakewood Mom
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:12 p.m.
You would have to pay me for any sports game attendance. It's sports, for heaven's sake. Whatever happened to Good Sportsmanship? Be a "man" and send that money to the Humane Society, or the Delonis Center. One has that much money to indulge one's fanaticism? You need to re-evaluate your life and your so called humanity. Help bring down those outrageous payments to sports figures, their owners, and all the selfishness and commercialism they represent. I know this is college football but don't tell me it's not a racket...
MRunner73
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:01 a.m.
The real sad part is, college football lost it's innocents many years ago, hence games are on TV almost every day of the week nowadays. Making fans show up , and they do, on any given night, expect "student" athletes to gear up for these weeknight games so as to be put on TV, for what, more $$$. My own rule is not to watch on TV any weekday college match up, it's like being a conservationist about the environment as an analogy.
golfer
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
thats why i have a tv set. you got to be kidding. i can go to the bathroom and not miss a play or two vs long walks.
Buster W.
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:24 p.m.
The "average joe" wouldn't pay that much, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a sales executive out there who would like to close a multi-million dollar deal. It's all relative, folks.
tim
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:09 p.m.
Would I pay 3500$ for a ticket? NO, but I would pay 10$ a month to watch all UM sports on my computer.
mmppcc
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:08 p.m.
How much? Most sane people would only be willing to pay that kind of money for a championship game. Even though they both stink, Notre Dame is even a bigger joke than Michigan, and that's a real accomplishment.
r treat
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:06 p.m.
I can ask $15000 per seat on the 50 yard line, but that does not mean someone is going to buy them. I doubt very highly that someone will pay $7000 for two tickets in sec 21 row 3!! Nice headline grab for the owners of Dr. Koop.COM which never had a penny of revenue.
MRunner73
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:06 p.m.
If I had Warren Buffett's money, I'd see sitting the Regents Guest Room, high atop the Big House at mid field. If really did have all of the money, I'd donate it to charity and not allow some serious scalper to stike it big. Yep, I will either see the game at home with my own free snacks and frequent replays or go to a local sports bar and both the HD TV and the flavor of the home fans cheering. Is there a recession? That's another topic for later. How long will take to get a scapled ticket at or under $100, end of the first quarter? It was only last year when there were no scalpers to be found outside the Big House prior to the start of the Michigan-Michigan State game, glad I didn't hunt for one. Besides this is not number 1 vs 2.
Halter
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:03 p.m.
The legal going rate for tickets is the face value of the tickets. StubHub has contracts with the MLB, NCAA, etc that voids that original contract. It isn't fair, but it's the way it goes. But you will find the same happening over on Craigslist and eBay....prices that are hugely inflated. UM used to threaten, years ago, that if you sold your tickets on eBay at inflated prices, that they would cancel your season ticket privileges in future seasons. I don't think they ever followed up on a single threat of that. When I have extra tickets, I sell them on eBay for the exact face value, because I love my seats and I don't want UM to cancel my tickets. Apparently it doesn't matter and I can sell the tickets for whatever I want and not get into any type of consequences. On the other hand, when I list my tickets they usually sell within an hour -- and that's money in the bank, so to speak, even if it wasn't at inflated prices.
Kevin McNulty
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:14 p.m.
It wasn't a threat. I helped them go after some of those folks posting on eBay. We were able to ID a lot of them. I don't know if anyone is still doing that. See my posting below. I would recommend you do what you say, ask for face value. The issue that irked the ticket office was that so many people were using their season tickets to make money. They prefer selling to fans who want to go to the games. If you wanted to offer your tickets to say your church to raise money in an auction, you can do that. You have to get permission from the organization (UM AD here) to do so. That is part of the law.
Smart Logic
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.
$3500? No. $3.50? No. $0.35? Well... no. I'll take my TV, no line at the bathroom, replays, commercial breaks, and reasonably priced beer any day of the year.
Smart Logic
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:22 p.m.
Ross, yes, I've been to games. Commercial breaks, not commercials, are great times for no-line bathrooms and reasonably priced beer retrieval!
David Briegel
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:12 a.m.
Ross, he said "commercial breaks". I love them too for bathroom breaks and beer chasing!
Ross
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:55 p.m.
Um, you enjoy the commercials? Have you ever been to a game? They do lots of interesting and relevant things in the stadium during these breaks, while you are watching mind-melting commercials for garbage like McDonalds and Pepsi. but I feel you on everything else.... especially with all the increased security these days and stupid high prices, a lot of the innocent fun of going to a game is long gone.
northside
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:45 p.m.
The media loves to report outrageous StubHub prices as if that's a real indicator of what tickets sell for. No one is going to pay $3500 for a seat to this game. Anyone who has bought via secondary ticket agencies knows that prices are inflated in the weeks prior to a game. By the end of this week they'll drop, especially the day or two before a game.
Kevin McNulty
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:15 p.m.
You might be surprised. There are some rich folks out there that consider that a drop in the bucket.
Jojo B
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:40 p.m.
Wait... wait... wait... can somebody explain... I understand this: "Such sales, when sellers are asking more than face value, are not legal, Michigan says. What makes supply-and-demand tickets legal then? StubHub is UM sanctioned and can charge whatever value they think they can get? Or was the actual ticket printed with a $3500 value? How is this not scalping? I'm sure I'm not understanding something here, so I hope somebody can set me straight!!!
Peter
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:07 p.m.
As long as the U gets its cut, it's not scalping.
Ross
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:53 p.m.
That's a question I've long pondered. It really does seem that illegal scalping is condoned by Universities because it helps hype the program and create an illusion of higher demand. Absolutely be careful selling tickets on the street - you are not even allowed to sell below face value unless you have a permit from the city, and yes, selling above face value is illegal. But on stubhub or craigslist? Go nuts!
DonAZ
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:32 p.m.
As much as I love the experience of being live at the stadium, I'm not willing to spend anywhere near that kind of money. Even if I had it. Which I don't. Plus, in this age of high-definition TV there are a lot of advantages to watching from home. I think I'd pay up to $50 for a seat ... but not much more. And I'd prefer to buy it on the street prior to game ... I always enjoyed the hunt. My best score -- two for a buck for the 1975 Northwestern game! :-)
lindsay erin
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.
I plan on spending no more than $50 from an overly intoxicated student on game day. I spent $40 in a similar situation for an OSU v. UM ticket in 2006 when we were in the running to beat OSU.
A2Woman
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:02 p.m.
Your secret is out...many will take your advice now! :D
golfer
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
smart very smart.
lindsay erin
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:19 p.m.
...I feel like someone is bound to have to get rid of their ticket last minute due to this inevitable situation, right?
Pablo
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.
To answer your question, we would pay $10.00 for two tickets for us...thanks for the offer.
leaguebus
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:34 p.m.
Boy, those are not even in a suite! Oh, well, can't take it with you!
buildergirl
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:27 p.m.
I find it interesting since many people with season tickets are giving this game away. Free.
David Briegel
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:02 a.m.
A lot of people weren't happy with the night game!
A2Woman
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:51 p.m.
I find a lot of people do give their tickets away free; not for this game. My daughter was just given two tickets to a game by the people she nannied for this summer. My son and I were going to get tickets from a scalper last season, and ran into a really nice guy who GAVE us two tickets (around 7th & Scio). Lots of generous people in A2.
golfer
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 9:45 p.m.
sorry but they might be a few nuts but most are either selling or going.
helloimdallas
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:40 p.m.
Can you put me in touch with these people? Like now?
MikeB
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:28 p.m.
How many? And to who?
clownfish
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.
crazy. And here I thought we were in a recession.
jns131
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 2:34 p.m.
We are. Obama does not tax the rich so he gets free hand outs. This is who can pay for those tickets.
David Briegel
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:01 a.m.
Only for us "little people". You know very well that all that "trickle down" gushed up into the hands of the privileged few!