Seahawks versus Buccaneers tickets won’t break the bank after all

Tickets for the Seahawks versus Buccaneers game are pricey, to say the least. But as happens so often, the hype doesn’t match the reality. In this case, that’s good.

When the NFL announced the Seahawks would face the Buccaneers in the first regular season game in Germany, the response was – oh, I guess you could say enthusiastic. When tickets went on sale this past Tuesday, the website was rocked with over 770,000 buyers. Allianz Arena, the home of Bayern Munich, seats 75,000.

You know that the vast majority of those potential ticket buyers were opting for two or more tickets. So it’s safe to say that demand for the Hawks – Bucs tilt was at least 20 times the stadium’s capacity.

And what happens when demand exceeds supply, 12s? We all remember our Econ 101, right? As I remember it, the second lesson was Scalping Through the Ages. Scalpers were reportedly getting as much as 500 denarii for Trajan’s Call Me Dacicus Maximus victory block party at the Colosseum in 107 AD. I’m pretty sure I’m right on the name of the celebration, but you might want to google it. Anyway, ticket scalping has been around for a long time. The Hawks – Bucs tickets are no exception.

Seahawks – Buccaneers ticket prices aren’t as insane as you might think

Since the tickets to the Hawks – Bucs game sold out so quickly, we’ve seen a flood of stories about just how high the prices have gone on the secondary market. Almost every story leads with the declaration that one seller on Stub Hub is asking for $33,760. That’s right 12s, that’s for one ticket. For that much money, you could buy an Acura Integra or a Ford Mustang. You could take a four-month cruise around the world. Or you could watch a football game.

Here’s the thing, though. As any adult who’s ever shopped on Stub Hub, Viagogo, etc, would know, asking price doesn’t equal selling price. I could list $500 monthly subscriptions to my new Youtube channel on the care and feeding of Siberian Hamsters – my entirely fictitious channel, to be sure – but that doesn’t mean I’d get it. I rather doubt the seller on Stub Hub will get his asking price, either.

A quick look at reselling sites shows sideline tickets at the 50-yard line going from $868 all the way up to $7,148. I know which tickets I’d get. Of course, the further back you go, the cheaper the tickets are, for the most part. Nosebleed sections will run you under $800 each, and as low as $619. Not exactly cheap, I’ll grant you, but you can’t cruise around the world or get a new car for that. You’d be lucky to buy a bike for less than $619.

Yes, the prices are steep, but secondary market tickets for the Niners – Hawks game start at $128. A 50-yard line seat will set you back at least $700. Are the tickets to see the Seahawks destroy (hopefully) the Buccaneers expensive? Yes, but the impression that tickets are tens of thousands of dollars is ludicrous. And speaking of ludicrous, I’m launching this new Youtube channel…