How to Win Super Bowl Tickets If You Absolutely Need It
The Super Bowl is one of the last truly social events in this country. Where other forms of entertainment, from music to television, are increasingly niche-based with small audiences, sports retain their universal appeal and football dominates. How superior? Over 91 million people watched Super Bowl LV in 2021, down 9% from 2020.
Everyone loves a good Super Bowl party with appetizers, betting nets and of course advertising. But real fans dream of attending a game in person, which can be a challenge both physically and financially. There are no more than 100,000 seats physically available and millions of people who would not mind sitting in one of them. And in the NFL, it’s not that easy either. The league typically distributes about 75% of available tickets to teams, partner companies and insiders , which severely limits your chances of getting your gloves on one of them.
The NFL used to offer a ticket lottery every year, but this year it was limited to just 500 tickets already given away during the season, and their Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lottery, which has also now ended. Pure luck won’t help you this year.
So what can you do? You can gird your loins and attack it like a project, because that’s what it is. Oh, and get your financial house in order, because if you find tickets, you’ll be paying crazy money.
How much are Super Bowl tickets?
It’s impossible to pinpoint ticket prices because the Super Bowl ticket market is the very definition of volatile. This is because there are only a few ways to legally buy it:
- Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster is the official source for NFL tickets. Prices range from over $6,000 (tax included) to over $72,000 for some VIP section tickets.
- Resellers. Ticketing sites like SeatGeek and StubHub are also reputable sources for tickets (Ticketmaster also buys and resells tickets), but you won’t see a big discount.
- On the spot. On Location is the official “Hospitality Provider” for the NFL, which means they sell event packages with added perks and “experiences”. Believe it or not, the prices here are the same as those of Ticketmaster, despite the fact that some additional services are offered, such as access to the field after the game or invitations to parties.
Buying Super Bowl tickets from a scalper
No matter how you do it, two Super Bowl tickets will set you back at least $12,000. This may lead you to find someone who is willing to sell you their tickets for less than the six thousand that most sites ask for. The face value of a Super Bowl ticket isn’t public knowledge, but it ‘s estimated to be around $1,000, so if someone with team connections got a few (relatively) cheap tickets, it’s not exactly crazy that they can sell them at the very least. a small discount from current prices – and even if they are asking $5,000 for them, you are at least saving on those fines.
But be very, very careful. First of all, check and make sure that scalping is generally legal in your state. And most importantly, keep in mind that buying tickets with a scalp is the easiest and fastest way to fall for the bait. There are only mobile tickets for Super Bowl LVI (in fact, part of the official ticket purchase gives you a free NFT immortalizing the game), and you can’t even print from home anymore , so anyone offering you a paper ticket is likely to be scammed. Your best bet is to use one of the legit ticket brokers mentioned above.
Final Tips
So, you think spending a few months’ rent on Super Bowl tickets is worth it, and your kids don’t have to go to fancy college, so you’re in. Here are some tips that can save you grief:
- Watch out for prices. Since almost all available Super Bowl tickets are sold according to market forces, they rise and fall in price over time, sometimes quite dramatically. In fact, the best time to buy Super Bowl tickets is around three to five days before the game, when ticket holders start to sweat a bit trying to recoup their investment. SeatGeek offers a price tracker that you can use to see how the price has fluctuated in the past and where it is currently so you can strategize.
- Show fees. Since everything about tickets is so damn sketchy these days, all “legitimate” ticket sellers will by default show you prices without the required fees. So if you think you’ve found a surprisingly cheap ticket, think again – these fees can add $1 to $2,000 to your final price. Find – and click – the filter that shows prices with commission included.
- Don’t forget the associated costs. If you have just enough money to buy a ticket, great! Except it’s not that great because you still have to get to the game and find a place to sleep. Keep in mind that while ticket prices may drop if you wait, accommodation and airfare prices will almost certainly rise over time, so falling into that sweet spot can be a challenge.
If you have the money and are willing to put in the effort, you can be at the start of the Super Bowl. For the rest , it’s time to buy party nachos in bulk .