Football
Associated Press 17y

Tickets are plentiful, expensive for Saints-Bears game

CHICAGO -- It's been 19 years since Chicago Bears fans have
seen their team reach heights such as the NFC championship game,
making Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints a once in a
generation event that demands energetic efforts to attend.

However, the 61,500-seat Soldier Field limits the number of
tickets available, allowing ticket holders unable to make the game
-- or just motivated to make a profit -- to sell them at a premium
through ticket brokers or through Internet outlets like StubHub or
TicketsNow.

"Sunday was a banner day after the Bears won, and sales surged
again yesterday," TicketsNow spokeswoman Jennifer Swanson said
Wednesday.

The Bears gave fans a last chance Tuesday to get into the game
at a reasonable price -- and the small number of tickets were
snapped up in 31 minutes. Now, fans must enter a seller's market to
satisfy their needs.

According to Swanson, the average cost of a ticket to the game
is $784 at TicketsNow. That compares to the $492 per ticket cost on
average for the Seattle Seahawks-Bears game last Sunday.

That's not good for John Maysonet, 30, a UPS route coordinator
who was unable to get through to Ticketmaster on Tuesday, despite
using two cell phones and an Internet connection.

"I can't afford $400 or $500 for a ticket," Maysonet told the
Chicago Tribune. "It's great the Bears are winning. But for the
common fan, they'll have to sit at home, get a $5 pizza and watch
the game on TV."

Maysonet hasn't given up on attending the game. He is appealing
for a face-priced ticket on the Craig's List Web site.

Such generosity is not likely.

"The demand (for tickets) is very steep right now," said
StubHub spokesman Sean Pate. "Bears fans are rabid to see their
team in the playoffs."

The enthusiasm has put ticket demand for Sunday's game among the
Top 10 in StubHub's ten-year history, Pate said. The Saints-Bears
game is outselling the AFC championship game between the
Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, making the average
ticket price for that game more than $200 cheaper, according to
brokers.

Both Swanson and Pate say tickets are plentiful, with 1,253
available Wednesday on TicketsNow's Web site and prices ranging
from $415 dollars for an upper level seat to $3,275 for a seat on
the 40-yard line behind the Bears' bench.

The plentiful tickets may be a boon for Saints fans. The team
had no tickets available for season-ticket holders or the general
public for Sunday's matchup.

The Bears provided the Saints with an undisclosed number of
tickets, but the amount was limited enough to be consumed in house,
according to Mike Stanfield, Saints vice president of ticket and
suite sales.

Bears spokesman Scott Hagel says the team's action wasn't to
exclude Saints' fans, but merely to accommodate Chicago
season-ticket holders, which is the team's priority.

"We have lot of buyers from Louisiana," Pate said. "Saints
fans will be there."

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On the Net:

www.stubhub.com

www.ticketsnow.com

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