Season and Game Tickets (College/Pro)

[Bullaholic]

I will call upon our resident ticket expert (and that is sincere)---Adidas---to give the short course in ways to obtain pro and college game tickets reasonably.

Cowboys and Texans
Rangers and Astros
Mavs and Spurs
Major Texas colleges

Football Games:

TCU vs Texas
Texas vs Oklahoma
Texas Tech vs aTm
Texas vs aTm

[big daddy russ]

I don't think I've ever paid more than $40 for an A&M ticket. The face value is usually $60-$85. Used to get them for $10 all the time.

All you do is go up to the gates 10-15 minutes before kickoff and look for large groups of people who are sitting together. Usually, they'll have at least one oddball ticket they're trying to unload and you can pick it up for next to nothing.

When you get in, have one of your friends bring an extra ticket to their section (they'd get it from another in the group) and bring it down to you.

Best deal I've ever got was two tickets on the 45 yard line of the home side (the shaded side) for $15 altogether. And that was for the Tech game in 2004, face value (if I remember correctly) was $80.

[Bullaholic]

Yep, there are usually some deals outside the stadiums, Russ, but you've got to wear out some shoe leather to find em'. O.k. for you young guys.

I think Adidas is "doing us proud" in his reply on this thread---he's still working on it---Good boy, that Adidas---sometimes...:D

[Adidas410s]

Cows...go to a preseason game, find somebody with press credential hookups (good luck), or buy season tickets. Tickets for every regular season game were above face value. If you think you MIGHT go to a game...buy a parking pass as soon as they go on sale on ticketmaster because otherwise you will pay A LOT to park.

Texans...they dont always sell out so you can buy tickets at face or always look on eBay.

Rangers...you can get tickets at or below face value for any game. Heck...you can usually find upper level seats on eBay for under $5 each if you don't mind sitting up that high.

Astros...limited experience as I've never been to a game there and have only looked for tickets a few times. eBay usually doesn't have too big of a selection so face value might be your best avenue for any decent seats.

Mavs...go to games early in the season!!! This year I sat 6 rows off the floor (center court) for $35/ticket for the 2nd home game of the year. face value...$150/ticket. I also on the floor behind the visitors bench for $70/ticket to a game in early December. face value...$240/ticket. After New Years (read...after football season is over) ticket prices for the Mavs have skyrocketed. Tickets start going for at or just above face value in January...and by Febuary they're above face value throughout the arena. ie - I sold a pair of tickets that were in the corner of the upper level and 4 rows from the top for over $180 to the last home game of the season. I paid $18/ticket. :eek:

Spurs...no real experience here. Nobody wants to watch boring basketball with a bunch of whiners! :p :p :p

Regular College Games
Scalping tickets is the way to go IMO. Also, ask around because it's VERY easy to find people with extra tickets that they need to sell. If you want to scalp tickets...show up at the venue and watch for people that are selling. Look for two things...1) the average fan that is desperate to sell their extras because their buddy backed out on them or 2) buy from "the shady guy" right as the game is starting or just after it starts. Remember...tickets have a "short lifespan" and once the game starts the value starts decreasing very fast.

Rivalry Games
The best scenario is to look way in advance and find out what day individual game tickets go on sale for that game. For example, this season Tech sells tickets to all home games starting August 1st. For the A&M game they go on sale September 16th. One other thing that Tech (and others) do is that they sell a "mini-pack" where you buy tickets to two games at the same time and it's slightly cheaper. Last year, I bought tickets to SMU and Texas and it was $115 as opposed to the $130 that it would have been to buy both games seperately. If the game is at Texas though...don't count on getting 2 individual seats. Season ticket holders own virtually all of the seats @ DKR so a VERY LIMITED number of seats (1000 or less) go on sale to the public and they are gone in minutes.

For UT vs BlowU...it gets even harder to find tickets. The two schools combined have over 120,000 season ticket holders if memory serves me correct. The Cotton Bowl only holds 75,000. You can see the obvious problem. A lot of "diehard fans" are stuck without tickets...and thus prices will shoot through the roof to secure seats for the game. The only avenue for "affordable seats" is to do what I mentioned above...show up at the Cotton Bowl with cash...be prepared to miss half of the 1st quarter...and scalp a pair of tickets once the brokers get desperate to sell their remaining seats. I did this at the UT/A&M game in 2006 and was able to sit in The Zone right under the goalposts. I thought it was pretty cool to catch warmup FG's as well as be on TV every time a TD was scored in that endzone. Face value...$90/each + $110/ticket donation to A&M. I paid $100 plus I gave the person 2 student tickets that hadn't been converted into guest passes! ;)

A few general guidelines:
1. Always check eBay. It's the best indicator of "market prices" for games and 90% of the time you're getting a better price than through a broker.
2. Learn who the major ticket brokers are in your area. For DFW, there are 4 major ones that will sell tickets at reduced rates to move them.
3. Be flexible and PATIENT!!! The best ticket prices are found day of the game...and (if you're willing to go to the venue) outside the venue. Don't jump on a pair of tickets because you can afford them.
4. Know the venue and where you want to sit. Use sites like www.seatdata.com and www.seats3d.com to look at virtual models and/or pics from the different seating sections. It becomes a lot easier to buy tickets when you can look and say, "Hey...I don't want to sit in section 124 Row J at the AAC for a Mavs game because the backboard will get in the way and block my view." If you didn't know that...you might think, "wow...tickets that are 10 rows off the floor...I'm all over it."
5. Even if you may only go to 1 or 2 games a year for a pro team, sign up for season ticket holder information. It tells you 1) how much brokers paid for them along with the face value info and 2) you'll have a chart that shows you ticket prices throughout the arena. This info comes in hand when trying to decide what to buy.

As always, if you ever have questions about buying tickets...feel free to shoot me a PM and I'll try to give you as much help as I can. I've helped many friends get tickets to various games/concerts and, once you know what to look for, it's really not a time consuming process.

[crzyjournalist03]

If you ever plan to go to a Stars game, take a student discount card to the gate an hour before the puck drops...if you want a lower level seat, they'll sell it to you for $25 when it usually costs about $140, and all upper levels are $10...the only problem is that LLs are usually singles, so you'll have to sit upper level if you want to take a buddy...still, with prices for upper levels going for $37 each, you can both get in for $40 if you do it this way.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
If you ever plan to go to a Stars game, take a student discount card to the gate an hour before the puck drops...if you want a lower level seat, they'll sell it to you for $25 when it usually costs about $140, and all upper levels are $10...the only problem is that LLs are usually singles, so you'll have to sit upper level if you want to take a buddy...still, with prices for upper levels going for $37 each, you can both get in for $40 if you do it this way.

for upper level tickets...

http://www.advantagetixx.com/nhl/stars.htm

They only have seats in the top few rows...but they're center ice and they sell them for $5 or $10 for pretty much every game. They'll also have blue parking passes for $5 or $10. Personally, I like driving down to Mockingbird Station and taking the DART for $2.50...but the girls don't like that idea. :(

[Bullaholic]

Thanks, Adidas---that is some good info, and I will use it to my advantage a little later.

Of course, when it comes to the Cowboys and Rangers---those "free" corporate tickets are hard to beat. A few years ago at a Cowboy game when I came by a few "free" tickets some gripy guy next to me says----"You're not the guy who usually sits there (insinuating that I had "moved" from a poorer seat location). I replied--"I know---he died last week from Hepatitis and I bought the rest of his his tickets." He just stared at me and I showed him my ticket stubs.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by Bullaholic
Thanks, Adidas---that is some good info, and I will use it to my advantage a little later.

Of course, when it comes to the Cowboys and Rangers---those "free" corporate tickets are hard to beat. A few years ago at a Cowboy game when I came by a few "free" tickets some gripy guy next to me says----"You're not the guy who usually sits there (insinuating that I had "moved" from a poorer seat location). I replied--"I know---he died last week from Hepatitis and I bought the rest of his his tickets." He just stared at me and I showed him my ticket stubs.
I love when I get our company tickets to Stars games. 4th row...right next to the visitors bench on the offensive blue line. While I like sitting a bit higher to better see the game...you can't beat the feeling of being right there at "action level" either. Evidently our company has Cows tickets too but I'm way too low on the list to ever see those. :(

[crzyjournalist03]

For Rangers fans who plan on going to more than one game, I HIGHLY reccommend this:

http://shop.thesmartcircle.com/pls/ngs/ngs_instore.show_product_listing?fn_product_id=278 75


For $39.99 you get six FREE tickets up to a $37 value each...I bought one last year, and it basically took care of me all year long.

Also buy 1 get 1 free coupons for after you run out of the others...you can't go to Yankees, Red Sox, opening day, etc., but they work any other time.

The same company offers Stars ticket packages, but they weren't nearly as nice and I actually got screwed by them.

[crzyjournalist03]

I forgot to mention though, with those coupons, make sure you use them in advance if you know ahead of time when you want to go, because most of the lower seats sell out by game day.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
I don't think I've ever paid more than $40 for an A&M ticket. The face value is usually $60-$85. Used to get them for $10 all the time.

All you do is go up to the gates 10-15 minutes before kickoff and look for large groups of people who are sitting together. Usually, they'll have at least one oddball ticket they're trying to unload and you can pick it up for next to nothing.

When you get in, have one of your friends bring an extra ticket to their section (they'd get it from another in the group) and bring it down to you.

Best deal I've ever got was two tickets on the 45 yard line of the home side (the shaded side) for $15 altogether. And that was for the Tech game in 2004, face value (if I remember correctly) was $80.

I've seen him in action, and it definitely works.

[Adidas410s]

ttt for the start of baseball season!!!!

:D :D :D

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by Bullaholic
You're not the guy who usually sits there (insinuating that I had "moved" from a poorer seat location). I replied--"I know---he died last week from Hepatitis and I bought the rest of his his tickets." He just stared at me and I showed him my ticket stubs.

:clap: :clap: GREAT COMEBACK:D

[g$$]

I get corporate tix so I have been very fortunate most of the time here in Houston. Texans actually do sell out, but lots of season ticket holders have not been coming to games. Astros tix are out there, & you can usually get a cheap seat ($10) & sit where you want by the 4th inning.

For college games, wait it out & get one on the cheap come game time. Sure beats getting scalped, but I have had season tix in the past on the 10 yd. line. Good luck!