Orange County Register

By LAUREN LEE: Last weekend, I was chatting with a friend who just graduated from Ohio State this past May. He’s originally from Southern California - and has since relocated back home - so of course he’s extremely excited for the football game this Saturday. He’s so excited that he purchased a $400 ticket in the end zone with the thousands of other screaming Ohio State fans. When he told me this, I gasped because that just seems like an absurd amount of money to pay for one football game…three hours of entertainment …80,000 fans packed like sardines in the Coliseum. Heck, i’m a HUGE sports fan but I don’t think i’d pay that much money for a ticket.

Anyways, this conversation brought me to one question: “How much money are people willing to pay for USC/Ohio State football tickets?” It’s the granddaddy of them all. It’s hyped up to be the “best game of the entire season.” So I went to Ebay to see how much tickets were going, and guess what? The first result after searching for tickets was the following: “2 Donor Tickets to USC vs. Ohio State 9th Row Field” going for a whopping $2,299. WOW. Are you kidding me? I thought $400 was expensive! Then I scrolled down the list, and there were tickets selling for $4,999 for four tickets…$7,500 for five tickets…the list goes on. I also checked out the website Stubhub.com and tickets were as expensive as $1,416 a pop. Granted, there are tickets going for cheaper prices (around $100-$350 each) but the view is like looking at the Great Wall of China from outer space. My question: Would YOU spend that much money to watch the USC/Ohio State game on Saturday?

According to The Oregonian newspaper, Oregon State, USC and Kansas State are tied for the 12th most expensive games in the United States for an average of $75. Hm. That must burn a large whole in many people’s pockets. In that same article, USC sports business professor and sports marketing consultant David Carter said: “The fans are going to be upset no matter what. And then the fans are going to get over it and then they’re going to pay what it takes to go to the games that they want to see.”

Well, let’s hope the game on Saturday will be worth the money - no matter how much you’re paying for it.

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