Early Sellout Leads to Potential Scalping

By August 1, 2012

The Arkansas Razorbacks football team faces both competitors in last year’s national championship game on home turf this season, but many fans may be unable to experience the action first hand as tickets for both the Alabama and LSU games were sold out before single game tickets went on sale to the public from the university.

“We don’t anticipate any single game tickets available to the Alabama or LSU games,” Director of Sports Information Kevin Trainor said.

Single game tickets allow fans to buy a ticket to a game without purchasing a season pass and are available to the public Aug. 1, but Matt Jones with NWAonline reported in the middle of July that the Alabama and LSU games were sold out.

Less than than 100 season tickets remain at the end of July, Trainor said.

Donors were allowed first priority to purchase single game tickets, just like season tickets, which were not made available to the public until June 7.

This priority has led to frustration for some Razorback football fans.

“I just wish tickets would have been available for the general fan,” said Landen Crouch, 21, who has been attending Razorback football games since he was a 7-year-old.

Tickets are available through the other avenues, but single game tickets are not available through the UA.

“I’m sure there will be some tickets available on the secondary market,” Trainor said. “Until the tickets through the university are gone we encourage from not only a scalping issue but also from an authenticity issue to buy it from the university.”

Indeed, even before single game tickets went on sale to the public, sites like TicketLiquidator.com and TicketsReview.com featured listings for tickets. Prices ranged from $149 for seats in the 500 section to over $600 for seats in the lower bowl. Single game conference tickets from the UA were priced at $55.

Websites that sell tickets above the list price are breaking state law, according to a press release by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s office.

“It’s fine to buy and sell your football tickets – or any other kind of athletic or even tickets, for that matter – as long as you don’t try to sell them above face value,” McDaniel said in the press release.

Buying tickets at an inflated price, however, is not a crime. Only selling the tickets above face value is a criminal action, according to the release, but many interested in tickets would disagree with the state laws on scalping.

“If the demand for tickets pushes the market price higher than the face value, what is the problem?” Alumnus Kyle Hamilton said. “In the end, the buyer pays a price that they believe is fair and the seller makes a profit. It’s exactly how every other for-profit business works.”

For some fans like Crouch, buying a scalped ticket isn’t off the table.

“It’s just the risk we take as fans, I guess,” Crouch said. “It all depends on how much a buyer is willing to pay. If I found the right price, I probably would buy [a scalped ticket].”

  • rick

    Its time for the university of assign seating in the student section.  There needs to be a Greek block.  There needs to be some kind of system where tickets are pulled the week of the games.  Enrollment has increased by 70% in the past 10 years and they are still allotting the same number of football tickets for the student section.