Ticket Watch in the Sweet Sixteen
The board had a bunch of questions spread out among various threads so I spent a day trying to get answers and this took on kind of a mailbag format.
Prices: $100 to $250
Yeah, they’re high for a basketball game, but it’s not one basketball game you’re purchasing but two (if you bought by session) or three (if you buy all sessions). I pinged my friend Ralph Garcia from TicketIQ because I haven’t played this market much. Ralph:
"Ticket trends for the regional round in LA are virtually unchanged since the beginning of the tournament. The current average asking price is $434, about a 6% drop from the $460 average price cited on the 12th. The cheapest available ticket is $130. Tickets are available as Session 1 (2 games on Thursday), Session 2 (Just the Elite 8 game on Saturday), or All Session (all 3 games).
Omaha ($631 AVG) is now the second most expensive regional we've ever tracked behind Sprint Center last year ($652 AVG), which was also driven up for Kansas, as is the case this year in Omaha.
I also asked him if that’s likely to change because Michigan fans travel well. Ralph thinks the prices were baked in as if there was at least one well-traveling program coming so it really matters if there’s a second. Is there? Ralph again:
Here's the percentage of visits by location that we've tracked to the West Regionals since the 12th. Texas is much higher than the other states BUT I will say that I wouldn't read that deeply into this yet as I'd say the traffic numbers are a bit too low to say Texas fans would travel better.
- California - 59%
- Texas - 12%
- Florida - 3%
- Michigan - 3%
- Washington - 3%
- Oregon - 3%
We’re having to squint and guess that A&M fans are average Texas school fans but it does seem that’s a high travel rate. On the plus side, UNC fans are still dumping their tickets, and have been since about 75% of the way through their game. The market is the market now: buy until it starts to dry up, if it ever does.
All Sessions or Some?
I think the three sessions are a better deal. There’s about a 50% markup in the secondary market if you’re buying separately right now, but that’s not the play: the play is to either buy all sessions now or buy a single session if we win. That’ll come down of course once half of the fans in town watched their teams lose, and this could very well be you. How much does it come down? Probably 50%. So either you’ll be in the position of having to sell a ticket if you lose, or having to buy one if you win, or you’re good. It evens out, so it’s more about if you think Michigan will win I guess to save yourself the hassle.
Paper Tickets Only
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| The rest are mental. |
I looked all over for the Internet to buy an e-ticket but everything apparently only delivers via snail mail (UPS, FedEx, etc.) I live six hours from LA though so that kind of delivery won't be easy. Any tips on buying a ticket on Thursday should they win? Not sure I want to drive that far for an attempt at buying from a scalper, but I really want to go if they make it to Saturday!
There are no e-tickets. Your last-minute online purchases won’t work well for this one because the Staples Center is only offering printed tickets for this game/session. That can be a bummer for people traveling since getting a ticket overnighted isn’t easy. There are pickup centers for some ticket dealers near the stadium and that’s often your best bet.
Sell Upgrades?
A lot of fans are wondering if you can shed the non-Michigan session:
Does anyone know if the later game has its own ticket stubs (which would allow me to sell them separately), or is the same ticket used for admission to both games? I ordered my tickets via StubHub and they're paper tickets that won't arrive until tomorrow.
No, tickets for the Thursday games are sold as a “session,” with Michigan-A&M the first session and FSU/Gonzaga the second.
The tickets say “NO READMITTANCE” on them so technically you can’t sell yours to a Zags fan outside when you walk out, but I’ve heard stories of this working anyway, especially if it’s not a typical gate (some friends used the smokers area for this exchange in Detroit last weekend). If you have the late-game session you can get away with buying crap tickets and getting there as the first game is leaving, offer $10 for their seats, and now you’re up front for cheap. For the earlier game if you want to sit low you have to pay full price for both sessions, but if you’re leaving you can recoup some of that if your seat is worth selling. Keep that in mind if you’re deciding whether to spring for better seats I guess.
Don’t Trust Scalpers
From multiple people they have a rampant bad-copy problem around the Staples Center. I generally recommend not using scalpers but this time really don’t. However you can watch the scalpers and intercept their clients—not a nice thing to do but hey, you’re from out of town, and they’d rather do business with you.
Alumni Association Event
The LA Alumni Club is hosting a pre-game tailgate at Tom's Urban at LA Live (the bar across the street from the stadium).
Laker Fan Tips & Tricks
These are all contributions from the board or my one buddy who lived in Los Angeles, since my LA trips have never included basketball games (though I’ve been to the convention center next door a few times).
- Take the train! You don’t want to deal with parking, or LA traffic if you can avoid it. You can take the Metrolink from LAX to Pico Station. If you’re already in a car, several people suggested parking at the Westside Pavilion and taking the Expo line. Apparently there’s beer on the train (via readers only the Amtrack)
- Don’t be tall. If you think Fielding H. Yost was stingy with the seat size, you haven’t met the City that Never Eats. Your seat will be tiny and your legs cramped so stand up and walk around during commercial breaks, and try to get an aisle seat if possible.
- Red coats are security but you can ask them questions—they’re trained to be helpful.
- If you have an American Express they have an “AMEX Lounge” on the suite level that your card gets you into. No charge for entry, beers, drinks and food available.
- Don’t go in the LA Live entrance with the rest of the cattle—walk up to Figueroa to the back entrance.
Final Four and Beyond?
No idea, but I’ll be back next week if it matters.
UPDATE: Ralph saw this and emailed me with a quick note:
According to the official NCAA Ticket Exchange, Final Four ticket prices have seen, on average, a 10% increase since the beginning of the tournament.
1. Tom's Urban is a fun venue, cool space big menu etc, but the acoustics are unbelievably bad. Go for whooping and hollering but do not attempt to network.
2. There is no beer on the Expo Line. There are people full of beer and other illicit substances but they don't sell it onboard. It's just a subway car like any other.
3. Staples Center scalpers are literal, recalcitrant frauds. If you give them money you are buying a blank piece of paper. That is what you are paying for. It will get you nowhere.
4. I got Section 323 for all sessions for $160 per.
5. I did pickup instead of shipping -- Stubhub has its own window at LA Live so it should be pretty straightforward. I live in Los Angeles so I could have done shipping but if you are coming from out of state I think I would recommend the pickup window.
on them but they're just like Chicago's L or the subway in NYC: brown bagging is common.
The Amtrak from Orange Country to Union Station has a beverage car and (may?) allow you to BYO. I think that's what you saw in the thread the other day because someone was talking about the drive up from OC.
EDIT: sorry, looks like others beat me to the punch. There were no comments when I clicked through!
StubHub does local pick-up for these types of events near the stadium.
Also, my experience in 2013 is that the Elite Eight ticket prices fell A LOT after the Sweet 16 game. I was able to get top-notch tickets for relatively little, so I think the math (and/or the ability to get even better tickets) favors just buying one game at a time.
If Gonzaga were to lose to Florida State I think the Saturday session prices would absolutely plummet
it was in Arlington and Kansas lost. So losing and the fact it was Easter weekend meant Kansas fans would drive home and dump their tickets. Plus a dome stadium contributes to a lot of tickets available. Not sure much is similar to 2013 this time.
March 21st, 2018 at 12:31 AM ^
we're going to be the Kansas this weekend such that we'll have more fans than anyone else. It may mean that prices will go up for the Saturday session if we win (possible that more M fans will be looking for tickets than losing fans will be selling).
Gonzaga losing could impact the market in a positive way for us, though.
A lot wrong here:
No one in LA takes trains. There's is also no "Metrolink" from the Airport to Staples Center. Now, you may take a shuttle to a little train that runs once an hour and transfers and thereafter stops at every corner in one of the worst areas of all of America, where you may or may not be dispossed of your belongings, but to each his own. Amtrak? Get ready for two subway transfers to get you to Staples Center. In other words, just Drive. Rental car or car-for-hire. This is not NYC, London, Paris or Toyko. We do not have trains that go everywhere, and certainly not to/from the airport.
Booze. IIRC, the NCAA does not allow it at its events (unless you're in the NCAA suite). Better fill up at LA Live.
If you try to intercept a client from a professional scalper in this town, may God help you.
Stubhub has an office in or next to LA Live. Starbucks too!
Be forewarned, all of the LA Live places will fill up to capacity hours before the game. All of them.
There is also no time that "Rush Hour" is OVER in LA. You will experience traffic at all hours of the day. Just how it is. That includes Saturday. Yes, wait until you see Saturday rush hour.
Also be forewarned that ALL of DTLA is under constructon, all of that international money pouring in. KAL just finished off the talllest buidling west of the Mississippi and now Chinese investors are building five huge towers across the street from Staples.
Which means: arrive way, way earlier than you would ever think to get to a sporting event, between traffic, parking options, securtiy, etc. You will not be getting from the Westside to DTLA in less than an hour. Ever.
You are correct overall that training is not really a thing in this region.
The only exception to this is the Expo line, which opened in late 2016 and runs from Santa Monica to Downtown. It has no transfers/intersects no other lines in between, so if you're near it, great, if not you can't use it.
Several Expo Line stops have free parking garages on the Westside or street parking nearby if you want to subway it.
I live in West LA and will be street parking near the Rancho Park stop and taking the Expo in to the Pico Stop, a block from Staples.
This perfectly explains the LA transit experience:
It has no transfers/intersects no other lines in between, so if you're near it, great, if not you can't use it.
Several Expo Line stops have free parking garages on the Westside or street parking nearby if you want to subway it.
To add: unlikely any of the Expo Line parking garages will have spaces in advance of a Thursday afternoon game. Transit parkers fill them up and don't leave until 5:30-6:30 pm. And those spots are not free!
BTW, what's left of our DTLA hotels are going for $250/$300 night and more. Welcome!
March 21st, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
The parking is also $20 and not that hard. I would just drive to Staples Center if I were you. Tons of parking garages because of the convention center.
March 20th, 2018 at 10:26 PM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 11:17 PM ^
and absurdly out-of-touch and snobby as it relates to nobody taking trains in LA, it is completely irrelevant to visitors that a majority of LA residents do not commute via train because visitors aren't being randomly dropped somewhere in the city and they're commuting to a place next to a train stop (unlike most residents).
But visitors can choose to stay near a train for a couple days so they don't have to rent a car (expensive and cumbersome) or hire a car (might be insanely expensive Thursday since it's supposed to be monsoon-like weather).
Obviously the first choice is to stay downtown so you don't need to worry about getting to and from Staples. You pointed out that it's $250-300 which is highly reasonable for an event like this. Hotel rooms for Detroit and Nashville the week leading up the first rounds were well over $300 near the respective venues. You're correct that there is not a good direct train option from the airport to DTLA so cab in and out and that's your only transportation cost (it won't be cheap).
But if downtown is not preferable/not affordable, it just so happens, not coincidentally, that two areas that are very abundant with hotel rooms and are fun areas in which to stay are also well served by metro train lines that drop off right next to Staples (Santa Monica and Hollywood).
An example of a good deal + convenient + in a desirable area for visitors, the Travelodge Santa Monica is walkable to an Expo line stop that takes about 45 min to get to the Pico stop next to Staples. It's $154 for Thursday night and is a relatively cheap taxi/uber ride to/from the airport. No dealing with a car rental, no surge charges from Uber, and pretty convenient.
Even better deals can be had in Hollywood and there are lots of red-line stops that run through Hollywood.
Visitors don't need trains that go everywhere like you'd need to serve the majority of residents. Visitors just need to stay near a train station.
March 20th, 2018 at 11:25 PM ^
Not even sure where this train nonsense is coming from. We are not a train town! Period.
It is beyond hilarious that folks somehow believe trains, arriving at imaginary eight-minute intervals, are going to wisk you around this town.
And God help anyone who stays at a Travelodge in this county or anywhere in "Hollywood" aside from the Loews. God help you!
March 20th, 2018 at 11:43 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 12:08 AM ^
you're the kind of person that gives people from LA a (deservedly) bad rap. And you're an embarrassment to Michigan fans.
Is it a train town like Chicago or NYC? No. But again, it's completely irrelevant to visitors how many residents commute and whether it's a train town. There are trains. There are lots of hotels near those trains in cool areas. It is a decent option for visitors going to and from Staples. I live here and my friend asked me if he thinks we should Uber or take the train to the game because it is a legitimate question. And we don't even live that close to a train station. We would have to take a short Uber to get to one. That is a debate a large number of people have when going to Staples even if they have a car available to them.
And a lot more than "nobody" rides trains daily. I used to work downtown and over half of my co-workers commuted via train every day (this actually shocked me, because I was also ignorant like you are, but it makes sense when your desintation has a train stop near it). Trains and buses are also the only option for a lot of lower income folks but you are clearly the kind of person who doesn't pay any attention to folks outside of your tax bracket.
No, it's just irresponsible to advise people that have already forked out $1,000 or so in airfare and tickets to take trains that don't go anywhere, don't run on regular schedules and are full of dangerous people. Have you ever been on one of these trains? Ever riden the Blue Line through South L.A.? (But people are actually advising visitors to take this route from LAX?) Also, I checked and there is no Expo Line station next to your Travelodge so not sure why you would tell people otherwise. Just drive, Baby! Going cheap on the ground transportation when you're already spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars to be here is just a huge mistake.
March 21st, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 12:00 PM ^
Any racism inferred is yours alone. You're just guessing.
March 21st, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
The red line (Hollywood-downtown) is a lot older, but again, not scary if you are experienced with cities.
Thanks for the post and the responses! I was thinking about driving down for the day but I don't think it's going to work sadly. This helped a lot.
Current Angeleno... copped 2 premium seating tix (200 level) at $170 on sunday night via game time app. Arrived via fedex this am.
LAMichigan is correct on all points.
Uber down, and yea go in back near VIP entrance, or off Chick Hearn. Avoid Fig entrance.
Traffic is eternal... but severity depends on when and where you're coming from. Just leave early.
Go blue, see you thu.
March 21st, 2018 at 12:28 AM ^
"All Alumni and fans welcome to the tailgate!"
March 21st, 2018 at 10:43 PM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 11:53 PM ^
Any word on where the Michigan section will be in Staples?
March 21st, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^
I would assume that for Thursday, Michigan's official section is 119.
I'm in 106 as well and we'll likely be on the Gonzaga/Texas A&M side, but besides those 4 official 100 sections, the stadium will be evenly mixed so I wouldn't worry about it.
We don't know for sure, but the best guesses are, for the official fan/donor/university tickets:
Michigan 119 (TV will show this section)
Gonzaga 102 (TV will show this section)
Texas A&M 110
Florida State 112
Bands:Michigan 117
FSU 114
Gonzaga 105
Texas A&M 108
March 23rd, 2018 at 12:56 PM ^
Any idea of this will also hold true for saturday's game? this was helpful for Thurs.
March 21st, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
Expect a super long line at the Stubhub pickup as all sellable tickets for this event are hard copy tickets. They typically do not have enough staff to move people through the line and I imagine there will be hundreds if not thousands of people trying to pick up their tickets in the hours before gametime.
March 21st, 2018 at 10:45 PM ^
I got an email today from stubhub that my tickets were ready for pick up (at the Courtyard Marriott across the street from LA Live). I was the only person there and it took less than 1 minute. Hoping you have the same stree-free experience tomorrow.
March 21st, 2018 at 12:29 PM ^
Bought my tickets yesterday, super pumped - haven't been to a M bball game in years. Will be getting to DTLA early given weather, traffic, stubhub lines, etc. Was happy to find an AirBnB that was nice, reasonably priced and not stupid far away from Staples
Staples Center has released some upper level seats for Thursday session only for $135 each. Flash seats, can't be resold or transferred.
https://www.ncaa.com/tickets/basketball-men/d1
Not sure what the Board protocol on this stuff is, but I wanted to see if anyone was interested in a ticket. This is center court right by the reported Michigan section. Probably won't know until 3 pm tomorrow, but would prefer that this go to a Wolverine.
Email me for details, my user name here @yahoo.com Preference given to schoolteachers from Kalamazoo, 90 year old Nuns or anyone with that compelling story. Go Blue.
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