NCAA: Your friendly ticket reseller

Greg Johnson of the LA Times wrote an interesting article on the NCAA becoming a ticket scalper creating an exclusive partnership with secondary ticket reseller RazorGator.

The NCAA also plans to get tough on fans and other third-party brokers not named RazorGator who dare sell Final Four tickets above face value.

The NCAA "is threatening to blacklist fans who are caught scalping tickets anywhere other than RazorGator.com, the NCAA's official ticket reseller."

According to the Times article, this will be a difficult exercise:

"The NCAA must complete a bit of detective work before placing ticket scofflaws on its blacklist. Tracking an unauthorized ticket sale can be difficult because scalpers often list tickets with several online brokers. Seat descriptions are often vague — 'behind the basket,' for example, or 'at half-court in the upper deck.' But the NCAA maintains that it has tracked unauthorized deals during past Final Four tournaments, and will do so again this year."

I seriously hope the NCAA doesn't turn the Georgia Dome, site of this year's Men's Final Four, into a police state, looking for johns who picked up hookers basketball tickets on the street or online from non-sanctioned scalpers.

When entering the stadium basketball fanatics will be asked to raise their right hands: Do you swear the tickets you are about to present are pure and unadulterated? If not can you provide proof they came from RazorGator? And do you believe in amateurism? Okay, you may now enter.

Some fans may not appreciate the NCAA's price gouging extra effort to make more money, but remember it's all being done for the benefit of student athletes. NCAA's Greg Shaheen said, "[Ticket issuers would] rather that the money [spent for tickets] is going to the right causes, like scholarships, grants and financial aid for athletes."

He should have also mentioned the righteous cause of higher salaries for ADs and coaches.

I like capitalism when it's for money's sake. I just never heard capitalism cloaked so well in academia.

Comments

[arlenatheepublicist]

Hello Marc,
I truly enjoyed reading this post.
It was enlightening, provocative, and fearless.
Cheering with Pom Poms,
Ar Lena

[Kevin]

Wow, what utter bullshit

[andy fine]

why does this not get more press?

[a real fan]

The question I have is whether the NCAA is setting aside additional tickets to give to razorgator to sell. I have a problem with the NCAA actively participating in-- and encouraging -- the secondary ticktet market since it drives up prices.