The image of a shady transaction outside of an arena, where hushed tones are uttered and stacks of cash are exchanged, is slightly out of date even if scalpers definitely still exist. Many arenas now provide zones where the reselling of tickets is permitted, which brings the process more above-board. Fans willing to risk showing up with no guarantee of getting into the event might save some money using this method versus using an online ticket marketplace, but they will also forfeit the protection that those major companies provide should you end up with a fraudulent ticket.
Nearly every day of the year professional sporting events are played in the United States. In the sea of options available to fans of the various sports, knowing where and when to purchase tickets is a huge advantage for those not lucky enough to have season tickets.
The best way to guarantee that you can attend the biggest games for your favorite team, both in the regular season and the postseason, is to be a season ticket holder. It is a system that offers myriad benefits, from locking in the face value of the tickets to guaranteeing access to premium games and special events. The drawback is the cost of making such a large commitment in terms of time and money. Some fans have adopted a strategy of signing up for a season ticket plan to get all the games they want to attend, and then trying to mitigate the cost by selling tickets to games they are less interested in. There is some risk involved, as there is no guarantee that the tickets will sell, but with a popular team it is a strategy that could potentially turn a profit if managed correctly.
It varies from league to league as to how far in advance regular season tickets go on sale. But knowing when to start looking for single-game tickets can be a huge advantage in a marketplace that heavily favors season ticket holders.
But another major factor to consider, when it comes to sports played outdoors, is the weather. A baseball game played in April might have snow showers, whereas one played in August could be in the 90s and muggy. The U.S. Open puts its premium matches in the night session, but a day session can provide a delightful menu of options with so many matches played on so many courts. The question in cases like that becomes: Is it more important who you see compete or the atmosphere in which you enjoy the competition?
Beyond becoming a season ticket holder, many teams offer early on-sale dates for fans who subscribe to their mailing lists. Various credit card companies also offer early on-sale dates, and many teams reserve tickets for fan fest events where you can buy the tickets in person. The fan fests require more of a time commitment but can sometimes yield hard-to-get tickets.
Teams used to charge a single fee for a seat throughout the season, but that changed for some with the advent of dynamic (sometimes called variable) pricing. In essence, teams charge more for games against premium opponents and less for games against also-rans. The concept results in more revenue for premium events, and further incentivizes fans to purchase season tickets because of the cost certainty that they provide.
Another key factor is the day of the week the game is played. In the N.B.A., games on Mondays sell for the best value, while in baseball prices are lowest on Wednesdays. Day of the week is not an important factor in N.F.L. games, where nearly all games are played on Sundays and the games on other days are prime time events.
The days of realizing you cannot attend an event and then having to arrange a sale on Craigslist or other classified services are largely over thanks to the various options afforded fans by both secondary ticket marketplaces and also the actual teams. If you no longer need the tickets you purchased, you can log on to StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster or the website of the team whose game it is and essentially have your ticket digitized to be sold to someone else. In some cases you may get pennies on the dollar, or even nothing at all, but for a premium event you can turn a profit without the awkwardness of a face-to-face meeting.
The league holds 500 tickets in reserve as part of a Super Bowl Ticket Giveaway program in which they try to give back to dedicated members of the community, but the best bet for actually buying tickets is to purchase a VIP package sold through On Location, a third-party vendor that works with the league and has the most available tickets.
Golf tournaments typically have plenty of room for spectators, and are a fairly attainable ticket. But The Masters is one of the harder tickets to score in sports, with many people hoping to attend simply for the chance to walk the grounds of Augusta National. Fans can register year-round for a lottery in which you can try for a practice round spot or a single daily tournament ticket, with a deadline for entries typically coming in early June. The rules are stringent and the tickets are scarce. But the ticket prices are a relative bargain, with practice tickets at $75 and tournament tickets at $115, since they are the only way to get on the course without being a member.
The Springfield Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., which serves as the Hall of Fame for the N.B.A., college basketball and international basketball, sells tickets directly to its induction ceremony, typically beginning in February. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, offers various events during the weekend of enshrinement, but the actual enshrinement ceremony has tickets go on sale in mid-February and typically sells out.
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