As you may or may not be aware, my beloved Fighting Irish will be playing in Ann Arbor this year, on my birthday. In years past I've always planned my trips home to coincide with road trips to South Bend, but I've never bothered to catch a game at Michigan Stadium. (Michigan State is generally a home game for the Irish when Michigan is a road game, so I just took whichever game was at Notre Dame.)
Anyhow, I'm looking over some of the tickets for sale and - shit damn. That place seats 110,000, the home team has been a colossal disappointment, and the visiting team ain't exactly something to write home about. How in the hell can people expect someone to pay so much for a ticket? I'll dispense with writing etiquette and answer myself now - It's because guys like me will be tempted to pay the insane price. Market forces and so forth...
My question is this. For those of you who have attended games in Ann Arbor in the past - Are there generally tickets to be had at or near game time? The last time I saw Michigan play at Notre Dame, there were literally people in the Joyce lot trying to give away tickets. I had already purchased better seats than those being offered, but still. One can often show up in South Bend with a few bucks and do okay for himself.
On the other hand, I was in town for what may have been the best regular season game ever played. For an hour before kickoff, I walked amongst the tailgaters with ten crisp $100 bills above my head. Any two seats in the house would do - one for me and one for my then-girlfriend (who surely wouldn't have grasped the magnitude). I never got a second look from anyone trying to sell tickets. And there were plenty of people selling tickets. When a thousand bucks can't get you a pair of nosebleeds, the game is obviously out of my league.
Clearly this year's ND-Michigan tilt isn't on the level of that first Weis-Carroll matchup (back when we thought Weis was good and didn't know Carroll was cheating). And, also clearly, I can buy scalped or auctioned tickets online for far less than $500 a pop. I could get into the game if I really cared to pony up a few hundred bucks a seat. I just don't really feel like spending that much if I don't have to. So what exactly is the scenario like when you go to a game at U of M? Should I show up with some cash and try my luck? Or should I just take it on the chin and secure my tickets ahead of time?
Any input is welcome, even if it includes the obligatory "Notre Dame sucks" business.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Don't be shy. Chime in any time.