Students struggle to find Final Four tickets
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When midnight struck Sunday, members of the Izzone had a chance to buy $25 tickets for the MSU student section of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for MSU’s Final Four matchup against Butler.
Four minutes after going on sale, most of the 660 available tickets were sold out. The rest sold out shortly after.
Since then, it has been a scramble for Spartans fans to purchase a chance to see the men’s basketball team make its second consecutive showing in the next-to-last stop of the NCAA Championship.
“When the link went active, within a matter of seconds, almost every ticket was put into a shopping cart,” Izzone co-director Shane Smith said.
“There were just so many people that clicked on that link.”
Tickets still are on sale on Web sites such as www.stubhub.com and www.razorgator.com, ranging in price from $299 to more than $1,000. Some students said they have combed for tickets using sites such as eBay. Some have posted classified ads on sites such as allMSU.com.
Diana Leadley, a communication sophomore and Izzone member, said she is exploring several possibilities after she was unable to purchase one of the low-price tickets.
Leadley said she posted an ad on allMSU.com and is considering several offers she received prior to putting up the ad.
Leadley said the prices she has found using other avenues are “ridiculous,” but she is determined to make it to the Final Four.
Leadley said she likely will stay in East Lansing if she is unable to secure a ticket, but is going full throttle to find one until then.
“I woke up Monday morning and said, ‘Hey, I gotta get to this game,’” Leadley said.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about. I back my guys up 100 percent and I want to be there for them.”
Hospitality business junior Megan Casey, also a member of the Izzone, said her hunt for a ticket to the Final Four has been problematic, although she might have an opportunity to purchase a ticket from an acquaintance this week.
Regardless, Casey said finding an affordable ticket has been trying.
“It’s so fun to make it to the Final Four, but right away we just got a sense of stress about getting the ticket,” Casey said.
“It’s just adding extra stress that shouldn’t happen during the Final Four.”
Nick Thomas, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and community relations sophomore and an Izzone member, said he was able to purchase one of the low-price tickets.
“(I feel) pretty lucky,” Thomas said.
“I got on at midnight and my friend got on at the same time and he didn’t get a ticket.”
Commentary
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Jason B
(03/31/10 7:00am)Report
It’s ridiculous how few tickets there are for the fans. Lucas Oil Stadium seats 63,000 people. Each school only gets 660 student tickets. That still leaves 60,360 tickets. Seems like there should be a lot more for sale for the students. But after you take out the allotment for the sponsors and other corporate giveaways, I wonder how many seats are left for actual fans of these schools. It’s like the superbowl, so many seats are set aside for sponsors and corporations involved, fans of the actual teams involved are left with few seats relative to capacity.
Captain Obvious
(03/31/10 8:09am)Report
Brilliant insight, Jason.
Brilliant?
(03/31/10 10:40am)Report
63,000 – 660 = 62,340
Darko
(03/31/10 10:42am)Report
These losers that bought tickets in the Izzone but now can’t go or never intended to should be shot.
It’s a wasted ticket. You can’t sell them unless you look like that person and want to give them your student id, drivers license, and credit card for the weekend.
And even if you COULD sell them, people attempting to do so deserve to be hit by a car.
Just take away all the student tickets. Our student body obviously has zero integrity.
Learn to do math
(03/31/10 10:50am)Report
Brilliant? 4 schools * 660 = 2640. 63,000 – 2640 = 60,360 seats left.
Go back to elementary school.
Capitalism at its finest.
Indy Alumn
(03/31/10 10:56am)Report
Can always watch the game at the Elbow Room (North & Pennsylvania)in downtown Indy. My favorite bar. Hoping for a good Spartan showing…Butler sucks by the way
Dane Robison
(03/31/10 11:32am)Report
It’s really a shame that the NCAA thinks so little of the students, even worse that the schools themselves often suffer PR black eyes over something they can’t control.
Sadly, you can pay through the nose and end up with seats from which you can barely see the court, if at all. Having been there in 2000, though, I’ll say this: buy them. If you have the means, do it and don’t look back. Next best thing? If you can’t get tickets, just go to Indy anyway. The atmosphere is electric and unlike any other sports-related experience I’ve ever had.
If you hurry, you can probably still get into the MSU Alumni Association’s watch party at Jillian’s.
JC in NYC
(03/31/10 11:45am)Report
hi, i was wondering if we spartans are giong to make the 4/5 hour trip to Indy this weekend? i really hope so, b/c our team needs the support; im just afraid it’ll be all Butler… here in nyc, we have our alumni group that meets to watch the game(s), etc. Wish i could be there!!!
Go Spartans!!!!
JC in NYC
(03/31/10 11:48am)Report
ooops one more…
i was reading this article on http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/29/technology/final_four_tickets/index.htm
on fansnap.com that one could find tickets… i really hope there’s a good turnout of Spartan fans
Jeremy
(03/31/10 2:04pm)Report
The problem with the student tickets is the process. I wasn’t able to get a ticket and I had perfect attendance and got to the game about an hr. before tipoff (got there a few hrs. early for purdue an OSU), yet some first-year who is a half-hearted state fan who went to about half the games probably got a ticket to the final four. Why? because he clicked the mouse maybe 2 seconds faster than I did.
The process is obsurd, its totally based on luck. They should do a lottery of those students who had perfect attendance or missed a maximum of one game. Or at least send the link (by the way im glad that they sent it at midnight so people couldn’t tell all their non-izzone friends about it) to those who had a perfect attendance or only missed one game. Either way the system sucks because its a matter of a split second and you know that some half-a**ed fans were able to get tickets but some of those who were faithful throughout the season didn’t
Pat up north
(03/31/10 5:57pm)Report
What about Breslin? Is it going to be open and showing the game? Pack it and let the team know we support them, make our own Izzone
Sandra
(03/31/10 7:21pm)Report
I agree with Jeremy. Tickets should be offered to the Izzone members with the best attendance record. Anybody who scalps a $25 ticket to the Final Four shouldn’t even BE in the Izzone!
Again....
(03/31/10 9:25pm)Report
Sorry izzone, but what the athletic department is and has been doing is wrong and shameful. Tickets are allocated to the student population of the university by the NCAA. The athletic department is only making these available to season ticket holders, whereas there is supposed to be an equal chance for ALL students to get tickets.
Jeremy
(04/01/10 12:44pm)Report
Wow, thats an even worse idea to have it open to ALL students. yeah, that way even more fair weather fans can get the lucky ticket to indy while more true loyal fans get screwed over.
Again..
(04/01/10 1:46pm)Report
Oh please. We’re all MSU students. We all love our spartans. And don’t give me that crap, an izzone member is just as likely to scalp a ticket for a 400 dollar profit as a regular student is.