Tiger tickets in high demand

 

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As they accepted the largest private donation in the history of the athletic department and unveiled a $102 million dollar facilities renovation plan on Tuesday, Missouri officials repeatedly mentioned the excitement and momentum in the wake of a move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference.

Athletic Director Mike Alden said season tickets from last year are being renewed at a 95% rate and overall season ticket sales are up approximately 18% over this time in 2011. Tiger Scholarship Fund donations are up significantly as well.

PowerMizzou.com delved into another area where the impact of the move to the SEC is having a financial impact: The secondary ticket market. Many brokers buy tickets up and resell them at venues across the country. We checked with our preferred ticketing partners at SeatGeek.com to guage the market for Tiger tickets with the season opener just two months away.

What was revealed was what would be expected: Demand is up and so are prices. Below is the game-by-game pricing available from SeatGeek.

Before we delve into the hard numbers, there is one caveat. The prices for 2011 tickets were gauged on transactions through the entire season. In other words, tickets which were not in high demand may have been dumped closer to game time for a lower price, thus driving down the figures you will see. With games still two months away and tickets for the general public not yet released, the 2012 numbers will likely be a bit inflated. Demand is up and prices are up, but exactly how much will not come into clear focus until the games are underway.

Regardless, the numbers exhibit the huge demand from Tiger fans. Here are the facts:

In 2011, the average price for a ticket to a Mizzou home game on the secondary market was $70. In June of 2012, that price is $171. That is an increase of 144% for the average ticket. Tickets for Missouri's four Big 12 home games last year went for an average of $74.66. For the four SEC home games this year, the average cost is $150.58. That is more than double the 2011 prices. The graphic below shows the average price for each Missouri home game according to the latest available information from SeatGeek.

The cheapest home game, as would be expected, is Southeast Louisiana, the only non-BCS game on the Tigers' seven-game home schedule. The Alabama game is at the other end of the spectrum, with some premium seats currently being listed in the neighborhood of $700 in various locations. The cheapest current ticket to the Bama game is approximately $150. The average cost is nearly $227, which is an increase of $97 over unbeaten Missouri's 2010 game against No. 1 Oklahoma. That game was the priciest for a Mizzou fan over the last three seasons. 2011's most expensive ticket was the league opener against Iowa State, which went for an average of $92.33 per ticket on the secondary market.

Here is the comparison between 2011 and 2012:

Everything surrounding football is a little bit bigger and a little bit more expensive in the SEC. The average cost of a ticket to an SEC game on the secondary market is $223, the highest of any conference in the country. So how do the Tigers fare among their new conference brethren? Whether it is due to their own fans or to visiting fans hoping to make their initial trek to Columbia, a ticket to a Mizzou home game is currently the sixth most expensive among the league's 14 teams as shown below.

Tiger road tickets are also in high demand. The cheapest ticket to see Missouri on the road in SEC play is currently $102.97 for the Tigers' Thanksgiving weekend trip to Texas A&M. Tickets at Tennessee average $115.53, tickets at Florida come in at $120.71 apiece and the game at South Carolina on September 22nd tops the list, with the average price at $156.68 at last check.

Again, these numbers will likely even out a bit over the next couple of months. But enthusiasm is at an all-time high and fans wanting to see the Tigers' inaugural SEC season are likely to feel the impact when looking for a ticket.

To see all the trends on Tiger tickets or to find a ticket to a particular game, check out SeatGeek's Mizzou home page.

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