Under head coach Mark Dantonio, the Michigan State football team has been as consistent as they come in NCAA football. With that, the demand for season-tickets has obviously increased. Unfortunately, the Michigan game is now sold out for people that have yet to purchase season-tickets.
It really isn’t that hard to understand why those tickets are no longer available. Michigan already gets double the amount of tickets for that game. It is also the best weekend for Michigan State to invite recruits and their families. So tickets for the Michigan game are already scarce.
Regular season-ticket holders have also added on to their current amount of tickets, and with good reason. The home slate for the Spartans is one of the best in recent memory. Wisconsin, BYU, Northwestern, Ohio State and obviously Michigan make up a majority of the seven-game home schedule.
With all of those variables, it is easy to see why MSU can no longer offer tickets to the Michigan game. However, it is a rather unfortunate situation as Spartan fans who had plans to purchase season-tickets are no longer considering doing so without that game available.
Despite the Michigan State ticket office botching events in the past, the disappointment in the handling of this situation may be overblown as Mark Hollis and the ticket office had no other choice but to offer six-game season-ticket packages without the Michigan one available. Financially, if you are running the ticket office, you don’t just drop season-tickets because one game is no longer unavailable. It would also be more infuriating to the fans that still want to get tickets this season and see the four other high-profile games on the schedule, as well as have earlier priority the next few seasons.
With the lack of availability for tickets for the Michigan game, it also prevents Wolverine fans from easier access to this game. Spartan fans paid $343 for season tickets to see what has been one of the top programs in the country. Other schools, such as Michigan ($520), Ohio State ($642) and Notre Dame (over $1,000) charge much more for a product that offers similar results. With the ongoing rivalries with all three of these schools and the lower prices for MSU football, you will typically see fans of the Wolverines, Buckeyes and Irish purchase season-tickets for the Spartans and resell the other six games on the secondary market. This season, based upon the lowest current prices on StubHub, Michigan fans can make at least a $13 profit if they sell all but the UM game. Buckeye fans could pull in at least an extra $55. Their fans could essentially be paid to go the MSU game.
While having most of the seven-game tickets gone from people who renewed their tickets and added some, limiting the amount of potential new season-ticket holders, is an unpopular decision, it is the only option. For those that ended up on the wrong side of this situation, be sure to purchase the six-game package this season or season-tickets next year. That way, you don’t end up in the same boat in two years when the Buckeyes and Wolverines come to town again.
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