Big Ballers: Super Bowl Tickets Showcase Top End Pricing

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Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images – Get em while they’re hot?
Counterfeit tickets to last year’s Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, which were still going for $950. This year’s big game is an even bigger draw, with many legitimate tickets listed above $10,000.

When Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium hosts Super Bowl LIV Feb. 2, it will be the year’s most-watched television event and one of its hottest tickets. 

The Super Bowl has become something of an annual, with stunning halftime shows, a week packed with seemingly endless events and ticket prices that would floor players and fans of the Vince Lombardi era. The average price-tag for a ticket at press time on SeatGeek was a jaw-dropping $9,071.
The NFL is using NFL On Location Experience Company as its primary distributor to the public, selling packages bundling Super Bowl tickets and pregame celebrations, including what promises to be the tailgate of the year. A full package including hotel accommodations at Fontainebleau Miami Beach, pregame hospitality, gameday transportation and tickets cost $6,685 at press time.
Getting ahold of tickets without any amenities at baseline prices is difficult, as the NFL controls the supply of tickets very tightly. According to SeatGeek, a few NFL season ticketholders were entered into a lottery for tickets, teams were provided with the majority of the inventory to distribute, and a few stubs are held for media, partners and sponsors. The benchmark for primary prices is the On Location package, essentially a VIP experience.
Patrick Ryan of Eventellect said Super Bowl pricing changed with 2017’s Super Bowl LI in Houston when NFL On Location really began to understand the supply-demand curve. The big game got a boost from Super Bowl-starved Eagles fans the following year in Minnesota, held strong last year in Atlanta, and remains hot in Miami in 2020 for a few reasons, he said.
“First, On Location is very good at managing supply and selling ticket packages directly to corporate customers. Second, Hard Rock is the smallest venue the game has been played at in a number of years with a capacity of 65,000. Third, the Chiefs are a starved fanbase much like the Eagles were, and fourth, the 49ers have a national following and a high-income fanbase.” 
On Location packages without hotels started at $4,590 as of Jan. 27 ($5,508 with fees included). Those seats were toward the back of the stadium, which football fans know is more about “being there” than actually following the on-field action. Getting reasonably close to the game, say in Section 110, Row 10 of the stadium, cost about $6,895 through On Location. 
Tickets on the side of the field (Section 119, Row 10) got up to $11,900 apiece ($14,290 with fees) and the biggest pure ticket page is for the Dolphins’ “72 Club” premium seating experience, which hits $25,500 apiece ($30,620 with fees) through On Location. That package includes access to the pregame party hosted by NFL Hall of Famer and former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and chances to rub shoulders with NFL legends.  
While there is no guarantee a ticket will sell at this price, one of the most expensive tickets was StubHub’s listing for a seat in the “actual 1st row of section” “on the 50 yard line” listed at $49,000. 
The concert industry is also getting in on the Super Bowl action, as not only is the halftime performance with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez billed as a major draw, but the week leading up to the big game is awash with concerts and parties throughout Miami (see page 9).
Most notably, the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest is a series of three concerts at AmericanAirlines Arena in the three days before the game. Last year’s event featured three stacked days of talent, with Bruno Mars and Cardi B Feb. 2 ($6.47 million grossed), Aerosmith and Post Malone Feb. 1 ($3.62 million), and 21 Savage, Ciara, Migos and others on Jan. 31 ($1.28 million). 
The “EA Sports Bowl” on Jan. 30 will feature DJ Khaled (who came up as a DJ at Miami’s 99 Jamz radio station), Meek Mill, DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion. That is the least expensive of the concerts, with cheap seats starting at $35 ($63.85 with fees). 
On Jan. 31, Guns N’ Roses performs with special guest Snoop Dogg, with the most expensive ticket of the musical events. Cheap seats for that show were going for $125 ($158 with fees) on Ticketmaster. Seats in the first three rows were listed between $1,629 and $2,500 on secondary sites. 
On Feb. 1, dubbed “Super Bowl Eve,” last year’s halftime headliner Maroon 5 plays the arena with Dan + Shay. Cheap seats were going for $75 ($106 with fees) and middle of the house prices were around $212 with fees. Tickets on the secondary market topped out around $1,255 for that show.