Saturday, September 18, 1999

Bengals throwing scalpers for loss

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BY JOHN J. BYCZKOWSKI
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        You charge what the market will bear. And for Bengals tickets, it's a bear market.

        Some scalpers are slashing prices on tickets for the home opener Sunday, asking below-face for many seats.

        All Seats, a downtown broker, was asking $20 Friday for a $32-face upper-deck, end-zone seat.

        The demand is just not there, employees complained.

        Sunday's game against San Diego won't be on TV, because it didn't sell out by the Thursday deadline. Home openers are typically big events, so that makes Cincinnati an exception. Last week, 13 of 15 NFL games sold out.

        Team officials expect 45,000 or more in a stadium that holds 56,700 for football. That means about 10,000 tickets are available from the team, and untold hundreds more from the city's cottage industry of legal scalpers.

        There are many reasons why fans might not want to pay to see the Bengals: traffic, Oktoberfest, no marquee opponent, a home team that lost last week after losing four games in the preseason.

        Whatever the reason, “I just don't think fans are willing to spend a lot right now,” said Jeff McDonald, public relations director for Riverfront Choice Tickets. That the game won't be on TV has helped boost demand, but fans “just don't want to spend.”

        Riverfront Choice is charg ing a premium for 50-yard-line seats, but it has other tickets below face value.

        The agency isn't buying tickets from fans, unless they're willing to also sell tickets to the big games against Cleveland, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

        Not everybody has cut prices.

        “I personally can't afford to do that,” said Kelly Duncan at Premium Tickets. His premiums are currently $5 or more above face value, but he won't deny people are likely to be dumping tickets Sunday.

       

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