Thread: Price gouging for opening night tickets

Originally Posted by shoot2scor

Don't get me wrong with previous posts, I am not saying the Kings "should" raise the prices, I just don't look at at it like they are pissing on the long time loyal fans. All we need to do to understand about this is to look down the hall to the other locker room. Holy cow, look at the Lakers and their prices. I just meant someone who is a Clippers season seat holder, CLIPPERs, and he was telling me about his season seat pricing which is basically dynamic season seat prices. He said every game is different and it was insane the price he was paying for Clippers tickets who before this season didn't have all that much intrigue. If the Kings continue winning this will be a continued problem. If they somehow fail an become a non playoff team, then we can all "enjoy" the great deals we could get from the mid to late 90's until 2010 or so.

When the Kings have 16 championships and over 20 appearances in the finals and are paying over $100 million a year for the team for like 20 years...I won't complain. When they have two shortened seasons and a completely missed one in like a dozen years one championship after numerous top 10 draft picks...I feel it's a little justified to whine a smidge.

I think it's okay to whine a bit, just like it is to whine about the economy, the president/congress/politics, the tax rate in California, etc. It's the nature of the beast. 16 Championships or 1, a winner brings in the fans. The kings sold out what, 37 games last year? That was when the team had expectations but wasn't performing. Now they are SC Champs. Even when the team was flat out bad, I don't ever remember the attendance being that bad, nothing like PHX. The Kings are in a HUGE market with a lot of money in said market. Imagine what the 90's through now Red Wings would have done in the LA market. I bring up the Lakers (and the Clippers) because they share the same market as the Kings. You may not whine "when" but the bottom line sports are a "what have you done lately" business, and right now the Kings top the market, in a HUGE (again) market that has been starving for years for this kind of success by all local hockey/Kings fans. So the argument of "when" may not carry the history like the Lake show, but the "now" in all of this favors what the Kings are doing. After 45 years of deals on tickets, mediocre teams and now a champ, it is kind of tough for me to complain about 1 game of inflated prices. You can't underestimate the market they are in and the growth last years run brought. Many have pointed out this maybe the 2nd most important game (for a long time fan) in history.

Originally Posted by hokiecat

Yes, because this is not ethics. Ethics would be charging you more than me because you're richer or have been a fan longer. Or Broguiere's charging more for the milk bottles because I was going to get a 6 pack of chocolate no matter what...

I think we're looking at different dictionaries...your definition of the word "ethics" doesn't jive with the ones I have.

Do you collect sports memorabilia? Would it be unethical to charge more for a record breaking home run ball vs a generic home run ball by the same player? What about game worn jerseys? I'm sure Cup Finals stuff was sold at a premium to the regular season stuff. Was that being unethical or charging market rate for a rare and more desirable item? I'd argue the banner game tickets and the sports memorabilia are the same. Circling back to the home run ball, so I catch McGuire or Bonds' record breaking hit and sell it to the guy next to me for $500. Yay me. And then he auctions it at Lelands for $500k. Should I claim some moral superiority because I kept the pricing ethical. Or was I just so out of step with things that I failed to acknowledge the novelty.

You're confusing morals with ethics.

Also (and maybe this is how I rationalize it), the game was going to sell out in milliseconds for single-game seats whether it was $40 or $60 or $150. So I'd 99% chance be looking at the resale market since my STH friends will all be attending. Would I rather: a) the Kings price the game correctly and get the money between $X and $155 or b) some ticket flipper gets the difference between $X and $155? I would choose a.

Maybe you're right if those were the only two possible outcomes...but there is a 3rd option where some tickets go to ticket flippers and some go to fans who will attend the games (and more would go to fans if the Kings put controls in place to do it). And with that outcome, I'd got with selling them for less than $155.

I guess my point is you keep saying how it is short-sighted pricing and parents won't be able to take their kids to a game anymore. But that is not true, IMO. I am not going to the opener either. But I'm taking my son to his first game against the Canucks and we are also going with him to the Avs game in February. So maybe parents won't be able to take their kids to the banner raising games (hopefully every couple years rather than 4 decades) any more due to demand pricing.

I've never said it's about parents and only parents. It's that they're freezing out real fans and the many of the people who will go will be client guests of lawyers, bankers, and other rich people where many of the guests can't name a single current player. I know because alot of those rich people inviting non-fan guests are friends of mine who do it.

Maybe I am just more beaten down and conditioned than you. Growing up in DC, I remember things like "you can't see <Jordan/Gretzky> unless you buy a partial game plan with 2-3 good games offset with a bunch of clunkers that we are bundling in with the good ones so that we can sell them".

Oh lord...don't get me started on the stupid DC sports owners. I lived there for half my childhood off and on...those are some of the worstest owners in all of sports and it's no wonder the only team with decent attendance is the Skins.

Slightly off-topic: If you can go to the game through kind-hearted friends, then I would urge you to go. And take your kid. This is not a bucket list thing like Game 6 was for me, but it is still going to be a great spectacle and you owe it to yourself to enjoy it.

The kids have absolutely no interest. I was at game 6 and I agree about it vs banner night. It's complicated but it's looking like I can't go. Bummer but I'll get to see it on tv...and I'll see the banner at some future game.

Cant wait til Saturday so this thread will die.

Originally Posted by Mr_Conie

Cant wait til Saturday so this thread will die.

New to LGK?

Originally Posted by Mr_Conie

Cant wait til Saturday so this thread will die.

Come on....you know better than that. This thread won't die until mod kills it with fire.