Ticket Scalping: A Victimless Crime?

by: Jeff Howard
Ticket Scalping: A Victimless Crime? By Jeff Howard I admit it. Many, many years ago I purchased a ticket from a ticket scalper outside Texas Stadium. If memory serves correct, I paid $70 for a ticket with a face value around $15. Like I said it was many, many years ago, and I was young and naive. At the time I felt relieved to have a ticket. The game was a sell out, but as soon as I found my seat, I felt cheated. Let's just say it was a very bad seat. One of the worst in the house to be sure, but still good enough for me to see the visiting Chicago Bears destroy Dallas 44-0! My bad experience aside, many fans see scalpers as their only option for getting into sold out events. At worst they see ticket scalping as a low-level, victimless crime. I would suggest, however, that the fact prove otherwise. Investigative reports around the country have uncovered highly organized groups of professional ticket scalpers who control street-level ticket sales in many major league sports cities. Often these men have ties to organized crime and lengthy criminal records. As seasoned criminals they are quick to threaten a customer or turn violent when a transaction doesn't go their way. Certainly not all the scalpers seen hawking tickets outside your local stadium fall into this category, but the threat is widespread and very real. Using various techniques, these groups acquire tickets from season ticket holders, ticket agencies, and even the team's box office. In some cases they work closely with team employees to ensure a constant supply of tickets. They also aggressively solicit fans seeking to buy spare tickets at discounted prices. Sadly this leaves the typical fan literally on the outside looking in. Fans who can't get tickets through the more traditional channels are forced to deal with these groups if they want to see a game in person. As always I recommend you avoid scalpers if at all possible. I agree there may be certain situations when you have no choice, but don't make it a habit. In my opinion there are just too many risks, and besides you can get tickets to just about any event without them as long as you're prepared to put a little effort into it. With that said, if you decide to approach one outside the stadium, please remember who you're dealing with. This person might be a convicted drug dealer, thief, or worse a violent criminal. In addition, he might have ties to organized crime. Above all use your common sense and proceed with caution. I'm sure the majority of fans who purchase tickets from a scalper don't suffer from the level of 'buyer's remorse' I felt inside Texas Stadium, and they certainly don't experience anything close to assault and battery. However, threats, intimidation and violence have become a part of the ticket scalping business in many cities so please be careful out there. Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved ************************************************ Jeff Howard publishes SportsTicketSecrets Tip Sheet, a monthly ezine providing tips, news, information, and advice for all sports fans who are tired of watching the "BIG" games on TV. To subscribe and receive a preview of his latest publication "Super Bowl Ticket Secrets" visit http://www.superbowlticketsecrets.com ************************************************ *** Digital Reprint Rights *** * If you publish this article in a website/forum/blog, please set all URL's or Mailto addresses in the body of the article and in the Author's Resource Box as hyperlinks (clickable links). * Links must remain clean and unchaged without redirects having been inserted into the copy. * Please do not change or delete any Words or links in the Article or Resource Box. * Email distribution of this article must be done through opt-in email only. No unsolicited commercial email please. * You are allowed to format the layout of the article for proper display in your website or in your ezine, as long as the words, links and resource box are not changed or deleted. *** Author Notification *** Please leave the resource box intact with an active link, and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which the article appears to: Jeff@SportsTicketSecrets.com
Please leave the resource box intact with an active link, and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which the article appears to: Jeff@SportsTicketSecrets.com