There are still plenty of good tickets available to watch the Green Bay Packers face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The deadline to sell those tickets and avoid a local blackout came and went today, but the NFL has given the Packers an extension. The team will now have until 4 p.m. on Friday to avoid the blackout.
Earlier, the Packers announced there were still 3,000 tickets left.
Approximately 3,000 tickets remain available for Sunday’s playoff game between the #Packers and 49ers. Buy here: http://t.co/72phc8WG0U
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 2, 2014
If the Packers don’t sell them, it would be the first time a game has been blacked out since 1983. That game was also a playoff game.
We’ve seen cases in the past — in other cities — where a company would buy the remaining tickets to lift the blackout. That probably isn’t happening in Green Bay.
If some company or wealthy individual wanted to buy remaining #Packers tickets to avoid blackout, cost is $345,000, give or take a few bucks
— Mike Vandermause (@MikeVandermause) January 2, 2014
The Packers aren’t alone. The Colts and Bengals are also facing blackouts this weekend.
So what’s going on here? We see a few things.
First, tickets aren’t cheap. The lowest-priced tickets are $102. When you throw in Ticketmaster and their shitty fees, that’s $111.75 per ticket. When you throw in food, drinks and possibly parking, well… going to the game ain’t cheap.
Second, the weather. Minus 30 with windchill? We can see why people would rather sit in front of their TVs.
Third, and we hate to say it, is the product on the field. The Packers have shown that they haven’t been able to figure out the 49ers and the way their defense is playing, we have our doubts that’s going to change this week.
You also have to look at the fact that the Packers offered playoff tickets to season ticket holders in November. Oh, and those were non-refundable and you had to buy three games on the off chance the Packers would be hosting a divisional game AND the NFC championship.
That just seems like stupid business.