Ticket scalping occurring all over campus for Pitt vs. PSU game

This Saturday, The Pittsburgh Panthers will face off against long time Keystone State rival, The Penn State Nittany Lions, at Heinz Field. Anticipation for the game has been high for months, with not just student season tickets selling out, but also the entire stadium.

With a sold out crowd, students who didn’t get their tickets in time are stopping at nothing to score a chance to be in Heinz Field for this monumental sports moment. The resale market for tickets to the game is exploding.

The desire for a spot in the Panther Pitt has driven many to go on the hunt for others’ student tickets, in hopes that they will be willing to part with them for the right price. At the same time, some season ticket holders have been trying to take advantage of the demand and sell their tickets on the University Facebook Pages, trying to make some quick cash.

Student tickets originally cost 25 dollars for the entire season. Now however, those who didn’t purchase them are paying up to 10 times more than that for just this single game ticket. Many who are willing to part with their tickets are inflating prices into the several hundred dollar range.

In response to the reselling of student tickets that is occurring all over, the Panther Pitt as well as the Athletics department released the following statement on Twitter:

“…the name on your student ticket must match the name on your Pitt ID or you will not be allowed into the game on Saturday. Please pass this message on to friends who have bought/sold their student ticket for Saturday.”

This statement caused fear for the many people who are buying and selling tickets, as they seriously question whether they will be allowed into the stadium. Even with this fear looming, the scalping of student tickets has continued and will most likely continue up until the game begins.

With this Saturday fast approaching, we reached out to students who are trying to buy and sell their tickets to see how they are faring in the resale market and to see if they have any fears of not being allowed admittance to the game.

Geena, Sophomore, Biological Sciences Major, Selling

Geena was hoping to cash in on the influx of students wanting a ticket. Trying to get the most out of it, she wanted to sell the ticket for 175 dollars. She offered her ticket up for sale on Facebook, and within minutes said she received multiple offers from students.

“I got about 30 private messages for it because I posted about selling it.” She said that most offers were for less than 50 dollars, but she finally received a full price offer and was set on selling the ticket until she heard about the issues people would have getting in with scalped student tickets.

She said the person who was willing to buy the ticket actually wanted to borrow her student ID for the game, just in case she ran into trouble. That’s when Geena decided her best bet was to keep the ticket and not risk the chances of something bad happening.

Jacky, Senior, Neuroscience Major, Selling

Jacky is currently trying to sell his student ticket, because a prior commitment doesn’t allow for him to attend the game. He tried to get a jump on the game saying, “I was one of the earlier ones who posted, so I got many, many, offers but never was able to close on a a deal, since the ticket hadn’t been emailed out until this week.”

While he said he still hasn’t sold his ticket, he believes he will be able to. When asked if he was concerned with the stricter entrance regulations if someone buys the ticket, Jacky said he wasn’t concerned for the potential buyer by saying, “They usually don’t check.”

Julia, Recent Graduate, Buying

Julia, who recently graduated from Pitt took to the University Facebook pages in hopes of finding a friend of hers a ticket to the game. When asked if she had any luck in finding a ticket, she responded, “I did have luck. I bought a ticket tonight for 50 dollars, some prices are getting toward 75 dollars, so I am happy with 50 dollars.”

Happy with her reasonable purchase price, she continued on to say that she had heard about the increased entrance regulations and was a bit concerned. “I am a little concerned, but you can photoshop the name on the ticket to match the ID. Hopefully that will work.”

Josh, Sophomore, Computer Science Major, Buying

Josh was one of many searching the Facebook pages looking for a ticket. Saying that throughout his search he has found that, “The tickets have ranged from 75 to 250 dollars.” He also stated that he has had three people approach him in hopes that he would buy their student ticket, but their prices have just been too expensive.

“As much as I would enjoy going to the game, the most I would spend is 40 dollars.” He expressed concern that if he scores a student ticket he won’t be allowed in, because the name on the ticket won’t match his ID. He says that because of this he has switched to looking for tickets in the general admissions section, and now would much rather purchase a ticket there than risk trying to be in the student section.

Emily, Freshman, Undecided, Buying

Emily was in a different situation than most. She was looking for a ticket for her boyfriend who doesn’t attend Pitt. Due to the sold out crowd, Pitt isn’t offering buddy passes to this game, which normally would have allowed guests like her boyfriend into the game for a mere 5 dollars.

While she hasn’t found a ticket yet, she is determined to find one before the game. “[My boyfriend] would probably pay 100 dollars just because the regular (non-student) tickets are so much more.” When asked about any concerns with getting him into the Panther Pitt if they find a ticket, she responded, “I’m trying to have the person selling the ticket let me use the ID to prevent any complications.”

There you have it- students will stop at nothing to try to secure a spot in the stadium for this monumental game. If you aren’t lucky enough to score a ticket for the game or don’t feeling like braving the competitive student scalping market, you can catch the game live on ESPN at 12pm EST this Saturday.