With Rex Ryan and the New York Jets bringing their circus act to Foxboro on Sunday, Patriots popularity is hitting new heights — especially in the ticket demand department.
“It’s probably twice the demand of a regular-season game,” Ace Ticket CEO Jim Holzman said. “People have a high level of interest, especially with all the banter coming out of the Jets camp.”
Good seats are still available, however. As of Friday afternoon, Ace Ticket still had tickets for sale in the $125-$175 range.
“The fact that it’s the New York-New England rivalry and especially since we [beat] them so bad last game really helps,” Holzman said. “I think there are a lot of people that want to be there for when we pummel them again.”
Because of Sunday’s 4:30 start time and Martin Luther King Jr. Day being Monday, the game is the perfect storm of ideal viewing conditions.
“There are a lot of big events that have come through but this is Level A,” Holzman explained. “It doesn’t get any bigger — it gets as big — but doesn’t get any bigger.”
With so much hype comes the risk of fans being duped. Holzman warns that there likely will be a lot of counterfeit tickets for Sunday’s game.
“Rather than counterfeiting money, [people] counterfeit tickets and sell [them],” he explained. “Unfortunately, when you buy from an unreputable dealer or just somebody from the Internet, and you don’t know where the seats are coming from, you are kind of taking a pretty big risk.”
This problem has become universal in sports — especially since the print-at-home option has become so popular.
“It’s really hard to tell [which tickets are legit],” the CEO said. “They actually have legitimate tickets, just multiple copies. It’s really just buyer beware. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it may be.”
Holzman suggests always buying from reputable dealers when possible and explains that Ace Ticket boasts the industry’s only 200 percent money-back guarantee if there is ever discovered to be any issue with the tickets the company sells.
So if you’re planning on buying tickets for Sunday’s game, be cautious, but no matter what, enjoy the game.
