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Anyone want Bucs tickets -- cheap?

After an 0-and-4 start, demand for Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets may be waning, though reports from resellers are mixed.

By SCOTT BARANCIK and HELEN HUNTLEY
Published October 13, 2006

Dan Johnson doesn’t need a Halloween costume to scare the owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

All the 68-year-old season-ticket holder has to do is start bashing the team’s 0-and-4 start, and lamenting how hard it has been to unload his quartet of “Club 1” tickets, which cost him $350 per seat.

People interested in the Oct. 22 game against rival Philadelphia have been willing to pay top dollar, but otherwise he has had to settle for as little as $200 apiece.

Johnson said he just can’t stomach paying $350 to watch the carnage in person. “I’m not — what is the word for somebody who likes being beaten up, masochist? I’m no longer a masochist.”

So far, front-office officials say they don’t see evidence of a broad decline in ticket demand. Bucs spokesman Jeff Kamis said every 2006 home game is sold out, while the waiting list for season tickets is at an all-time high of 130,000.

Sean Pate, spokesman for ticket broker StubHub.com, concurred. Through the first two home games this year, the average sale price of Buccaneer tickets sold on the Web site was $155 apiece. The average price all of last season was $134.

But if the Bucs lose Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals and become 0-and-5, fans may see a glut of touchdown tickets selling for field-goal prices.

“It’s like a stock market for tickets,” Pate said. “When teams lose, you see season-ticket holders willing to unload their seats for lower prices.

Tampa Bay has a fairly loyal fan base, but nobody wants to go see a team that’s 0-and-10.”

[Last modified October 13, 2006, 21:54:24]