While we left out tickets from our Holiday Gift guide, us Sports Brat gals think they are an awesome gift idea for you man, friends, fam, etc. But when if comes time to buying tickets, there are some key factors you should know before you purchase. Here is our guide to buying good tickets on any budget!
1) Not all sporting events or venues are equal. Here are the key places you want to sit at any particular sporting event.
Football: You want to avoid the end zone, unless you’re sitting higher up. Generally speaking, being in the bottom tier of the arena, between the 20-yard lines is a good location. But be careful not to sit too close to the field. Yes, this sounds totally counter-intuitive, but ladies, trust us. You’ll be staring into the team’s backs and won’t be able to see the game at all.
Basketball: Avoid sitting behind the hoop. Everyone wants to be down on the floor, but unless you’re first row, avoid sitting behind the hoop, you can’t see a thing. The ideal place to sit are obviously center court, in the lower bowl. If you’re looking to save but still have a good experience, try sitting over one of the tunnels, you may be able to give one of the big guys a high five! Or try sitting central, but higher up; you’ll get a great view of the entire court.
Hockey: This is one of the better games to get tickets for because its exciting to be behind the goal, just make sure you pick the side your team scores on twice. If you want to sit close you can bang on the plexi-glass, but really you can get a decent view from anywhere in the arena. Ideally, if your budget permits, somewhere near center ice about row 12-20 would be ideal.
Baseball: Sitting behind home plate is awesome, but expensive. So if you can’t score decent seats there, try sitting along either the first or third baselines. You’ll get a great view and see a ton of action. In some epic parks, like Fenway, sitting in the outfield is an awesome experience! Just depends on the park.
2) Do your research! Read up on your local venue to see if there are any notoriously good or bad sections. Candlestick Park, home for the SF 49ers for a little longer, is an odd shaped stadium; you have to be careful to avoid the slanted section.
3) Check out apps like seat geek. They show you the vantage point from any seat at any arena! You can literally take in the view before you buy.
4) Shop around! Check out StubHub, and Seat Geek to start but also check out your local Craigslist (just make sure you don’t accept some sketchy offer to pick them up in a dark alley or weird hotel room). People tend to try to off load awesome tix closer to the event if something has come up, so sometimes you can score fantastic last-minute deals. But just use your noggin; if it seems too good to be true (courtside tix for $10) it probably is. Make sure you ask for proof or verification and don’t pay til you know they’re legit.
5) Don’t forget about parking. You may have a set budget and blow it on the tickets before you realize parking can cost up to $30!! Make sure to check out details for your specific venue. Sometimes sellers will throw in their parking permits or passes for higher-ticket events and seats, so be sure to read the fine print.
Well those are the basics. Sporting events make killer “experience” gifts, so keep them in mind. We hope you score a kick ass deal on your next ticket purchase!