Tickets are plentiful, expensive for Saints-Bears game

CHICAGO (AP) _ It's been 19 years since Chicago Bears fans have seen their team reach heights such as the NFC championship game, making Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints a once in

Thursday, January 18th 2007, 6:26 am

By: News On 6

CHICAGO (AP) _ It's been 19 years since Chicago Bears fans have seen their team reach heights such as the NFC championship game, making Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints a once in a generation event that demands energetic efforts to attend.

However, the 61,500-seat Soldier Field limits the number of tickets available, allowing ticket holders unable to make the game _ or just motivated to make a profit _ to sell them at a premium through ticket brokers or through Internet outlets like StubHub or TicketsNow.

``Sunday was a banner day after the Bears won, and sales surged again yesterday,'' TicketsNow spokeswoman Jennifer Swanson said Wednesday.

The Bears gave fans a last chance Tuesday to get into the game at a reasonable price _ and the small number of tickets were snapped up in 31 minutes. Now, fans must enter a seller's market to satisfy their needs.

According to Swanson, the average cost of a ticket to the game is $784 at TicketsNow. That compares to the $492 per ticket cost on average for the Seattle Seahawks-Bears game last Sunday.

That's not good for John Maysonet, 30, a UPS route coordinator who was unable to get through to Ticketmaster on Tuesday, despite using two cell phones and an Internet connection.

``I can't afford $400 or $500 for a ticket,'' Maysonet told the Chicago Tribune. ``It's great the Bears are winning. But for the common fan, they'll have to sit at home, get a $5 pizza and watch the game on TV.''

Maysonet hasn't given up on attending the game. He is appealing for a face-priced ticket on the Craig's List Web site.

Such generosity is not likely.

``The demand (for tickets) is very steep right now,'' said StubHub spokesman Sean Pate. ``Bears fans are rabid to see their team in the playoffs.''

The enthusiasm has put ticket demand for Sunday's game among the Top 10 in StubHub's ten-year history, Pate said. The Saints-Bears game is outselling the AFC championship game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, making the average ticket price for that game more than $200 cheaper, according to brokers.

Both Swanson and Pate say tickets are plentiful, with 1,253 available Wednesday on TicketsNow's Web site and prices ranging from $415 dollars for an upper level seat to $3,275 for a seat on the 40-yard line behind the Bears' bench.

The plentiful tickets may be a boon for Saints fans. The team had no tickets available for season-ticket holders or the general public for Sunday's matchup.

The Bears provided the Saints with an undisclosed number of tickets, but the amount was limited enough to be consumed in house, according to Mike Stanfield, Saints vice president of ticket and suite sales.

Bears spokesman Scott Hagel says the team's action wasn't to exclude Saints' fans, but merely to accommodate Chicago season-ticket holders, which is the team's priority.

``We have lot of buyers from Louisiana,'' Pate said. ``Saints fans will be there.''