BUYING TICKET ONLINE? PREPARE FOR ALL-OUT BLITZ ON THE WALLET.

By Rob Biertempfel, Tribune-Review
Thursday, 9/7/06

Need tickets to tonight's Steelers game when they begin their defense of their Super Bowl championship? You can find them on the Internet.

Fans who don't want to be shut out of the prime-time clash against the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field can turn to a secondary ticketing marketplace, such as TicketLiquidator.com or RazorGator.com.

Just be prepared to open your wallet.

"It's the hottest-selling home opener of any NFL team so far this year," said StubHub.com spokesman Sean Pate. "When you're talking over $300 to see a regular-season football game, that's pretty substantial."

At StubHub, the Dolphins-Steelers game is commanding an average ticket price of $386, a 113 percent increase over last year's Steelers opener, when the average price was $181.

At RazorGator, a green parking pass -- good for the lots near the Carnegie Science Center, a Hail Mary throw away from the stadium -- for tonight's game was listed for $87. A single seat in Section 539, Row W would set you back $173.

Wanna bring a date and really impress her? At StubHub, two tickets on the 50-yard line, halfway up Section 235, could be had for a cool $1,264.

Neither the higher price tag nor the latest health setback for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has stifled demand.

At TicketLiquidator, the Steelers were the second-most popular ticket in the past seven days. StubHub's sales increased four-fold from Monday to Wednesday, after it was announced that Roethlisberger had an appendectomy and would not play.

"With the Steelers and their fans, it's not about one player," Pate said. "It's about the team and about being there." Another reason is the ceremony the Steelers will hold to commemorate their five Super Bowl titles.

"Anytime a team wins the Super Bowl, fans come out of the woodwork," said Stephen Cucci, vice president of special events at RazorGator. "It's more than a football game. I mean, they're giving away (Terrible) Towels -- people love that, right? It's an event, and everybody wants to be part of it."

At the start of last season, New England was the defending Super Bowl champion. The Patriots' home opener was the No. 1 seller last year for StubHub, but slipped to 7th this season.

"Now, there's the question of, are the Steelers for real? Are they worth going to see? With (Charlie) Batch at quarterback, can they do it?" Cucci said. "If they rout the Dolphins, demand will pick up a little bit more."

If the Steelers wind up losers tonight, local sports fans can direct their attention -- and their dollars -- in other directions, such as college football.

Saturday, Penn State will make its first visit to Notre Dame since 1992. It's a dream matchup for secondary ticker sellers.

"The cheapest price for two together is $500, which is huge -- much bigger than most NFL games," said Don Vaccaro, CEO of TicketLiquidator.

Industry experts say the Penn State-Notre Dame game is outshining the weekend's other marquee matchup, Ohio State at Texas.

"Penn State-Notre Dame is just through the roof," Pate said. "This game has well outsold the Steelers by triple-digits. It's a once-in-a-decade type rivalry game."