The first World Cup match in the New York area is sold out through FIFA and MetLife Stadium, leaving resale platforms as the only option for fans — with some tickets listed as high as $1,500.
StubHub, one of the largest resale marketplaces, is pushing back on the perception that major events are out of reach for many fans with a new campaign to give away some tickets to youth teams.
NY1 attended the first giveaway event, where a Brooklyn-based dance team was surprised with free tickets.
What You Need To Know
StubHub has launched “Access: New York,” a new program to give away free tickets to youth teams across the state
A Brooklyn dance team was the first recipient, receiving tickets to a Knicks game and “Wicked”
Some say Ticketmaster and Live Nation have a monopoly on event tickets, causing them to be out of reach for many fans
StubHub said at least one youth team will receive tickets to the World Cup through the program
“Get ready, because half of you are going to see the Knicks this weekend and half of you are going to ‘Wicked’ on Broadway,” said Sarah Kennedy, head of campaigns and advocacy at StubHub.
The announcement sparked cheers from members of Full Xtreme Athletics, a dance team made up of girls ages 6 to 16. The group is the first recipient of StubHub’s “Access: New York” program, which allows people across the state to nominate youth teams to attend sports events, shows and concerts.
“I’m really excited to go to see the Knicks game. It’s going to be really exciting, with my teammates. It’s just going to be amazing,” said Brielle Granger, 14, a member of the team.
Granger said the opportunity to spend time with her teammates outside of performances is especially meaningful.
Another dancer, 11-year-old Julie St. Jean, said she has never attended a Broadway show before. Now she will, after her coach nominated the team.
“She makes sure that we are okay. If she knows that we’re going through hard times, she always checks up on us,” St. Jean said of her coach.
Melissa Clermont, who directs and coaches Full Xtreme Athletics while also working a day job, said she was surprised her team was selected.
“The majority of my girls have not had such opportunities. And just getting the opportunity to nominate my team and actually getting it was actually shocking for me because I don’t think I’ve ever won anything. So I was like, ‘Wait, is this real?’” Clermont said.
Ticket prices for major events remain a barrier for many. NY1 found the cheapest ticket for “Wicked” at the box office costs about $99, while the lowest-priced Knicks tickets were around $185.
“There’s different pricing models,” said Diana Moss, vice president and director of competition policy at the Progressive Policy Institute.
She believes ticket prices are out of reach for many because Ticketmaster and Live Nation have control over the live events ecosystem.
“The primary market is pretty dysfunctional. Tickets are underpriced, they hold back big chunks of tickets, the monopoly is sitting in the middle of that market — that creates huge shortages and jacks up prices, really hard for consumers to get a hold of those tickets,” Moss said.
The federal government has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Last month, Live Nation Entertainment reached a tentative settlement that includes allowing venues to sell tickets through companies other than Ticketmaster.
“Live Nation-Ticketmaster has dominated that market with 80%-plus market share for decades,” Moss said.
In a statement to NY1, a Live Nation spokesperson said: “The real issues in ticketing are caused by predatory resale sites and scalpers that list tickets they don’t actually have and scam fans — all while siphoning millions and contributing nothing back to the event experience. That’s why we support the New York Legislature’s efforts to cap resale prices and ban speculative ticketing, and have built tools that let artists, not scalpers, control how their tickets are resold.”
Moss, however, has praised resale platforms like StubHub, which she says helps balance supply and demand.
“The reality is the secondary resale market is what really works for fans, for consumers. It puts butts in seats,” she said.
StubHub says most events on its platform are still relatively affordable.
“90% of events on StubHub have tickets listed for under $100, but we know that’s still not accessible and affordable for everyone across the state of New York. That’s why we’re really excited about ‘Access: New York,’” Kennedy said.
StubHub said at least one youth team will also receive tickets to the World Cup through the program.