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'Most expensive ticket we've seen': Prices soar ahead of Bucs vs. Lions

Posted at 4:59 PM, Jan 17, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-17 19:08:10-05

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Ford Field was rocking on Sunday, and that excitement is only continuing to grow this week for the next round.

Inside Shield’s Pizza in Southfield on Tuesday, Detroit Lions fans were still riding the high of Sunday’s win, celebrating with free pizza.

“You can tell I'm a big fella. I like to eat," Lions fan DeSean Whipple said with a laugh. "When they said 'free' and 'Lions love,' that's all I needed right there, man.”

The restaurant ran a promotion Tuesday, giving away free one-topping pizzas to honor the Lions first playoff win since 1991.

“It's great to feel relevant this time of the year," fan Antonio Watts said. "Previous years, we're just watching everybody else, but this is our time — we feel it in our hearts.”

With so much support, the price to see the playoff run in person has only been climbing.

Kyle Zorn of TickPick says the Lions are the most expensive ticket this weekend.

“The demand has been through the roof,” Zorn said. "It was wild to see prices last week stay where they were.”

Just to get in the door of Ford Field varies between sites, but the lowest tickets we found for this weekend's game were around $500. Zorn says the cheapest seats on TickPick right now are around $690, which is roughly $400 more expensive than the second-most expensive game this weekend between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.

“It was the most expensive NFL Wildcard ticket we've had on record, and the same thing this week. It’s the most expensive divisional round ticket on record here at TickPick," Zorn said. "Far and away the most expensive ticket we've seen.”

Related: Resale tickets for Lions Divisional Playoff game are more than double other games

“People want that good ticket. They want to do whatever they can to get to the game, and God bless them. However, that's when scammers come out of the woodwork because they know they've got a fish on a hook,” said Melanie Duquesnel, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau for Eastern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

The BBB says buyer beware, encouraging people to use reputable websites and sources. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. They also have a full list of tips on their website.

“If you’re going to make an online transaction for a ticket, please use a credit card because goodness sakes if it doesn't pan out, your credit card company can reverse the transaction and make you whole,” Duquesnel said.

“I'm 43 year old, so many years of us fighting to win and for us to move on top? Right now, I'm saying Super Bowl,” Whipple said.

As for fans like Whipple, he wants to be there in person on Sunday but with the price, he’ll have to settle for his TV.

“I was like man, I'm going to go get one. Then I saw how much they were," Whipple said of the tickets. "I'm getting married this year. My wife was like 'You're going to spend our wedding money on Lions tickets?' I thought about it — I'll be honest. But couldn't do it, man. Couldn't do it.”