The Minnesota Vikings spent about $2 million on tickets to send fans to Detroit for the crucial final game of the season.
Prior to Sunday night's game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, the teams were deadlocked at 14-2 in the NFC North standings, with the winner clinching the division title and the best record in the entire NFC. will be obtained.
With a potential first-round bye in the playoffs, Minnesota took an unconventional route to ensure its players had adequate support while on the road.
According to Sports Illustrated, the Vikings' front office has purchased about 1,900 tickets on the secondary market, each costing about $1,000. Adding this up 2 million dollars Minnesota cut costs, but then offered season ticket holders the opportunity to attend games at a discounted rate.
“We wanted to give stakeholders an opportunity to attend.”
Some tickets were reportedly offered for as little as $200, or about 20% of what the Vikings paid.
The email the Vikings sent to ticket holders reportedly read:
As a valued season ticket member, we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase lower level seating for Sunday night's game… [the tickets are] Intended for use by Vikings fans and not for resale.
The Lions apparently became aware of the irregularities in ticket sales and contacted the NFL office about the purchase, but were reportedly told that the Vikings did not violate any league rules.
The Vikings and each NFL team are allotted about 600 tickets to away games, and those seats are usually in the corners or high up in the stands.
However, the seating the Vikings purchased was concentrated behind their own bench to prevent crowd noise from a team communication standpoint.
“Given the unique nature of this game, we wanted to provide an opportunity for our staff, family members, season ticket members, team partners and other stakeholders to participate,” team spokesman Jeff Anderson said in a statement.
Many Vikings fans have expressed their gratitude for purchasing tickets online, with one fan saying:pure class. ”
another fan called Vikings lead 'huge ownership group' but have one passionate supporter said He was willing to drive 10 hours to the game if offered tickets.
But not all fans were so grateful, and one ticket holder took the Vikings' offer and resold the ticket online for $690.
In the end, the Vikings still lost to the Lions 31-9but did not reach the division title. They will face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, but the Lions will enjoy a week off before the second round.
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