As the San Antonio Spurs get set to welcome the New York Knicks for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Spurs have issued a warning to fans who might be considering selling their tickets amid skyrocketing demand.
The Spurs have warned season-ticket holders to use only approved resale platforms when selling tickets or face the possibility of losing their tickets altogether, and it appears the team has already begun enforcing that policy by revoking tickets.
Spurs Issue Warning
On Wednesday morning, the least expensive tickets on the secondary market for Wednesday’s NBA Finals Game 1 were selling for roughly $775, while some premium seats were listed for more than $13,000.
As a result of the soaring ticket prices, plenty of fans and season-ticket holders have looked to cash in on the increased demand. However, the Spurs are cautioning fans to pay close attention to where they choose to resell their tickets.
The organization has advised fans against using unauthorized resale platforms and has reportedly taken action against individuals who violated those guidelines.
“We’re focused on getting authentic tickets into the hands of our fans and strongly encourage fans to only buy from verified marketplaces,” the Spurs said in a statement to The Athletic. “Our resale guidelines have been communicated to our members throughout the season and in conjunction with Playoffs and Finals going on sale.”
Spurs Cancel Tickets
It seems like the Spurs’ warning was quite real, as longtime Spurs season-ticket holder Mark Burnett shared a screenshot on Instagram that showed an email from Jake Powell, whose season tickets were canceled after the Spurs determined that the tickets had been listed through an unofficial resale outlet.
“The team is actively monitoring social media groups and other platforms for Season Ticket Members (STMs) attempting to sell their tickets on unofficial or unauthorized secondary market sites. Multiple STMs have reportedly had their season ticket memberships revoked for posting on unauthorized platforms,” Burnett wrote in the caption of his post. “Additionally, some members have shared that when trying to resell their tickets directly on Ticketmaster, the platform is blocking listings below a certain minimum value.
“Stay safe and use only authorized channels to avoid any issues with your membership,” he added.
Burnett told The Athletic that Powell had used a Facebook ticket-selling group to move his tickets and added that he is aware of at least three other season-ticket holders who have lost their tickets under similar circumstances.
Burnett believes the Spurs’ strict enforcement may be tied to the team’s ability to manage ticket pricing.
“I’ve been monitoring the pricing and site. I believe it has to do with the ability to control the market pricing because Ticketmaster uses dynamic pricing while raising pricing due to demand,” Burnett said.
Fans Express Outrage
Needless to say, this policy quickly sparked outrage on social media.
“If they’re my tickets, I should be able to sell them when and how I want. Some STHs are recouping the full cost of their season tickets by selling just one finals game. This is basic Supply and Demand,” one fan wrote in the comments of the post.
“The bigger problem is that people are being told what they can and can’t do with their ticket. ‘Authorized reseller’ so they can keep charging fees even when the transactions don’t involve them. They don’t care who goes as long they can collect repeatedly,” someone else added.
“If I own them, I should be able to sell them to whom I want!!! I don’t see why this is a problem now and not the regular season??” another fan added.
“So wait…TM is blocking resale that is below a certain amount?? Sooo, they are controlling prices??” someone else wrote.
“This isn’t what you guys think it is. This is the spurs freaking out that people aren’t selling tickets on Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster is the only allowed platform to sell spurs season tickets. So if you cut out the middle man and sell directly they will ban you and cancel your account. It’s actually a lowkey scummy move because it’s making the tickets way too expensive and priced out of most people’s income bracket in SA because ticket master is adding 2-3k of extra fees on top of tickets that are costing 4k so they aren’t helping us they are hurting us,” another commented.
“Ticketmaster is doing this to gain profits. It’s not to benefit fans,” someone else wrote.
It’s clear that fans are not happy about what is being perceived as an overreach from Ticketmaster and the Spurs.
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