Let’s begin with a confession. When I was younger man, on more than one occasion my attendance at a sporting event was facilitated by a criminal.
Many of you, I suspect, have done the same.
Scalping involves two adults, voluntarily agreeing on an acceptable price for tickets. If lucky, folks find themselves close enough to faceoff, tipoff or first pitch to engage in a fierce negotiation, allowing one to snag tickets at cost or less.
We all know scalping is against the law – so please don’t do it – but have you ever wondered precisely why? It is, most often, an innocuous deal. A victimless crime.
Within Denver city limits, a person is prohibited from selling tickets for a penny more than the face value. If you’re caught doing so, you face a misdemeanor that can cost you up to $999 and one year in jail.
On Coors Field property, it’s illegal to sell tickets even for face value. Last week, Denver police confiscated 58 Colorado Rockies National League Championship Series playoff tickets from a 23-year-old man.
Not necessarily a bright man, considering he was apprehended carrying a spreadsheet detailing his projected – and illegal – profit margin.
Many people fear that shady individuals will corner the market on sports and concert tickets, creating a monopoly and shaking down consumers for unreasonable prices.
You know, like Ticketmaster.
The Rockies, of course, have the right to sell limited tickets to each consumer and safeguard against this sort of activity. But it’s hard for me to think of any other product in America that can’t be turned around and sold for a profit.
“People want ample opportunity to enjoy baseball and sporting activities, and most people want at least a fair chance at enjoying the games,” Sonny Jackson, Denver police spokesman, says. (Coming from a police department that was holding 58 confiscated tickets away from fans, this seems like a rather ironic statement.)
Clearly, wiping the stain of illegal ticket sales to the Blake Street gutter is a waste of taxpayer money. No?
“It does not interfere with any of our manpower,” Jackson said. “We have people on vice and narcotic units that are designated for this – a segment charged with dealing with scalping.”
Wise use of police?
I admit it … I’m not a mathematician. But if, let’s say, three officers are busy wasting time with scalpers, doesn’t that mean there are three fewer officers on a beat protecting citizens from real crimes?
Jackson won’t divulge just how much manpower is designated, but if the police are interested in the scourge of scalping, they would be better served taking their operation online.
The rise of online message boards – in particular, Craigslist – makes at-game ticket selling an unnecessary risk. There are so many Rockies tickets available online, in fact, a consumer can afford to be picky.
“True. The trend is certainly changing things,” Jackson says. “The advent of the computer makes this behavior less obvious. It has changed the usual way of selling a ticket. The fact is you can sell it. It’s not a crime if the transaction is not undertaken in Denver.”
“Unbelievable Seats At Great Prices!” is what I find online.
“Mondays NLCS Game Rockies vs. D-Backs $280 FOR THE PAIR (Hard Tickets) … Willing to meet (Live in Denver, work up North)”
The competition for ticket sales on Craigslist has created fierce pricing competition. Most sellers are quite reasonable. They have to be.
And the customer service! How many sellers are willing to meet you with their product? When it comes to Rockies tickets, most of them will. One guy is throwing in a “free drink ticket and snacks …”
Obviously, there are other concerns regarding scalping, namely counterfeit tickets. Thus, everyone is looking for “hard tickets.”
And if you’re going to meet, do it in the crime-ridden suburbs, where scalping anarchy is permitted by law. Make the switch at Applebee’s.
In the end, I’m not sure why it’s fair to allow monopolies to sell tickets and not individuals. Turning a profit on your investment doesn’t sound like a crime to me. It sounds like America.
David Harsanyi’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 303-954-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com.
