USO ticket prices vs crowd size

time_fly

time_fly

Hall of Fame
Since I live in CT, I perused ticket prices at the US Open. Decent seats in Ashe are all sold out and being re-sold at astronomical prices. At the same time, watching on TV it's clear the stadium is fairly empty. I don't know too much about the ticket business, but it seems like they are letting scalpers and rich people who aren't even tennis fans buy up all the tickets and not use them. The scalpers put such a mark up that they're probably happy if they resell 25% of the tickets that they buy and eat the rest. The super rich people I assume just buy the premium seats just in case they feel like going, but then mostly don't. Or maybe something else is going on; I don't know. But it's sad to see the normal fan being priced out while the stadium is 50% empty.
 
Sampras-Bruguera 1993 said:
Thats contemporary America and NY for you. Crooked as all hell and no one is ever held accountable. It used to be a great experience about 25 years ago going to the Open and great for all socioeconomic backgrounds and families and it was jam packed rear to rear
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This problem extends well beyond tennis. Concerts and sporting events of all kinds are impacted by this bs. Even middling musicians are like 500 bucks a seat which is a total joke

I’d love to see a bill passed limiting resale and scalping of tickets like certain states in Australia have. Id bet it would garner huge bi-partisan support too.
 
It really was sad seeing all those empty seats sitting from the promenade and 2nd level of Armstrong.

The crazy part is by having such empty expensive seats they only cost themselves money in merchandising and concessions.

IMO the best qualifying week was a much better fan experience. Lots of full matches for anything fun. That’s what it should be like during the Open too.
 
Mediterranean Might said:
This problem extends well beyond tennis. Concerts and sporting events of all kinds are impacted by this bs. Even middling musicians are like 500 bucks a seat which is a total joke

I’d love to see a bill passed limiting resale and scalping of tickets like certain states in Australia have. Id bet it would garner huge bi-partisan support too.
Click to expand...
That's not his point.
He's saying the stadium is half empty
HOW?
 
time_fly said:
Since I live in CT, I perused ticket prices at the US Open. Decent seats in Ashe are all sold out and being re-sold at astronomical prices. At the same time, watching on TV it's clear the stadium is fairly empty. I don't know too much about the ticket business, but it seems like they are letting scalpers and rich people who aren't even tennis fans buy up all the tickets and not use them.
Click to expand...
In Britain, we call this "ticket touting", especially if they buy tickets and then sell them on at massively inflated prices. It's usually frowned upon or even a criminal offence.
 
I went in 2019 and had no tickets. Tried to find some tickets on Craigslist and had some scumbag in the Bronx try to scam me. Just ended up at the gate looking for anyone selling tickets on middle Saturday/Sunday nights. My group of 4 ended up finding tickets both nights for around 100 each. Got to see Svitolina def. Keys and Wawrinka def. Djokovic Sat night, then Nadal def. Cilic and Andreescu def. Townsend Sun night. Can't wait to go back.
 
SonnyT said:
Wait a few days and they'll be selling 10 times the original price, for the dream final.
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A friend of mine still gets in to the men's final every year for less than face value price of tickets. Shows up in the parking lot about 10 minutes after the 4:00 starting time, and the scalpers with too many tickets are desperate to dump them and avoid a total loss.
 
Ok, the evening men’s quarter final at least appears full. Some of the earlier matches were spotty.

Edit: at the start of the 4th set a lot of the premium seats that you can see on TV are emptying out. Not true fans.
 
Last edited:
Honestly it’s a smart play by the people who buy the tickets. For example, I buy the entire two weeks of Indian Wells every year and have for years. Same two seats in stadium 1 only 12 rows off the court in the corner that is first to get shade. I go the first week and Monday, Tuesday of the second week. Sometimes I use those seats during that time and other times Ammon outer courts watching better matches. I then sell my tickets for the quarters, semis and finals and generally what I make from those tickets pays for my entire ticket package. It’s just smart business!
 
Sampras-Bruguera 1993 said:
Thats contemporary America and NY for you. Crooked as all hell and no one is ever held accountable. It used to be a great experience about 25 years ago going to the Open and great for all socioeconomic backgrounds and families and it was jam packed rear to rear
Click to expand...
Well now you get to experience just looking at Tiafoe hitting balls out constantly and netting forehands for a cool price of 300 dollars.

I could get R1 Nadal tickets Rod Laver for $70 AUD in 2014, now its jumped to at least over a $100.....you tell me the reason.

You don't get even get to see Nadal anymore, you could potentially see Ruud vs Jose Cuervo Calros Ferrari Giancamo Gumbas Lopez #229 LL PR....and still pay over $100.
 
time_fly said:
Since I live in CT, I perused ticket prices at the US Open. Decent seats in Ashe are all sold out and being re-sold at astronomical prices. At the same time, watching on TV it's clear the stadium is fairly empty. I don't know too much about the ticket business, but it seems like they are letting scalpers and rich people who aren't even tennis fans buy up all the tickets and not use them. The scalpers put such a mark up that they're probably happy if they resell 25% of the tickets that they buy and eat the rest. The super rich people I assume just buy the premium seats just in case they feel like going, but then mostly don't. Or maybe something else is going on; I don't know. But it's sad to see the normal fan being priced out while the stadium is 50% empty.
Click to expand...
USTA doesn’t care they got their money. They really should make most of the tickets for walk up sale 1 per person.

USTA members who pay the yearly fee, tournament fees, league fees are literally already paying and supporting the US Open and should at least get the 1st or 2nd day free with a USTA membership or first crack at tickets. Kind of a travesty
 
Was at Wim some years ago when 2 brit players were playing against each other in the early rounds.

We were by side of the court, a woman sat in front of us said to her friend "who do you think will win?"

The friend replied "The one on the left I want to support the British player"

Woman who asked the question replied "they are both British"

Her friend said "oh I don't know then".

A lot of people there have no idea about the game and they go because its a day out on their social summer calendar. Same with Royal Ascot (horse racing) that takes place a few weeks before Wim, a lot of the nouveau riche chavs go to get drunk and make a fool of themselves with the women in outfits they can barely get into.
 
Fans buy tickets for an entire day or night session at the main stadium, but might attend only some of the marquee matches they want to watch in the main stadium. They might spend time watching matches on outside courts or just relaxing (including dining/having drinks) on the grounds of the tournament site otherwise for part of the session.

Unless it is a semifinal or final or there is a huge WTA star, it is not uncommon for more fans to attend the ATP matches at joint events than the WTA event in the night sessions of the main stadium. Also, many fans will go to dine during the first match of the night session if they also attended the day session.
 
2ndServe said:
USTA doesn’t care they got their money. They really should make most of the tickets for walk up sale 1 per person.

USTA members who pay the yearly fee, tournament fees, league fees are literally already paying and supporting the US Open and should at least get the 1st or 2nd day free with a USTA membership or first crack at tickets. Kind of a travesty
Click to expand...
Umm no! Without ticket sales there’s not the prize money.
 
I've been to two sessions on Armstrong this year, and I agree completely. There seems to be a total disconnect between supply and demand, and the biggest reasons seem fairly obvious. Aside from the scalpers (see below), there are also all the corporate seats. Sometimes they are left empty, and sometimes they are filled with clueless people that just want to say they were there (and likely don't stay the whole time. It's a mess...

But yes, that this scalping situation hasn't been addressed is simply ridiculous. Everyone knows that ticket scalping is illegal, and yet here we are in 2023 with huge companies doing it online, for everyone to see. Why isn't it stopped? Probably for the same reason that nobody decided to stop illegal cab drivers operating in NYC without a medallion (read: Uber, Lyft...) Most people just seem to be too dumb to notice or care. These ticket scalping companies like "Stub Hub" have to be the most useless middlemen in the history of business.
Mike Sams said:
Why would you attend the USO and pay money when you can watch it from the comfort of your television for free. And get a far better view with less noise and commotion.
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Um, you don't necessarily get a better view. When I'm there, I can watch whatever part of the court I want, for however long I want. If I want to spend an entire game watching nothing but Andrey Rublev's footwork, I can do that. If I want to constantly monitor Rybakina's coaching box to see how they interact, I can do that. If I want to constantly monitor certain parts of Sorana Cirstea's tennis attire, I can do that too... Seriously though, being there in person is different and special.
Blade0324 said:
Honestly it’s a smart play by the people who buy the tickets. For example, I buy the entire two weeks of Indian Wells every year and have for years. Same two seats in stadium 1 only 12 rows off the court in the corner that is first to get shade. I go the first week and Monday, Tuesday of the second week. Sometimes I use those seats during that time and other times Ammon outer courts watching better matches. I then sell my tickets for the quarters, semis and finals and generally what I make from those tickets pays for my entire ticket package. It’s just smart business!
Click to expand...
Yeah, sometimes taking advantage of other people is "smart," but also uncool. We don't have to create an opportunity for profit in absolutely everything. You do know that, right? You do know that we have economic laws and regulations for a reason, right?
Blade0324 said:
Umm no! Without ticket sales there’s not the prize money.
Click to expand...
Yeah, no. The majority of the money comes from TV rights. They could hold the event without any fans and still do fine... oh, wait...
 
robyrolfo said:
I've been to two sessions on Armstrong this year, and I agree completely. There seems to be a total disconnect between supply and demand, and the biggest reasons seem fairly obvious. Aside from the scalpers (see below), there are also all the corporate seats. Sometimes they are left empty, and sometimes they are filled with clueless people that just want to say they were there (and likely don't stay the whole time. It's a mess...

But yes, that this scalping situation hasn't been addressed is simply ridiculous. Everyone knows that ticket scalping is illegal, and yet here we are in 2023 with huge companies doing it online, for everyone to see. Why isn't it stopped? Probably for the same reason that nobody decided to stop illegal cab drivers operating in NYC without a medallion (read: Uber, Lyft...) Most people just seem to be too dumb to notice or care. These ticket scalping companies like "Stub Hub" have to be the most useless middlemen in the history of business.

Um, you don't necessarily get a better view. When I'm there, I can watch whatever part of the court I want, for however long I want. If I want to spend an entire game watching nothing but Andrey Rublev's footwork, I can do that. If I want to constantly monitor Rybakina's coaching box to see how they interact, I can do that. If I want to constantly monitor certain parts of Sorana Cirstea's tennis attire, I can do that too... Seriously though, being there in person is different and special.

Yeah, sometimes taking advantage of other people is "smart," but also uncool. We don't have to create an opportunity for profit in absolutely everything. You do know that, right? You do know that we have economic laws and regulations for a reason, right?

Yeah, no. The majority of the money comes from TV rights. They could hold the event without any fans and still do fine... oh, wait...
Click to expand...
I’ll give you the last part. Ticket sales aren’t really needed for prize money.
I’d much prefer to watch tennis without fans! During Covid it was definitely more enjoyable to watch.
 
ollinger said:
A friend of mine still gets in to the men's final every year for less than face value price of tickets. Shows up in the parking lot about 10 minutes after the 4:00 starting time, and the scalpers with too many tickets are desperate to dump them and avoid a total loss.
Click to expand...
Hi, I'm in NY and considering doing what you described. However the tickets, at least this year, are dynamic (a code with an animation) or you have to tap with the tickemaster app. So how would the scalpers actually pass the ticket to me? Could you ask your friend? Thanks
 
Blade0324 said:
I’ll give you the last part. Ticket sales aren’t really needed for prize money.
I’d much prefer to watch tennis without fans! During Covid it was definitely more enjoyable to watch.
Click to expand...
If you think Covid tennis, with no fans, was a better watch than regular tennis with fans, I'm not sure what to tell you. I guess you are entitled to your opinion, but I couldn't disagree more.

maciej84 said:
Hi, I'm in NY and considering doing what you described. However the tickets, at least this year, are dynamic (a code with an animation) or you have to tap with the tickemaster app. So how would the scalpers actually pass the ticket to me? Could you ask your friend? Thanks
Click to expand...
I can tell you that there were a few "old school" in person scalpers outside the grounds when I went this year. What's funny is that these guys have to behave as secretly as possible (like pretending to read a paper while calling out to passing fans without eye contact), while those big companies like Stub Hub do the exact same thing out in the open.

As to your question, I also wonder how it would actually work with electronic ticketing, but I didn't stop to ask them.
 
robyrolfo said:
If you think Covid tennis, with no fans, was a better watch than regular tennis with fans, I'm not sure what to tell you. I guess you are entitled to your opinion, but I couldn't disagree more.


I can tell you that there were a few "old school" in person scalpers outside the grounds when I went this year. What's funny is that these guys have to behave as secretly as possible (like pretending to read a paper while calling out to passing fans without eye contact), while those big companies like Stub Hub do the exact same thing out in the open.

As to your question, I also wonder how it would actually work with electronic ticketing, but I didn't stop to ask them.
Click to expand...
I was there last Thursday and Friday but didn't see any. I was probably too excited to focus on anything else than getting in

I've also just realised that you actually need two tickets to see both semis... kind of ridiculous. The resale tickets on Ticketmaster start at 250 for the first semi and 400 for the other one.

I think I'll have to stick to watching semis on TV. Although I must say that last Friday, I managed to sneak into Ashe for the Novak vs Djere match without a ticket, I had a Grandstand ticket for that day. I just entered when nobody was paying attention.

I wonder if that would be possible tomorrow. There still are ground passes available for 28 USD.
 
Oval_Solid said:
didnt they use to let bums take up court side seats for free during late night sessions?
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Yes, I was one of them. The used to invite plebes for the tv cameras. Saw Kyrgios from the third row. Funny thing is, I prefefred the first level up for viewing.

I think the USTA does a pretty good job. The qualifiers are free which is insane and I'm sure will end any year now. They usually release a handful of same day tickets for Armstrong on Ticketmaster which you can grab if you're quick and have flexible plans. The Ticketmaster fees are absurd and you have to hope someone pays for about double what you did to break even with all the buyer and seller fees they charge. I think that's what drives a lot of the price escalation.
 
ollinger said:
A friend of mine still gets in to the men's final every year for less than face value price of tickets. Shows up in the parking lot about 10 minutes after the 4:00 starting time, and the scalpers with too many tickets are desperate to dump them and avoid a total loss.
Click to expand...

In Scandinavia the 'Johns' get arrested and not just the service providers.
 
Mediterranean Might said:
This problem extends well beyond tennis. Concerts and sporting events of all kinds are impacted by this bs. Even middling musicians are like 500 bucks a seat which is a total joke

I’d love to see a bill passed limiting resale and scalping of tickets like certain states in Australia have. Id bet it would garner huge bi-partisan support too.
Click to expand...

I could attend many concerts featuring piano virtuosos, globally acclaimed symphony orchestras, and top-tier jazz musicians without ever exceeding a cost of 75 euros.

It is commonly held that concerts featuring "high-brow" music are for the privileged few. Performances by pop-electronic ensembles are considerably costlier and inconvenient. Let alone the exorbitant ticket price to witness a Champions League soccer match at the Bernabeu or Anfield. This holds across continental Europe, at the very least.
 
im late on this thread but as a former new yorker (city) this is an easy one. you’re dealing with a massive corporate crowd. theres no rush! 7pm is dinner time in nyc. hit a restaurant then hop in a towncar and shoot over to the open to watch a set or two around 8/830pm. have multiple drinks, watch your first tennis of the entire year (end of season for us real fans) and then they are gone by 10pm, bc gotta work tmrw! its the fakest crowd going and its happened over the last decade for the most part. welcome to the majority of the first and second sections of that stadium. never seen a tennis stadium w three levels of sponsorship logos. its sold out bc these ppl “might” want to go that day or night. worst case its a business expense. best matches will always remain on the outer courts.
 
I get cramps said:
I could attend many concerts featuring piano virtuosos, globally acclaimed symphony orchestras, and top-tier jazz musicians without ever exceeding a cost of 75 euros.

It is commonly held that concerts featuring "high-brow" music are for the privileged few. Performances by pop-electronic ensembles are considerably costlier and inconvenient. Let alone the exorbitant ticket price to witness a Champions League soccer match at the Bernabeu or Anfield. This holds across continental Europe, at the very least.
Click to expand...

You get the type that some people don't want to be located next to in a soccer match inside a stadium, its a very different gene pool....
 
Mediterranean Might said:
This problem extends well beyond tennis. Concerts and sporting events of all kinds are impacted by this bs. Even middling musicians are like 500 bucks a seat which is a total joke

I’d love to see a bill passed limiting resale and scalping of tickets like certain states in Australia have. Id bet it would garner huge bi-partisan support too.
Click to expand...

Well looks like the free market is taking care of things. On Ticketmaster this morning, reseller tickets for the men's final are going for about half of what they were yesterday at 7pm. Well below face value when you factor in fees. Something odd must have happened last night.
 
TennisaGoGo said:
Well looks like the free market is taking care of things. On Ticketmaster this morning, reseller tickets for the men's final are going for about half of what they were yesterday at 7pm. Well below face value when you factor in fees. Something odd must have happened last night.
Click to expand...
That's good news though house still won.
 
TennisaGoGo said:
Well looks like the free market is taking care of things. On Ticketmaster this morning, reseller tickets for the men's final are going for about half of what they were yesterday at 7pm. Well below face value when you factor in fees. Something odd must have happened last night.
Click to expand...
I don’t see anything cheap this morning. Lol at paying that much for one match.
 
Tickets for everything are expensive. Concerts in particular. Wanted to see al di Meola and it was like 200 USD when just 4 or 5 years ago I would pay 50.
 
I was there yesterday with a ground pass and while I was watching juniors and female doubles, I kept refreshing ticketmaster to see how low the Ashe tickets would go, for men doubles and the first semi. The men doubles started at 12 and it was possible to buy tickets up to 1PM, maybe a little longer. The lowest I saw was 142 USD, taxes and fees included. Then the sale stopped.

I consider buying if it dropped below 100 USD. In the end I didn't buy any Ashe ticket and still ended up watching both semis at Ashe. Several loopholes there.
 
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