Sterling Scandal May Prove To Be Windfall For Clippers Fans As Ticket Prices Drop
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — If ticket prices are any measure, the value of the Los Angeles Clipper franchise could be plummeting as fans react to racist comments from team owner Donald Sterling.
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports in the hours leading up to Tuesday's Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors at the STAPLES Center, average ticket prices have tumbled by about 60 percent from $680 to $250.
Citing information from ticket data website TicketSpy.in, Bloomberg News' Eric Chemi said with less than a day before Game 5, almost twice as many Clippers tickets were available on the secondary market - which includes person-to-person and broker transactions - as before the Clippers' last home game on April 21.
While the minimum ticket price for that game was just over $49, the minimum ticket price for Tuesday's game has tumbled to $36 - down 27 percent in just over a week, according to Chemi.
But Chemi says the plummeting price of Clipper tickets among brokers could also signal the beginning of a "high-end drop in prices" as corporate clients and other big spenders may be less willing to be seen on the sidelines.
"Everyone with an expensive ticket is getting out, but the people up in the nosebleeds, it's 'Hey, this is a spectacle, maybe i can get a discount and go see an interesting game," he said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon to discuss the league's investigation of racist comments purportedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling during a recorded conversation with a female companion.
While the voice has yet to be independently verified as Sterling's, Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Sterling's wife are among those who say they believe it is him speaking.
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