Denver Broncos Advise Fans To Purchase 'Real' Championship Game Tickets
By Rich Kurtzman
Want to attend the AFC Championship Game? Just buy tickets, right?
Wrong.
On Tuesday, the Denver Broncos sent out a release urging their fans to only purchase tickets through “team-associated outlets.”
The full statement from the Denver Broncos:
“With the AFC Championship Game approaching on Sunday, the Denver Broncos are urging fans to be wary of counterfeit tickets that can make their way through secondary markets and take appropriate measures to ensure the authenticity of their purchases.
Only tickets acquired from team-associated outlets, including the Sports Authority Field at Mile High ticket office and Ticketmaster/Ticket Exchange, can be fully validated by the club and the NFL.
“We want fans to be fully aware of the risks involved with buying tickets in the secondary market while remaining assured that tickets purchased through the ticket office, Ticketmaster or NFL Ticket Exchange are 100 percent authentic,” Broncos Senior Vice President of Business Development Mac Freeman said.
Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots kicks off at 1:05 p.m. at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.”
Clearly, there are counterfeit tickets going around, and with so them going for such incredible amounts of money, counterfeiters have enough reward to risk being arrested.
The league is fighting back.
If you're one of the 81 percent of television owners in the Denver television market – which is the reported number for the Broncos vs. Chargers Divisional round playoff game – you likely saw an advertisement for NFL Ticket Exchange last Sunday, or at least some point this season.
NFL Ticket Exchange, which is powered by Ticketmaster, guarantees 100 percent verifiable tickets by first having teams sell their tickets there, and once sold out – like the Broncos are – fans can sell tickets to other fans as well.
Another possibility for purchasing tickets is Stub Hub, where they have their own guarantee that tickets are legitimate.
Multiple reports are popping up about fans being scammed, like Jeff Bercovici from Forbes Magazine, who bought fake tickets on Craigslist.
There have also been other stories, like one fan who flew to Dallas to watch the Broncos take on the Cowboys and bought four tickets off a scalper for $800, only to be turned away at the gate. That same fan had to then buy more tickets, taking yet another risk and for more money, and was successful getting in the second time. He was lucky and explained the counterfeit tickets looked nearly identical to the real deal.
So, be wary of fake tickets and make sure to buy them through NFL Ticket Exchange, Ticketmaster or Stub Hub.
For more news and updates about the NFL Playoffs, visit NFL Playoffs Central.
Rich Kurtzman is a Denver native, Colorado State University alumnus, sports nerd, athletics enthusiast, and competition junkie. Currently writing for a multitude of websites while working on books, one on the history of the Denver Broncos and Mile High Stadium. Rich is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
