Chicago Bears fans may not have Super Bowl fever quite yet, given past years’ playoff disappointments, but they are beginning to feel an itch.
Four-night hospitality packages ranging from $4,000 to $9,000 and individual tickets starting at $2,600 are starting to be snapped up by Chicago fans even though the team still must win two playoff games to make it to Dolphins Stadium in Miami on Feb. 4.
Some observers say Bears fans won’t really let loose unless their team wins its first playoff game next weekend.
“I’ve got to tell you, these Bears fans are skeptical–it’s been one and done, into the first round, and gone,” said Jennifer Swanson, a spokeswoman for Crystal Lake-based TicketsNow, an online secondary market for tickets.
The team lost home-field playoff openers in 2005, 2001 and 1991, and the last and only time they played in a Super Bowl was in 1986. And the recent New Year’s Eve trouncing by Green Bay hasn’t helped either.
“Surprisingly, there are some amazingly great packages left . . . and that’s not supertypical,” said Chuck Johnsen, vice president for hospitality and events for Chicago-based Intersport, one of three companies that sell hospitality packages for the NFL.
Still, the early birds are starting to put their money on the line.
TSE Sports & Entertainment, for instance, estimates that 300 of the 1,000 Super Bowl packages it has booked so far went to customers in the Chicago region.
“And that’s strictly on the fact that the Bears are supposed to be there,” said Robert Tuchman, founder of the New York-based sports event firm.
And an analysis of early sales on StubHub, an online marketplace, shows strong sales in Illinois, which tied with Florida, Indiana, Maryland and New Jersey as the top locations for Super Bowl ticket sales.
“The average ticket cost is extremely high, over $4,000,” said Sean Pate, a spokesman for San Francisco-based StubHub. This signals that many early purchasers are “VIPs, those who entertain clients, who know they are going, regardless of the teams that are playing.”
But there are some die-hard fans taking the leap, too.
“We wanted to do a Super Bowl trip, and Miami sounded good, and when the Bears came out of the chute the way they did, it seemed like a great year to do it,” said Bob Greco, who together with his brothers John and Pat bought four-night packages from TSE.
The brothers, who live in St. Charles and work in the family food-distribution business, had toyed with the idea of attending last year’s Super Bowl in Detroit. But after the Bears lost to the Carolina Panthers in their first playoff game, they lost interest.
This year they put their money down early, and they are trying to stay calm.
“We don’t want to get too overly excited until they actually clinch it–that would be what we dream for–if the Bears are there and we bought in early,” he said.
Even if the Bears miss the mark the brothers are still headed to Miami.
“We’ll still see good football and great entertainment,” he said. “There’s a golf outing on Saturday, golfing with the pros.”
In addition to tickets, hotel and local transportation, the hospitality packages offered by various firms are packed with perks, including pregame and postgame parties, chats with coaches, autograph sessions, golf tournaments and gift bags.
“People like going, as long as it’s not in a northern city, for sun, golfing, fine food and a party atmosphere–it’s an event, not just a game,” said Barry Fox, owner of Tickets and Co., a ticket brokerage in South Barrington.
Still, locking in early is a risky proposition, as sales generally are final, though some companies offer refunds if they can resell the inventory.
“The average ticket price is in the $3,000 range, and if you take a buddy, that’s $6,000 plus airfare, hotel, and local transportation,” said Swanson, of TicketsNow. “That’s a hefty sum to eat if your team is not in the Super Bowl.”
Indeed, some early buyers already have become early sellers.
Matthew Marienau, a Bears fan since Walter Payton’s heyday, bought two Super Bowl tickets for about $2,300 each on StubHub, only to find he has a business conflict that weekend.
But the Arlington Heights entrepreneur says he is confident that he will be able to sell the tickets at a profit.
“I know a lot of real estate people in Miami, and to put it bluntly, they’re loaded, so whatever I say, they’ll buy,” said Marienau, owner of Cardinal Drapery in Arlington Heights.
Perhaps, but the prices of tickets and packages are dependent on which teams get into the Super Bowl.
“Right now, the market for the game has not set itself,” said Pate, of StubHub. “If the Bears are in it, it will be an extremely hot ticket.”
Tuchman agreed, noting that Chicago is a huge, affluent market: “There are so many corporations and fans who can afford to go.”
Ticket prices could swing as high as $10,000 if the Bears are in the game, Fox said.
Other hot teams include those with devout fan bases and/or high-profile players, Pate said, citing the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.
“If two dark horses were to make it, say Seattle and Baltimore, more than likely that would be one of the least attractive matches you could see,” Pate said.
If the Bears make it to the Super Bowl the team gets an allotment of tickets, some of which will be distributed to season’s ticket holders in a lottery. But most fans who want to head to Miami will find themselves in the secondary market, where buyers are urged to know who they are dealing with, and what guarantees are in place.
Sometimes, tickets are to be picked up near the stadium, and a money refund doesn’t really cut it if you’ve flown all the way to Miami and booked a hotel.
If a seller doesn’t come through, “we source another ticket in a comparable or better location,” said Pate, of StubHub.
But, cautioned Fox, “there are some unscrupulous operators who don’t care, who say, `Sorry, we couldn’t get ’em, and we’ll refund your money.’
“Or, there are some really unscrupulous people who go to Rio de Janeiro with the money,” he said.
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kbergen@tribune.com
