Millions of New Yorkers are already making plans for Super Bowl Sunday. With the game held at MetLife Stadium, right here in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey, many people have already purchased their tickets.
In an article in September, the Wall Street Journal reported that face value for club level seats at the Meadowlands next February is $2,600 … each. This is more than double the price of tickets for last year’s event in New Orleans. We know most things are more expensive in New York, but talk about sticker shock. We’re hearing reports that, as the big game date approaches, ticket prices are rising every day.
Football fans know that most people don’t pay face value for their tickets. You just can’t get the tickets at those prices. So we looked in a more realistic place. The starting price for Super Bowl 2014 tickets at Stub Hub is $2,999.71. We’re willing to bet those are not for the best seats in the house. Are you looking for the best seats in the house for the Super Bowl at a price lower than a down payment on a new truck? How about a home theatre upgrade to give you the best seats in YOUR house? Let’s take a look at the numbers of a trip to the Super Bowl vs. a new home theatre installation.
Cost to Attend the New York Super Bowl
First, we’ll assume, you don’t want to go to the Super Bowl alone, so we’ll double some of the costs.
Tickets: $2,999.71 X 2 = $5,999.42
And StubHub charges a fee of 10% per transaction, which isn’t substantial if you’re talking about $50 concert tickets. But for those Super Bowl tickets, you can add another $599.94 to the ticket price.
Plus $4.95 shipping and handling.
Like many of our readers, that you live in the New York metro area, maybe one of the five boroughs. For argument’s sake, we’ll use calculations driving from the new JD Pro AV store in Staten Island on Arthur Kill Road:
So we’re going to add tolls:
$14 (cash)
and gas (we calculated using an extremely fuel efficient Toyota Camry. Your mileage, as they say, may vary): $3.43
Since you have your car, add the cost of Parking at Meadowlands: $30
And we’ll assume you’re going to eat and drink while you’re there:
Pizza: $6/slice x 2 = $12
Beer: $8.75
Soda: $9.50
(At these prices, you may be happy with just one of each. We should point out that you can buy a six-pack for less… not that you’d be allowed to bring it into the park.)
So now we’re looking at a budget of $6,681.99 for two people to attend the game. In nose-bleed seats. If you don’t go crazy with concessions. How much in audiovisual goodies can that buy for your home?
Cost of a Home Theatre System
A 65”, Samsung 1080p LED TV has a street price of $1397.99, so let’s use that as the base, even though there are hundreds of options available and you could pay more or less for a high quality consumer HDTV. You can get the Smart TV model in 55” for the same price.
Incidentally, you can go up to an 80-inch Sharp Smart TV model for $4,999.99 list price. But most people don’t need an 80-inch screen for any room in their house.
Remember, getting the right size screen for your room, not necessarily the biggest screen size you can afford, is the first step to creating a home theatre system that will really wow your friends.
Whichever model you choose, already you can see that you can buy a nice-sized HDTV with all the features for less than the price of a single Super Bowl ticket.
We could stop there, but we won’t. Let’s splurge on a sound system, too, with 7.1 Dolby Surround. You may not need that for the Super Bowl, but you’ll appreciate it when you turn on your favorite action movie after the game.
Let’s choose a Samsung model that includes a Blu-Ray player, too, so you can watch that action movie.
Street price: $997.99.
Oh, and of course, you need a connection to watch the game, so you’ll need a cable hook-up or DirecTV.
DirecTV with NFL Sunday Ticket – Free installation, monthly prices vary depending on the package
We will add in a Universal Remote Control, just because it makes life easier and the price tag is less than the service fees when you buy your Super Bowl tickets.
Universal Remote Control with LCD screen: $129.99
Let’s stop there and you can see, with a 65-inch LED screen, you’ll still have plenty of money left over for comfy seating, (way better than those stadium seats), paint, acoustical treatment, and wings and nachos for your friends, too.
Your Money, Your Choice for Super Bowl Sunday
Here are your choices come next February:
Pay thousands of dollars, sit in New York traffic and freeze your butt off at the sporting event of the year
Or
Host the Super Bowl Party of the century with all your closest friends, stay safe at home, and enjoy a home theatre system you can use for movies, concerts, sports and creating family memories for years to come.
Where will you be on February 2, 2014?