Super Bowl ad prices are breaking records, but ticket sales are plummeting: Why fans aren’t turning out for the Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup

In the run-up to this weekend’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, fans couldn’t be more excited to see the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the latter attempts to make Super Bowl history as the first team to win the championship three times in a row. With advertising prices hitting all-time highs, and an exciting halftime show featuring recent Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar scheduled, why are ticket sales plummeting?

That’s right: Ticket prices for Super Bowl LIX are down 30% over this past week, or around 50% cheaper than last year. Currently, the cheapest seats are selling for somewhere between $3,057 to $4,300 before taxes on the secondary market, compared to a year ago, when they were selling for $9,365 on the secondary market.

Here are the current ticket prices as of Monday night, according to USA Today:

• StubHub: $3,057 ($4,130 with fees)
• TickPick: $4,300 all-in
• SeatGeek: $3,414 ($4,620 with fees)
• Gametime: $3,374 ($4,527 with fees)
• Ticketmaster: $3,330 ($4,001 with fees)
• TicketSmarter: $3,613 ($4,697 with fees)
• Vivid Seats: $3,228 ($4,454 with fees)

There are a few possible reasons for the low ticket sales. For one, New Orleans may not have the same pull for fans who wanted to party in Las Vegas last year when the Chiefs faced the San Francisco 49ers.

Another reason is that New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome stadium has a lot more seats (74,000) than Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium (65,000), making last year’s seats harder to come by, and a result, more pricey (call it simple supply and demand).

Finally, New Orleans is still reeling from last month’s terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured at least 35, when a man plowed his pickup truck into a crowd and opened fire. In response, local officials have created “an enhanced security zone” along Bourbon Street, and are shutting down and limiting traffic on roads near the stadium and cordoning off the area surrounding the Superdome. And according to NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier, thousands of state, federal, and local law enforcement officers will be on the ground during the Super Bowl, the Associated Press reported.

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