Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411210051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CLAUDINE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
So far, three advertisements he placed in Roanoke, Blacksburg and Charlottesville newspapers have yielded only one response.
A man from Blacksburg called and said he had two tickets he was willing to sell for $50 each. Tech and UVa sold tickets to nonstudents for $22. Brown decided to look for a better offer.
"I have his business number, so if nothing turns up, I'll call when I get into town," said Brown, who's one of several fans who have taken out newspaper ads in recent weeks seeking tickets to the big game. "The ad is an obvious way to get tickets. It seems that the ticket supply is pretty much exhausted."
Brown, a Virginia Power employee from Chesterfield County, said his distance from Blacksburg makes it difficult for him to secure tickets. This year, with both teams nationally ranked, the game was sold out in October, though fans still are calling the box office to see if there is a chance they could get a seat.
Brown left his home Friday afternoon without tickets but full of hope that come game time, he will find himself in the stands.
"I just have a positive attitude," Brown said. "I also have two cousins who are Tech students. Maybe we could work something out."
Another option, Brown said, is to buy from people who try to sell tickets near game time.
Sometimes seats are better for fans who take their chances and buy the day of the game, said David Freeman, a Roanoker who placed an ad seeking five tickets.
"I usually get there about an hour before the game just to see what's going on," Freeman said. "More than half of the time I end up with really good seats, better than what I would have got if I had bought the tickets early."
Freeman received three calls Wednesday from people who wanted to sell their tickets. By that night, he said, he had decided to buy from a friend with four tickets to sell.
"Down here, they are not really scalpers," said Freeman, who moved to the Roanoke Valley from New York more than 10 years ago. "They are just alumni and students who have extra tickets they want to sell at face value."
There also are ticket brokers, who buy tickets and re-sell them at a higher price. One broker who advertised in the Roanoke Times & World-News offered seats in the lower end-zone section for $40. The broker would not reveal how many tickets he could supply.
For the most part, ticket managers are not bothered by the scalpers or the brokers. Police say there is more reselling - selling tickets at face value - than scalping.
"But if they are out there scalping tickets, we are going to do something about it," said Tech police Capt. Jody Falls. "We have not had a big problem with scalping. We have enough to worry about with the traffic that we don't have anyone to stand out there. But we do answer to complaints."
by CNB