Will Fewer 2012 Super Bowl Tickets Mean Higher Prices?

The NFL has scaled back plans for temporary seating at Lucas Oil Stadium for Super Bowl 2012, meaning Indianapolis is on track to host one of the smallest in-person crowds for the big game in 20 years. The league originally planned for up to 7,000 extra seats at the downtown Indianapolis stadium but now plans to install only about 5,000.

Lucas Oil Stadium will host about 68,000 people for Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. By comparison, 103,000 fans attended last year's Super Bowl in Dallas, and 74,000 attended the 2010 game in Miami. The reduction in the number of seats so far hasn't had a big impact on ticket pricing other than to minimize discounting, said James Reilly, a market analyst at Vivid Seats.

"What we have noticed is that the huge supply of seats last season gave fans who might usually be priced out of attending the Super Bowl a chance to go the game as we saw a large number of sales in the $1,000 to $2,000 per ticket range," Reilly noted. "This year, with a more limited supply of seating, there are very few options for fans working with that type of budget."

Tickets are up for sale from about $2,000 to $6,000 apiece depending on the location within Lucas Oil Stadium. Of course, prices could fluctuate based on which of the final four teams make it to Super Bowl Sunday. All four of the teams, the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, have strong fan bases that travel well.

The temporary seats are scheduled to be in place more than two weeks before the game to allow for safety inspections and ensure everyone with a ticket gets a seat, avoiding a repeat of last year's fiasco in Dallas.