Inside the Industry is back with the Super Bowl XLVI edition, delivering the most mind bending, wallet busting and slightly obscure stories surrounding the big game. Oh, and Go Big Blue.
Draining the cash cow. The Capital Improvement Board, the management company behind the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium, has reported revenue, debt and tax return numbers for the upcoming Super Bowl that would contribute to investment returns on the construction costs of the stadium. The board has budgeted for $8M in expenses and $7.2M in revenues, leaving $810,000 in total losses. The largest expenditures have been allotted to pay temporary employees overtime, and to provide security for an estimated 150,000 visitors in February. CIB plans to pocket the majority of its revenue from taxes, an estimated $3M. For events as large as music festivals and the Super Bowl, it is far from uncommon, sometimes virtually impossible, to expect break-even results or a healthy fiscal return on investments. In these cases, the long-term socio-economic, community impact, and the possibility for the hosting of future events including NCAA championship games, are more important when gauging the overall success of an event.
That’s what student loans are for, right? Stubhub has reported a median ticket price of $2, 800, and Ticket Exchange at $3,623 for remaining Super Bowl XLVI seats. So far, the cheapest ticket sold was for $2,614 for section 422, upper corner, while the highest ticket sold was totaled at $17, 048 right on the 40-yard line. The secondary ticket market is seeing staggering numbers on both sides of the sale, attributing them to the historical matchup of the two largest markets in the NFL.
Now it’s time to blow your mind: The average draft beer price at an NFL game is around $7.75, hot dogs $5.00, and $49.00 for semi-nosebleed seats, not counting ridiculous “inflation”, which is not really a product of any sort of real inflation. Rounded at $62 dollars, for the price of one 40-yard line seat at the Super Bowl, you and 274 of your closest frat brothers can attend one regular season game, or 10 of your closest friends can rent a luxury box, or you and one friend can just purchase an inappropriate amount of beer. But it’s the Super Bowl!
Meter Maintenance Indianapolis is closing down 2,058 parking meters in preparation for Super Bowl festivities, and to provide additional space for snow pile up if weather conditions worsen in the days leading up to the event. The city plans to close down every parking meter south of Michigan Street for ten days, starting Friday and extending the Monday after the game. The city is not required to reimburse ParkIndy, the company responsible for the parking meters, because the Bowl is classified as a special event based on the number of attendees and duration. Not only will this move provide a safer and more stress-free environment for employee and fan pedestrians in and around the facility and surrounding businesses, but the stadium can cash in on a significant amount of money charged to fans parking in stadium sanctioned lots, money not required to be shared with the NFL. Local business and residents can also provide parking in private lots for profit, continuing the cash flow into the local economy.
Just for fun.
The Sports Licensed Division of the Adidas group has been bestowed the honor of being the official printers of Super Bowl t-shirts. The Indianapolis based company is set to offer 6 to 12 different colored shirts with varying graphics, which can total up to 500 shirts in an hour. What can influence sales? The winner of the game of course! That and competition from other unofficial vendors on the streets surrounding the area (how many Godfather themed shirts do you think will be in attendance? Tebow? Belichick sleeve cut-off hoodies? Anyone?). Manager Joe Cripe tells the ABC Indianapolis affiliate, “It never gets old. Every year, the excitement is there. We prepare for this like the teams prepare for their games”. I bet Eli would agree.
Haven’t you heard? Counterfeit money was a thing of the early 2000’s. Make room for counterfeit Superbowl memorabilia, and “Operation Interception”, an initiative started by federal agents that brought in an estimated $3.56M of fake Super Bowl gear last year alone. You really can’t make this stuff up.
This tweet by rapper Birdman and headline on CBSSports.com really just says it all.
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