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How to Buy SEC Championship Tickets

by: Amanda Gooch

Let me start this article with a sincere �Thank You� to all of those who read my last article on �How to Buy World Series Tickets�. I was contacted by numerous individuals who asked about getting tickets to all kinds of sporting events. (Who knew when I started my search for World Series tickets for my husband that I would be nicknamed the �ticket lady�.) I have not had time to research getting tickets to all of these events, but I am taking them one at time�starting with the NCAA SEC Championship held in Atlanta, Georgia.

For those of you who live outside of the southeast, you are probably gleefully unaware of the seriousness to which college football is taken there. College football is a certifiable religion. SEC fans are much like the zealous evangelists proselytizing to the masses. (Of course, there is far more alcohol involved with the football.) There are 12 teams that comprise the SEC. The SEC Championship is the decisive game that crowns the winner of the very coveted SEC Football title.

My husband�s friend, Dave came to me and asked for my advice in finding SEC Championship tickets for his girlfriend. Apparently, she is an LSU Alumni and much like her fellow SEC-ites, she is a rabid fan. I immediately took up his cause. Here are a few strategies I discovered in my search:

Strategy #1
Talk to friends, family members, colleagues and your brother�s-wife�s-sister�s-boyfriend�s-mom�s-cousin who just happens to be a current ticket holder for the SEC Championship. Each year, current ticket holders have the opportunity to renew their SEC Championship tickets for the next SEC Championship game. Maybe you can sweet talk them in to letting you use the tickets for this year. If not�see Strategy #2.

Strategy #2
It may be a wise idea to go ahead and place your name on the 2006 SEC Championship Tickets Waiting List which is open from September 1st through December 31st. If there are any tickets available after the renewal period the SEC will randomly contact members on the tickets waiting list and give them the opportunity to buy tickets. Strategies #1, #2 and #3 maybe your only options to buy SEC Championship tickets at the face value, so it is definitely worth a shot. (**Note: the 2005 Waiting List is closed.)

Strategy #3
Contact the ticket office of the schools that are selected to participate in the SEC Championship and the Georgia Dome. Students, alumni and faculty usually get the first priority at the school box offices. All tickets sold through the ticket offices are sold for face value. The box office at the Georgia Dome will only release tickets if available, which is unlikely.

Strategy #4
Visit http://www.consumerchoicereview.com. This is a great site that gives you all kinds of information about the major sporting events as well as various ticket brokers who specialize in the SEC Championship. You can feel confident that all of the ticket brokers listed on this site are reputable because consumers are allowed to review each ticket broker and their level of service. It even provides event information, so that you can impress your family and friends with your obscure sports knowledge!! Consumer Choice Review also gives you helpful information on how to protect yourself from purchasing counterfeit tickets.

Strategy #5
Another option for SEC Championship tickets is www.ebay.com. Ebay will have a plethora of tickets, but consumers should be aware that you could be paying top dollar for a ticket that is fraudulent. I have heard horror stories of people buying on Ebay, so I have always been leery of using it. I found some really good tips on using Ebay on Consumer Choice Review. This site provides a step by step guide to buying on Ebay.

Strategy #6
Go to the stadium and take the risk that there are no tickets available from scalpers. Or that the tickets that are available are ridiculously expensive or even worse, possibly counterfeit or stolen. I would never pay hundreds of dollars in cash for tickets that could turn out to be fake or stolen. You should always use a credit card because they offer protection of purchases that turn out to be fake or stolen tickets. ***Be very careful when taking this approach and be sure to read the tips posted on Consumer Choice Review prior to taking this strategy.

All in all, there are several options to find tickets to any sporting event you want to attend, whether it is the SEC Football Championship or the NCAA Final Four. The deciding factor is how much are you willing to pay? And what price are you willing to put on your protection as a consumer?

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