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Kevin Seifert, ESPN writer
The Minnesota Vikings found an effective but expensive way this week to increase their stadium presence during Sunday night’s NFC North matchup against the host Detroit Lions.
The team purchased approximately 1,900 tickets near the visitors’ bench at Ford Field on the secondary market, ESPN confirmed Saturday, for approximately $1,000 per ticket, or just under $2 million in total. The Vikings then offered them to interested team parties at a cost ranging from $200 to $300 per ticket, ESPN confirmed.
In a statement, the Vikings said: “Given the uniqueness of this game, we wanted to offer our stakeholders (staff, family, season ticket members and team partners) the opportunity to attend.”
The Lions declined to comment when contacted by ESPN.
The series of transactions is unusual but within NFL rules, highlighting the importance of Sunday’s game for both teams. The winner will clinch the NFC North title as well as the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a first-round bye, while the loser will be the No. 5 seed and open the playoffs on the road in the second round. wildcards.
Sports Illustrated was the first to report on the Vikings’ purchase of tickets.
