The New Way to Save for the Wedding: Selling Off College Football Tickets

This weekend marks the return of college football. But for some fans, it may also mark the start of a different season - mainly, goosing the savings for an engagement ring or wedding, thanks in part to the healthy profit they turn by selling off their football tickets. Jordan Deason, an Auburn University senior, told Time Moneyland how he cleared nearly $400 in profit by selling his Tigers season tickets, which he purchased at a discount. “I put every dime towards an engagement ring,” said Deason, who proposed to his girlfriend this month. “It was not close to covering the price of the ring but it was a nice addition to the savings.” While in school, Liz Shults, a 2011 graduate of the University of Alabama, and her now-husband John, used the $800 from parting with their season-ticket packages to help fund a Panama City honeymoon. “I’m always going to root for Alabama, but neither of us grew up in a culture of going to football games,” said Shults of her and her husband. “I didn’t go to the games and someone who wanted to go went. To me, it was just capitalism.” Athletic departments admit they’d rather see the students in the stands, but they understand unique money-making ways are part of the collegiate experience. “We all know students are very creative when it comes to shoring up their finances,” says Brett Scarbrough, the assistant athletic director in charge of ticketing at Ohio State University. The face value of college football tickets have risen more than 30 percent of the past three seasons, according to a study from The Oregonian. Moneyland also cites data from TiqIQ, a ticket-price aggregator, that says there currently are 38 college programs whose average ticket resale price is more than $100. With students able to score tickets at a fraction of the cost - another Bama student bought tickets for $5 and sold them for as much as $200 - the climate is ripe for students to fund their extracurriculars. This year, though, Deason plans to enjoy his final season of Auburn football - with his fiancé, of course. “I believe it is all about priorities,” he says. “In the south, football is usually number one, but some people place other things in their life above football.”