Fans Shell Out Big Bucks for Tickets

ABC News On Campus reporter Marilia Brocchetto blogs: How far would you go and how much would you spend for the team you love? Given the very limited supply of tickets, some Gator fans found themselves having to resort to scalping. Facebook statuses said it all: cries of needing tickets, bidding on tickets or just desperation for them. Santa Fe College student Scott Diaz was one of the ticket hunters. Diaz hopes to be a student at the University of Florida soon, but he says that for now he is happy with just cheering for the team. I was with Scott the night he bid on his tickets for the championship game. “I’m going to Miami,” he said, a smile growing on his face. The price for his happiness? “Hmm, it was about $1,500 — I mean it’s not always that you have a team you love playing in your hometown,” he said. “It’s my mom’s and mine Christmas gifts, you know.” Thursday morning tickets for the game were going on popular Web sites like Ebay.com and Craigslist.com for as much as $2,000 for three seats, or close to $4,000 for four seats together. In the tailgating and RV areas outside Dolphin Stadium, it is also very easy to notice that several fans not only were willing to spend, but they were also willing to travel great distances. Sooners fan  Marley Seybole has been traveling since last year. “We left December 24th from  northeast Oklahoma, from there we left to go to Atlanta and then to Valdosta, in Florida to St. Augustine, then to Palm Bay to Key West and now finally here,” she takes a deep breath. "You can probably tell we have a motor home.” Regardless of where these fans came from, they all agree on one thing: “It’s going to be one heck of a game,” Diaz said. Seybole agrees: “It’s worth it to be here."