A disappointing Bears season, bone-chilling cold in the weekend forecast and the “Cubs hangover.”
That combination has some local ticket brokers fearing they will take a loss on the Bears vs. Green Bay Packers game this weekend as ticket prices to the normally high-demand rivalry game sink to lows not seen in years.
Max Waisvisz has been a broker at Gold Coast Tickets for the last 22 years and said sales for this weekend’s game have been his “worst ever” for a Bears matchup with the Packers.
“This is the first time I’ve ever lost money on a Green Bay-Bears game,” Waisvisz said. “This is supposed to be your prime game of the year.”
As of Friday afternoon, Gold Coast was selling tickets for as little as $45, while StubHub’s cheapest ticket early Friday afternoon was less than $40 before fees
Waisvisz said that a seat near Soldier Field’s 50-yard line in the lower bowl for a Bears-Packers game once fetched as much as $750. For this weekend’s game he’s selling them for $175.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for this Sunday calls for patchy blowing snow before noon, with the day’s high temperature expected to be 1 degree. That night, the low could reach minus 13.
Another contributor to the meager ticket sales, Waisvisz said, is what he called a “Cubs hangover.”
“[Fans] spent a lot of money on Cubs playoff tickets,” he said, adding that their budgets for Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks tickets have likely shrunk.
The Bears, who claim a record of 3-10 and last place in the NFC North, will kick off against the 7-6 Packers at noon Sunday.
