Indianapolis—
Though the last two Colts losses don't affect home field advantage heading into the playoffs, it remains to be seen whether the loss of a perfect season will affect demand for playoff tickets.Fans are still stinging from the last two losses and ticket brokers say that means there are better deals than normal... at least for now.
Suzanne Croft was one of just a handful of fans who showed up to welcome the Colts home at the airport tonight... And though the temperature may have had a lot to do with it... The mood was a little more blue at the Blue Crew Bar and Grill as well.
"I'm in for the long haul," said Gary Houston, a season ticket holder for years.
Houston proudly shows off his Super Bowl trophy tattoo and field photo, but he says the boos that rang out during the game against the New York Jets tested his faith in the team.
"I just think it was not very good being there at that moment," Houston said.
Though Houston says his loyalty hasn't changed, he says some of his friends told them they were going to take drastic action.
"Just give up their season tickets," Houston said.
"I think at the moment they were disappointed. But I think they are still going to watch those Colts go all the way if they could," said Wendy Louks, a ticket broker with Fanfare Tickets.
Louks says that's not to say it hasn't been a slow week as a ticket broker. First round tickets are currently available on fanfaretix.com starting at just $140, which is far cheaper than this seasons game with the Patriots.
"So right now, you're going to see a post season game at a lesser price than even a regular season game at one point," Louks said. "Due to demand."
Louks says that means it's a great time to buy, but she doesn't expect it to last. Demand typically rises as the team learns who it will play. And if you're wondering whether season ticket holders are calling non stop to dump their tickets?
"Not the case," she said. "Everyone I think still wants to see their Colts play, but they're more than welcome to give us a call if they don't think they want to go to the game. I'm sure there is a lot of fans out there that do want to see the game."
Suzanne Croft would be one of those fans.
"I'm over it," Croft said. "It is what it is. Move on to the next game. That's the only thing that you can do."
Though the first round playoff tickets do remain reasonable, Louks says she expects the prices to rise steadily throughout the week. She expects interest to peak when the Colts opponent is announced after the first round is complete.
