Tickets to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals have soared to staggering heights as the Spurs prepare to face the Knicks on their home turf in Madison Square Garden.
How high? The priciest floor seats have surpassed $180,000 a piece, according to ESPN’s SportsCenter.
As of press time, the most expensive tickets still available on Ticketmaster were listed for more than $150,000, and even the cheapest nosebleeds commanded $4,800.
The drastic difference in ticket prices between the Finals games in the two cities prompted many New Yorkers to fly to San Antonio to see their beloved Knicks play. Even with airfare and hotel accommodations thrown in, the total was still cheaper.
Celebrities also swarmed San Antonio for the first two games, including Spike Lee, John Turturro, Jerry O’Connell, Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Morgan and others.
Spurs fans already knew this was a battle between their working-class hometown and one of the nation’s wealthiest metros. But the ticket prices further underscore this tale of two financially disparate cities.
“I kinda wish ticket prices weren’t as crazy as they are,” Knicks guard Josh Hart told reporters during a press conference ahead of Game 3. “I feel like a lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a very long time are unfortunately not able to get into the building.”
Making the game even less accessible, Knicks fans who normally catch the game for free at watch parties outside Madison Square Garden have been banished due to a crackdown on security ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned appearance to cheer on the New York team.
In response to a reporter’s question about the exorbitant ticket prices, Trump showed considerably less concern than Hart.
“Well, I know, but they can watch it on television,” the president said in a widely shared clip. “It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television. That’s the way life goes.”
“The new ‘let them eat cake’,” one online commenter posted in response, joining others in drawing a comparison between Trump’s remark and Marie Antoinette’s famous quote.
What good are bread and circuses if you can’t even afford the circus?
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