[Hoot Gibson]

I am impressed with the thought process, but you make my point for me. This is a black market that is driving the average fan out. If you are happy with the rich getting richer, (not UK, because they get face value only, as they do not get commision from scalpers) then good for you. Maybe you can find a way to pay the fair market price, again good for you. BTW, I also took Economics 101, cracking down on scalpers would not change the supply. There is a limited number of product anyway. The arena holds a set number of available product that is unwavering. With or without scalpers, UK can only offer 24,000+ product each game. The number of tickets produced will not change, that is supply. Now argue that scalpers can not sell, so number of fans in attendance dips. Now see how many times scalpers keep buying product without having a way to market it and count how long they stay in business...Economics 101.

I agree though that the govt would struggle with this type of situation, but they worked to improve a similar problem. Back in the day, food stamps were just that, paper vouchers equivalent to money, but could not be used to buy alcohol. What happened was people with these vochers sold their stamps for less than face value for real currency. The govt., in attempt to remedy this, issued a personal, registered pin number to accompany the new system. Not perfect but better, if you are on the side of food stamps being used to buy food. I just think tickets should be sold to fans (and make no mistake, scalpers are about the business, not the game), nothing more, nothing less. Now some posters just like to play devils advocate, and that is fun for me sometimes too. I simply like to think that right is right and wrong is wrong, but unfortunately we do not live in that type of society, Do we?

I give you an "A" for effort but there is no enforcement action that will eliminate scalping or drive the price of scalped tickets down.

Cracking down on scalpers selling closest to Rupp would increase the potential costs of those scalpers making ticket purchases convenient because their risk of arrest would be greater. Some scalpers would exit the business entirely, which would decrease the supply of available tickets. Others would turn to Craigslist or other alternative distribution channels to sell their tickets.

The available pool of tickets is not 24,000 because most ticket holders are students, season ticket holders, etc. who really want to watch the game themselves. The number of people willing to resell their tickets and forgo attending the game themselves is what impacts the price of scalped tickets - and that number varies from game to game - and that number would also drop with stricter enforcement of laws against scalping.

As for right and wrong, many Americans still prefer that the government stay out of the economy unless intervention is absolutely necessary. We see nothing wrong with property owners being free to sell their property without harassment from the state. The buying and selling of UK basketball tickets is not one of those rare places where I want my government intervening.