Super Bowl Tickets: Expensive, but Unpopular

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, we’re starting to get the cute human interest stories to keep us from losing our collective minds before kickoff on Sunday. Today’s Globe gives us some mixed signals. On the one hand, online ticket prices have skyrocketed. On the other, almost no local politicians care enough about the game to travel to Phoenix and watch it in person.

Clearly there’s demand for these tickets somewhere. The Globe reports a pair of tickets is posted on eBay for $77,000 and a luxury suite could cost a staggering $224,825.

“Some people do the math and find a way to rationalize that,” said Mark Hodes, the senior vice president of TicketsNow, the online site where the 23-person luxury suite was up for sale yesterday. “They’re certainly good seats.”

That’s nearly $10,000 per person. We’re big Patriots fans around here, but that money could buy us a pretty sweet flat screen TV. Then we could watch all of next season’s Pats games, as well as the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics in crystal clear HD.

In a stunning turnaround from the cliquey infighting for tickets that swept through Beacon Hill during the World Series, it seems that most local politicians are happy to adopt this strategy and take in the game on their couch.

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi plans to watch the game on the couch in his North End home. State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill will be in Quincy, sitting in his lucky seat. Councilor at Large Michael F. Flaherty plans to cook a turkey. Senate President Therese Murray plans to be at a friend’s house, wearing a Tom Brady jersey and a Hillary Clinton pin.

Yes, we know there are ethical considerations. But this is the Super Bowl that could make the team 19-0. Work those connections, get those tickets, and sleep after Super Tuesday.

At least Councilor John Tobin has his priorities in order.

Tobin says he was at an event not too long ago where the World Series Trophy was on display. He saw two 9-year-olds walk past without stopping to pay their respects.

“They said, ‘Oh, we did that a couple years ago,’ ” Tobin said. “I wanted to choke them.”

The lone voice of sanity in an otherwise crazy story. Thank you, Councilor.