Excitement Builds For "The BasketBowl"
6/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 2, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - If early tickets sales are any indication, a world-record basketball crowd in excess of 75,000 will be in attendance when Michigan State plays host to Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Ford Field in Detroit. Michigan State ticket manager Chris Besanceney reported Monday, June 2 that more than 6,000 tickets have been sold for "The BasketBowl - Hoops on the 50."
"The initial response to the mailing that went to 3,000 donors and basketball season-ticket holders has been tremendous," Besanceney said. "As expected, many tickets have been purchased in blocks of 10, 20 or more. We expect this sales pace to continue.
"This week, an additional 12,500 households will be sent ticket applications, including 3,500 Ralph Young Fund donors and 9,000 Spartan football season-ticket holders."
The world basketball attendance record is 75,000 set on Aug. 21, 1951, during a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition game played in Berlin Olympic Stadium in Germany. The largest crowd ever to watch an NCAA basketball game is 68,112 set on Jan. 20, 1990, when Notre Dame played Louisiana State in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
Ford Field capacity is listed at 65,000 for football. The capacity exceeds the 75,000 mark with the addition of portable courtside bleachers and students being granted access to field level.
At this time, the MSU Athletics Department is accepting ticket orders from only donors and season-ticket holders. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the MSU Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-STATE or 517-355-1610 or via the Internet at www.msuspartans.com. Seating will be allocated based upon availability and donor priority. The pricing structure offers something for everyone, with tickets priced from $8 to $125. Fifty-seven percent of the tickets are priced at $14 or less.
Approximately 5,000 tickets have been allocated for MSU students, with a sale scheduled for the fall semester. Tickets will go on sale to the general public through the Ford Field Box Office, beginning Tuesday, July 8.
