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If you’re hoping to nab tickets to the LA28 Olympics in the second drop coming in August, you might want to brace yourself. Last month, when people logged on to purchase tickets in the first locals presale, many experienced a roller coaster of emotions: excitement, anxiety, surprise, frustration and disappointment by the high prices and lack of availability to popular events.
While some fans were lucky enough to nab $28 tickets, others begrudgingly spent more than they budgeted. Some pivoted altogether and bought tickets for events they were only marginally interested in rather than their desired sport.
To help future ticket buyers prepare their budgets — and because we’re just plain curious — we asked readers how much they actually spent on Olympics tickets during the first drop. Here, 18 people share their experiences, from navigating the website to the (estimated) prices they paid, along with what attending LA28 means to them.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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$2,621.68 for 8 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Sylvia Crump of Los Angeles
Events: Men’s water polo, women’s diving semifinal, mixed swimming finals and mixed athletics finals
Thoughts: “I went to the Games in Atlanta in 1996 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. This will be my first Olympics where I have adult income and don’t have kids (a.k.a. disposable income). I am very excited. Seeing the women’s gymnastics team or all-around finals has been a dream of mine since 1996 and I am prepared to spend double the highest face market value to achieve that dream.”
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$336 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Ken Hofeldt of La Verne
Events: Women’s preliminary volleyball and men’s mountain biking final
Thoughts: “It sounds like we were one of the lucky families. We purchased seven tickets to women’s preliminary volleyball to hopefully inspire my daughter who currently plays in middle school, and five tickets to the men’s mountain biking final. I mountain bike on weekends and am passionate about the sport. For me personally, just being able to watch and cheer our best mountain bikers in the world on, in the venue I commute past frequently, is special. If Christopher Blevins wins a medal, it will be even more special.”
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$4,500 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Marlena Kaplan of Venice
Events: Boxing, fencing men’s final, men’s baseball, track and field
Thoughts: “I was disappointed the tickets were so expensive. I expected they would be in the $50 range. I am a big fan of the Olympics, but have never attended so I decided it’s worth it to have guaranteed entry. I fear the tickets will be cheaper on resale, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity and I have the means. I think the ticket prices are unfair for locals that don’t have the financial ability to [purchase them].”
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$720 for 8 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Katie Best
Events: Rugby
Thoughts: “I actually had a very successful first drop. All my friends and family got time slots. Collectively, we bought 74 tickets to lots of different sports. A lot of the biggest events were sold out or out of our price range. We’re very excited for our events including BMX freestyle, synchronized swimming, trampoline gymnastics, men’s and women’s basketball, table tennis, rugby, lacrosse, beach volleyball, handball, archery and athletics. We’re hoping for BMX racing, high diving and fencing in drop two.”
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$719.38 for 4 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Cheryl Leff of Sherman Oaks
Events: 3×3 basketball preliminary and baseball preliminary
Thoughts: “I volunteered at the 1984 Games and was assigned a spot on the 10 Freeway during the marathon. I still have the T-shirt and some of the flags I was given to wave as the athletes passed by. In the days of no cellphones, I have little record of my experience, but recall being amazed as the runners passed me on an empty Los Angeles freeway. It was sort of surreal. It was pretty shocking to see the prices for the ‘premium’ events. I was not willing to spend $5,000 for a seat to closing ceremonies.”
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$4,936.83 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Alec Mackie of Los Angeles
Events: Men’s baseball gold medal finals, women’s basketball gold medal finals, men’s soccer gold medal finals, swimming preliminary and tennis quarter final mixed doubles
Thoughts: ”My uncle made a spreadsheet. The tickets are for me, my uncle, friends and I’m hoping to take my nephew as well. I was 10 years old at the 1984 Olympics and got to go to gymnastics, swimming and closing ceremonies, and my nephew will be 10 in 2028. I know L.A. is going to have an amazing Olympics, we are Los Angeles! Ten million creative, beautiful people, always dreaming and we know how to wow people. I can’t wait and hopefully traffic is smooth, a glamorous sequel to ’84.”
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$12,883.66 for 20 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Brenda Power of Austin
Events: Men’s basketball 3×3, women’s volleyball and track and field (including a hospitality package)
Thoughts: “I bought tickets for my husband, four friends and myself, so a total of six of us. I was not too surprised, but almost gagged when $28-$100 tickets were advertised, but the reality was actually a lot more. We were happy to get anything during our selected time slot, but then we discovered the hospitality packages and added the later events. I’m so excited to attend what I consider to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. I’m 47. The next time they come to the U.S., I’ll probably be 80, so it’s once-in-a-lifetime for me. I was screaming in my car when we got our first batch of tickets, ‘We’re going to the Olympics!’ I truly can’t wait.”
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$818.60 for two tickets
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Ticket buyer: Doug Burzynski of La Crescenta
Events: ATH11 Athletics (track & field) mixed final
Thoughts: “I was genuinely looking forward to it. It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime, historic opportunity to attend the first Los Angeles Olympics in 44 years. That said, after seeing the prices and finding nothing available/affordable for the events I wanted, I was ready to walk away without buying tickets. My wife asked how I’d feel a couple of years from now if I missed it. That perspective stuck with me. In the end, a bit of FOMO won out and I justified the cost by figuring I’ll amortize over the next two years. It still stings, though.”
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$1,277.88 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Deni Budman of Los Angeles
Events: Men’s baseball final, women’s fencing final and swimming mixed preliminary
Thoughts: ”When it came down to my time slot, the site wouldn’t work on my computer. I tried different browsers, different WiFi networks and restarted it. Nothing worked. Eventually, I got it to work on my phone, but it was such a panic and I could hardly see anything, I just threw things in my cart and hoped for the best. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to see the entire city come together! I moved to L.A. at the end of 2020, so I feel like my entire experience here has been watching everyone prepare for this experience. I love the pomp and circumstance, so I know it’s just going to be an exciting time all around.”
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$2,100 for 4 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Joe Lyou of Hawthorne
Events: Women’s water polo preliminary and swimming mixed preliminary
Thoughts: “I was astounded by the prices. I may still sell them on secondary market. No swimming finals were available. I was very disappointed. $28 tickets was total B.S. They made me feel like they were manipulating me to maximize profits and ignore host community members’ interests and needs. I had no way of knowing the true value of what I was buying. It created a lot of anxiety. Needlessly. It seems like the Olympics have a very good chance of being a complete disaster.”
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$336 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Matthew Scott of Sylmar
Events: Beach volleyball, men’s water polo, badminton and women’s field hockey
Thoughts: ”All of the tickets were $28, which surprised me. I didn’t expect any lowest-tier tickets to be left several days into the locals presale. My wife now uses a wheelchair so we were able to get a few tickets at the lower tier because of this. We’re excited to attend any event, but were disappointed that none of our first-choice events were available or affordable. I remember being really mad at my parents in 1984, that they had chosen to leave L.A. for vacation right as the Games were starting, instead of attending. That 7-year-old feels like he’s finally righting this wrong from so many years ago.”
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$4,130.19 for 6 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Joe Leyva of Los Angeles
Events: Artistic gymnastics, including mixed and men’s finals
Thoughts: “I’ve been watching the Olympics since the Atlanta Games in 1996 when I was 10 and my sister was 14. We would go to work with our parents and watch gymnastics on a small TV in a conference room while they cleaned offices. We watched the Magnificent Seven win gold in Atlanta. Watching NBC’s coverage, especially the athlete stories, had a huge influence on me and is part of why I became a video editor.”
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$2,799.02 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Dan Corry of Durham
Events: Men’s rugby sevens (semifinal session), women’s hockey preliminaries, baseball (bronze medal game), women’s basketball preliminaries, women’s volleyball preliminaries and men’s handball preliminaries
Thoughts: “Compared to what I initially planned to spend ($1,500-$1,800), I was still taken aback by some of the prices. I think the LA28 social media team really hammered home the affordable $28 tickets because those were long gone by the time I had the chance to purchase. Swimming was particularly egregiously expensive and it forced me to change my purchasing plan significantly. My friends and co-workers know how obsessive I get over the Olympics every two years (for both the Summer and Winter Games), so finally being able to get to attend the greatest sporting event in the world in my home country is nothing short of a dream come true. An expensive dream, but a dream nonetheless.”
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$272.88 for 4 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Emmanuel Guzman of Wildomar
Events: Preliminary baseball game
Thoughts: As a college student, I couldn’t afford to buy tickets to most events. I searched for events that were affordable enough to invite my parents and brother. Thankfully, my parents and I consider baseball our favorite sport, and on that game day, we will be celebrating my brother’s birthday. We are happy to enjoy a piece of Olympic history in L.A. Considering that this is international baseball, I expected the price to be more per ticket. I understand that this is not a medal-granting game, but it is one of the few games that will occur on a weekend. Regardless, I am convincing myself it is worth it.”
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$1,866 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Daniel Sakai of Long Beach
Events: Men’s basketball preliminary, athletics (track and field) mixed preliminary, artistic swimming women’s final and trampoline gymnastics women’s final
Thoughts: “I vividly remember the 1984 Olympics in L.A. Being at the Coliseum to witness Carl Lewis and Edwin Moses compete in a track and field preliminary was a core childhood memory for me. I also remember walking down from our house in Culver City to watch the marathon. Experiencing two Olympic Games in one’s hometown in a lifetime is a rare opportunity. I also wanted to make sure my wife and daughter can attend events that will provide the same lasting memories I gained from experiencing the 1984 Olympics.”
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$1,500 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Claude Daley III of Los Angeles
Events: Badminton, fencing, lacrosse and one day of track
Thoughts: “Everything else was unavailable, including opening and closing ceremonies, or way way way too expensive to consider. I remember the 1984 Games very well. The entire city was a party because all the naysayers left town. My wife’s tiny 200-square-foot apartment was full of cousins and a sports reporter who slept on the hallway floor. It was glorious. Not to mention, the 99 Cents store had great memorabilia for less than a buck for years!”
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$1,394.12 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Liza Thompson of Los Angeles
Events: Equestrian mixed preliminary, beach volleyball, water polo men’s preliminary and flag football mixed preliminary
Thoughts: “I loved the system. I’ve seen a lot of criticism, but honestly, it was so smooth! The only problem I gathered from talking to people was the difference in expectations in event availability. Pricing was clear and of course the cheap tickets went fast. I do wish there had been more clarity around the different drops and which events had no availability. I learned after the fact that no tickets had been sold for surfing and I would have held some of my 12 ticket limit for future drops had I known. Living in Los Angeles on a day-to-day basis often makes me forget about the city’s perception on global terms. I love this city and am excited to take part in an event that is bigger than my L.A. bubble.”
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$336 for 12 tickets
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Ticket buyer: Dan Bump of Arcadia
Events: Women’s cricket, equestrian mixed, women’s water polo, badminton mixed and women’s golf.
Thoughts: “My son had been in the ticket drop a day before me, so he tipped me off to look at the array of ticket options before my time came. I miss the golden days (1980s) when I lined up at Ticketmaster locations in department stores to buy Lakers tickets for the playoffs and even finals that were really quite affordable. (OK, I don’t miss the lining up part, just the reasonable prices!) Then, during the last positive Angels season, 2002 when they won the World Series, I was also able to get tickets for the playoff series against the Yankees for a reasonable amount of money. I remember the 1984 Olympics very fondly, and hope the Los Angeles magic can repeat itself.”
The post ‘It still stings’: 18 people reveal how much they paid for LA28 Olympics tickets appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
