INDIANAPOLIS – Paul Sundin, a lifelong Vikings fan, had no hesitation when he heard the Indianapolis Colts planned to allow fans into Sunday's home opener at Lucas Oil Stadium.
He jumped on the secondary ticket market to see if he could find tickets for him and his wife, Janine.
"I don't care if they had let eight people in," Sundin said, "we would have been two of the eight."
Alas, the Colts capped the number at 2,500, which included a respectful showing by Vikings fans who sat through a 28-11 clunker.
The Vikings announced that fans won't be allowed at the first two home games at U.S. Bank Stadium. Sunday's game marked the first chance for fans to watch the Vikings in person.
Apparently, plenty of Colts season-ticket holders who were able to score tickets to the opener sold them on the secondary market. At a premium, in some cases.
Sundin, who grew up in Minnesota but now lives in Charleston, S.C., paid $1,600 for two tickets (including Ticketmaster fees) at the 50-yard line.
"We got gouged," said Sundin, who typically travels to a few games every season, in Minnesota or road games.
The couple bought the tickets early since they had a plane ticket. They checked online Saturday and the price of tickets similar to theirs was much lower as fans tried to unload them.
"If I'm flying here," Sundin said, "I'm not going to wait until the day before."
Jimmy Coon waited until Friday to buy tickets on Ticketmaster for him and his mom, Lori, who lives in the Indianapolis area. Jimmy, 43, grew up in Minnesota but lives in Phoenix now. His tickets cost $250 apiece.
"I told my mother that I feel like we're going to a junior high school football game," he said of the reduced attendance. "It's going to be really bizarre. I've been to a lot of Vikings games, and they're always packed. It's a once-in-a-lifetime deal, really. You've got to be here."
To say Coon is a diehard would be an understatement. He has a tattoo of the Vikings emblem inside a broken heart on his right biceps.
"They break my heart every year because they never win a Super Bowl," he said.
He's also an optimist. Last year he got the Lombardi Trophy tattooed on the backside of his arm. He hopes to fill in the year at some point.