The Economics Behind Duke Basketball's Ticketing Tradition

The Economics Behind Duke Basketball's Ticketing Tradition

Why does Duke give away tickets to its big rivalry game with UNC instead of making millions selling them?

The Economics of Scarcity and the UNC-Duke Basketball Game (with Michael Munger)

Duke University leaves millions of dollars on the table every year by giving away free tickets to the most sought-after game in college basketball. The bizarre ticket allocation system includes weeks of camping in tents, a 58-question trivia exam, border guards with air horns at 3 AM, and a 50-page student-written constitution with its own appeals court. In this special 20th-anniversary episode, EconTalk’s Russ Roberts and returning favorite Mic…