I’d like to believe that there are two types of people in this world; Those who know and understand that being at the big game is an experience within itself, and those who try and argue that “it’s just as good to watch it on television.”

The difference between the two? Those that choose to stay home have never been to the big game in person. Either they’re too cheap, don’t know how to get tickets or bitch and moan about how the “real fans” get screwed.

The cheap argument is a valid one, especially when tickets for the Super Bowl are sold for thousands of dollars above face value. The BCS Championship Game and Final Four work along the same lines with second-hand tickets starting at a thousand dollars for a seat to the Florida-Ohio State tilt in January. And those Red Sox and Yankees fans in Florida aren’t going to fork over big bucks to purchase an 81-game season-ticket package for guaranteed rights to postseason tickets.

As for the “real fans,” I’ve come to find that many die-hards don’t get shut out of big events because they understand the concept of supply and demand. Many of the Tigers fans I met at the World Series last October weren’t going to let broker prices in excess of $400 a ticket stand in the way of watching their team compete for a title. The same goes for White Sox and Red Sox fans who forked over thousands to watch eight decades of bitter frustration and futility end in person.

The “real fans” hope, they plan, they budget and in the case of Philadelphia Eagles fans at Super Bowl XXXIX, they’ll even refinance the mortgage on their own homes for a ticket. Now that’s dedication!

But there are some tips and tricks for those who aren’t willing to go that far. Or, in the case of most of our readers, the flat-out poor. Get the pencil out and take notes, stick a new ink cartridge in the printer, because the following just might help you land the golden ticket to watch your team play for a title.

NCAA Final Four and Frozen Four Tickets

The NCAA allocates approximately 10,000 tickets at the Final Four for the general public through a lottery. Check www.ncaasports.com on or about March 15th to apply. People are allowed to enter up to 10 times, paying face value (approximately $150) per ticket for each entry. Successful applicants are notified during the fall and tickets are sent out during the following season.

There are three things you should know about Final Four ticketing;

1. The tickets given to the general public are what’s known in the industry as “get ins”, meaning you’re in the building but that’s pretty much it.

2. While the four schools end up getting the best seats (lower level), they only get a limited number of seats. This is a problem, especially at large public universities that use such an event to attract big-time donations. Students, more often than not, get left out in the cold.

3. Two schools (and their fans) are sent packing after Saturday’s National Semifinals. It isn’t too hard to trade-up and upgrade your seat if necessary. Though, with Atlanta being the host site and its geographi proximity to both Florida and North Carolina, that might not be the case this year.