The cheapest way into American Family Field for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday now costs more than the cheapest way into the last Super Bowl in New Orleans. Meanwhile, a group of fans who paid the Milwaukee Brewers $1,000 apiece more than a decade ago — for a brass ticket promising a seat at any future home game, World Series included — say the team is steering them into the upper deck and standing room.

Both stories come down to the same thing: a tiny supply of seats colliding with 44 years of pent-up demand, and a team deciding who gets first claim on that supply.

TicketData put the get-in price for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays at $2,809 on Monday — up 41% in three days and 165% in a week. Game 2 sat at $2,793. Lower-level seats for either game start above $4,000, and potential Games 6 and 7 in Milwaukee already open above $2,100. For comparison, Super Bowl LIX's get-in settled around $2,600, and recent World Series have typically opened near $1,000.

GameTime clocked Game 1 even higher early Tuesday, at $2,932, against a previous Game 1 record of $1,125. Last year's Dodgers–Blue Jays opener peaked at $1,117. TickPick's Game 1 average asking price was hovering near $5,850, with top listings north of $20,000.

The contrast with the other end of the series is stark. Get-in prices for Games 3 through 5 at Tropicana Field have been running in the $700s on TickPick — below the recent World Series norm. A Brewers fan could fly to Tampa, buy a ticket, and still come out ahead of sitting in the 400 level at home. Just two weeks ago, the get-in for Milwaukee's Division Series opener against San Diego was $97.

Pent-up demand. This is the franchise's first World Series since 1982 and only its second ever. Neither the Brewers nor the Rays has won a title, making this the first Fall Classic between two title-less clubs since 1980. For a lot of Wisconsin households, this is a once-in-a-generation event, and buyers are behaving that way.