NJ Super Bowl Ticket Prices Too High for Many [POLL/AUDIO]

New Jersey will play host to the Super Bowl in February and that's great news for area football fans. What's not so great are the ticket prices, and that's why Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli is urging the National Football League (NFL) to get creative and give true fans a break.

"It is a wonderful decision by the NFL to bring the Super bowl to New Jersey," said Ciattarelli. "It is the right decision. It provides an extraordinary opportunity for us to showcase New Jersey and it's an enormous economic stimulus. The last thing I want it is to seem unappreciative to the NFL at the same time, the NFL's pricing decision is a bit disturbing to me."

Last year, the most expensive ticket for the Super Bowl in New Orleans was $1,250. The same type of ticket at MetLife Stadium is $2,600. At the next price point, fans could get a ticket in New Orleans for $900. At the Meadowlands it will be $1,500. There are $500 seats at MetLife in the upper deck.

"That's an affront to middle class working men and women who are the true fans of the NFL, the largest segment of the NFL's true fan base," said Ciattarelli. "While paying $2,600 for a ticket seems astronomical, I understand the law of supply and demand. At the same, the NFL should be more sensitive to middle-class working men and women and providing them with an opportunity to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event."

The Assemblyman has an idea, and he's urging the NFL to seriously consider it.

"Making 5,000 to 10,000 upper deck seats available at a more reasonable rate than the current $500 price would be fair and the right thing to do," explained Ciattarelli. "To avoid the exorbitant ticket prices charged by scalpers in the secondary market, the league could easily institute the same non-transferable stipulation it has for the seats it is raffling."

The NFL has already committed to raffling off 1,000 of the $500 priced tickets. Those winners will have to pick up the non-transferable tickets on the day of the game and will be unable to leave the stadium after getting them. The system ensures the tickets can't be scalped.

"Attending this spectacular event shouldn't be reserved for the affluent or force the everyday working man and woman to shell out so much for a ticket," said Ciattarelli. "This is a perfect opportunity for the NFL to say 'thank you' to the truly passionate fans that sustain the league year after year after year."

An NFL official was recently quoted in a USA Today report saying that that the New Jersey/New York market warrants higher ticket prices because the area is more densely populated than other Super Bowl venues.  It also has a high concentration of wealthy corporations and people, and a well-established tradition of clientele willing to pay exorbitant prices for marquee events.