Let’s face it, the Super Bowl has evolved into a colossal economic event. From hotels, to commercials, to ticket sales, it dwarfs every other sports event by a mile. And when it comes to the reselling of tickets, the melding of technology and the law of supply and demand have created a buying frenzy nothing short of “shock and awe.” This years average ticket price? $4,322!

Here’s the breakdown: University of Phoenix Stadium will seat 75,000 for Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots and Giants each received 17.5 percent of the available tickets. After the teams dealt with their own needs (key sponsors, owners and others), each held ticket lotteries to distribute the remaining tickets to their season ticket holders. Usually, Super Bowl teams weight the lottery based on the number of years someone has been a season ticket holder. The Cardinals received 5 percent for hosting the game. The other 29 NFL teams split 34.8 percent of the tickets. Most tickets allotted to individual teams are shared with corporate sponsors and season-ticket holders. The NFL offices retained 25.2 percent of the seats, most of which end up with sponsors and league officials. The 1,000 tickets made available to the public come out of the league’s share.

Face value for Super Bowl XLII tickets is $700 and $900, but “Street” or resell prices surge close to $4,000. Asking prices for tomorrow’s game range from $2,450 to $19,446 at StubHub, a unit of eBay Inc. and the biggest of the online resellers. Officials there say the average price so far is $4,300 for tickets that the National Football League originally priced at either $700 or $900.

How much did tickets cost for Super Bowl I? $6 and $12. And the Los Angeles Coliseum, the host of Super Bowl I, wasn’t even sold out that first Super Sunday when the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs!

So most of us will be watching the game from the comfort of our living rooms on big screen TVs. We’ll have better seats, instant replay, cheaper beer and better company. Is it the same as being there? Of course not. But we won’t have to mortgage our homes to enjoy the game, either.

How do I predict the game will end? Well, I never predict. But after the Patriots win their fourth Super Bowl in seven years and become only the second team in National Football League history to finish an entire NFL season undefeated (Dolphins in 1972, 17-0), I’ll collect my winnings and talk about the game with dear friends while we sip a little wine and perhaps light up a fine Cuban. Later, Dawn and I will drive home, about a 25 minute trip, and think, ever so briefly and with a smile, about the poor fools who paid a big chunk of their annual salaries to see the game at UP Stadium and are now stuck in two hours of heavy traffic trying to get back to their hotels. Yes, life is good.