When StubHub, the online secondary ticket marketplace, burst onto the sports scene in 2000, it was welcomed by fans and professional sports teams alike as a secure place to purchase tickets outside of the evil Ticketmaster monopoly. The StubHub service has been wildly popular, raising tens of millions of dollars in venture capital, and being acquired by eBay in 2007.

Today, StubHub has formal sponsorships with sports teams from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA, along with deals from all teams in MLB, MLS, and the CFL. The partnerships seemed to make sense, with fairly obvious benefits: an option for season ticket holders to unload unwanted tickets, a chance for any fan to attend a “must-see” sporting event regardless of the demand, a somewhat controlled secondary market that helps sweep those unsavory ticket sellers on your arena corner partially under the rug, and of course, the revenue. However, a recent experience trying to sell two of my own tickets has me seriously questioning whether StubHub’s connections with professional sports teams have turned out to be what the leagues had intended....