LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Muhammad Ali, who long ago began crafting the plan for his final tribute, insisted the tickets for his memorial service be free. But on Wednesday, after the tickets were handed out, some people looked to make a profit.
People started arriving outside the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville late Tuesday, hours ahead of the ticket distribution. The line stretched around the arena. Thousands of tickets for Ali’s memorial service Friday were claimed on a first-come, first-served basis in about an hour.
Many fans of the boxing great flashed smiles, and some danced, upon getting their four-ticket allotments to be part of history. Thousands of others left empty-handed.
Given the supply-and-demand factor for about 15,000 seats in the arena, some ticket holders immediately looked to cash in, going online offering to sell theirs.
Former President Bill Clinton, a longtime Ali friend, will eulogize the champ, who died last Friday at 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell denounced the profiteering.
“I’m personally disgusted and amazed that someone would try to profit off of Muhammad Ali’s memorial service,” he said.
“I hope that those buying tickets or trying to buy tickets would stop those efforts by not purchasing,” he added. “Muhammad Ali wanted this to be a free event, an event that was open to all.”
One of the people offering to sell tickets, when reached by phone, said a friend of his sold tickets to the memorial service. When asked for how much, he hung up.
Others posted online pleas to buy tickets. One wrote that he and his mother were driving in from Chicago for the service and were willing to pay $50 for two tickets.
Another wrote that he was flying in from California for the service and offered to pay someone $50 to stand in line for him for tickets to both the memorial service and the Jenazah, a traditional Muslim funeral being held Thursday in Louisville.
Thousands of free tickets were distributed this week for that event.
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