The history of the Bell Game is varied, but goes back to 1969 and has taken on a life of its own, Elliott said. The schools compete yearly to keep the bell on their campuses. The schools themselves have a strong rivalry, partly because they are similar academically and athletically, Elliott said.
“It’s such a big rivalry. It goes back to the first year Edison opened,” said Greg Leonard, a Fountain Valley alumnus. “This year is really something special. That’s why it’s in such high demand.”
Tickets for the Bell Game sold out in only two hours after Edison opened sales to the public and in six hours at Fountain Valley. Edison had opened ticket sales up exclusively to students the day before. The tickets then turned up on Craigslist for as much as $55. The school sells adult tickets for $8. Officials said the tickets were sold on Craigslist by both parents and students. Both schools said it was unfortunate, but it isn’t illegal for someone to sell them there.
“We technically have no jurisdiction on Craigslist,” said Jessica Krimker, the Fountain Valley vice president of activities.
The schools can only take action if the tickets are being resold on campus, officials said.
“It’s truly unethical and very, very said,” Elliott said.
Elliott said he has had parents call him with problems after buying tickets from scalpers. Parents bought tickets on the Fountain Valley side and wanted to get them moved to the Edison side, or to exchange student tickets for adult tickets.
Tickets sold at each school are for exclusively that school’s side. Fountain Valley and Edison students are not allowed to mix during the game for security reasons.
