PSLs a ripoff, but a reality

by Ed Valentine on Jul 19, 2008 7:00 AM EDT in News Comment 8 comments

This is not a topic I like, or that I want to spend a lot of time on, but I feel like I have to devote at least one post to the PSL (personal seat license) program the Giants will implement in their new stadium.

PSLs seem like a pure ripoff to me. Basically, the team is asking you to buy a license -- a pricey license at that -- to have the right to buy a pricey ticket.

I'm sure some of you guys out there are season ticket-holders, and some of you are probably a lot more irate about this -- and more knowledgeable -- than I am.

I'll be honest. I don't have season tickets, I'm not on the waiting list and I never will have season tickets. When I was young (many years ago) season tickets and the travel involved were beyond my parents' means.

Years ago I thought about trying to get on the waiting list, but it's so long I would never have a shot at tickets in my lifetime.

So, the whole PSL debate means very little to me personally. I'm sure it means a lot more to many of you than it does to me, and I certainly don't blame you for being upset about this.

Here are some details of the plan.

COST RANGE: $1,000 to $20,000
TERM: The life of the new stadium
PAYMENT PLAN: Three installments, ending March 1, 2010
TRANSFER TERMS: Fans can re-sell to the highest bidder.
If you don't buy season tickets, you lose the PSL.
Fans can request seats with cheaper PSL than current seat.
PSLs will gross $371 million toward construction cost.

So, here's your chance to vent about the reality of the PSLs. Use this thread to vent. I figured I had to address it, but really have little more to say on the matter.

Your thoughts?

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It's hard

to establish a real tradition when every 15 or twenty years a new stadium is built. I don’t think it is a coincidence that most of the sports teams with the greatest tradition have vintage ball parks. Would the Cubs be as exciting to watch if they didn”t have Wrigley Field? What about Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium?

Maybe we could be spared some of this pick pocketing by owners if we demanded a well built stadium that would stand the test of time.

by giant fan since 57 on Jul 19, 2008 7:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Stadiums

Owners will always want bigger and better, with more luxury boxes and more pandering to corporate greed. John Mara knows darn well that he has such a long waiting list for tickets that he can pretty much charge what he wants and someone will pay it.
BTW, funny you mentioned Yankee Stadium since they are tearing it down (stupidly) at the end of the season.

by Ed Valentine on Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i agree

that this new stadium every 20 years thing is frustrating, but there is a difference in the mystique of old ballparks compared to stadiums in other sports.

when watching a baseball game live, you’re there for the atmosphere just as much as you are there for the game. when i’m at a football or basketball game, all i’m concentrating on is the action on the field/court. in baseball, i just relax and soak in all the aura and the cathedral-like surroundings. that’s what makes Yankee Stadium, Fenway, or Wrigley so enjoyable.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Jul 19, 2008 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

forgot to add

college football or basketball is different than pro because they still hold their venues dear.

Cameron Indoor, Allen Fieldhouse, Notre Dame Stadium, The Horseshoe, Death Valley… all of those places are as revered as the old ballparks.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Jul 19, 2008 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I heard...

I’ve probably mentioned it before but I was at Yankee Stadium for the last game the Giants played there. It was against the Dolphins and I got a chance to see Paul warfield and a bunch of other stars on both sides of the ball, including Spider Lockhart, who made an incredible interception.

But think about it. The Cowboys, Pats, and Giants have each had two new stadiums in the last 30 years or so. I guess money trumps tradition, eh?

by giant fan since 57 on Jul 19, 2008 9:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was excited

about the new stadium till I heard about the PSL’s. My uncle has 8 season tickets, 4 on each side of the stadium, right around the 45 yard line on each side. They are high up, but amazing seats. His father originally got season tickets in the early 50’s, and they’ve never given them up: my uncle has missed 2 games in his entire life, once for his wedding and once when he had just moved to Florida: he hated missing the game so much that for the next 2 years that he lived there he flew home every Sunday of a home game. I usually get to one or two games a year through him, and its going to suck when they move to the new stadium, b/c he’s not gonna be able to afford to keep any more than 2 of the seats, so I probably won’t be able to get tickets from him anymore.

Have the Jets decided if they’re doing PSL’s yet? Last I heard they weren’t gonna be using them, which really sucks for Giants fans, that the other team in the SAME STADIUM isn’t fleecing their fans, who haven’t been around half as long as Giants fans. Definitely takes Mara down a few notches in my book.

by cjmulrain on Jul 19, 2008 1:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Investors???

Please, they have to be kidding. If the organization truly can’t afford the new stadium or find suitable financing, why not go to investors??? There are certainly companies/individuals out there w/ deep pockets who would love to get a piece of this great franchise.

Once it is built, they will be making money by the truckload! It is ridiculous to put this on the backs of loyal, hard working Giants fans.

As you said, correctly, in your post, they are charging fans for the right to charge them more later. I love the Giants, they have always been one of the classiest teams in sports, but this is a disgrace!

http://www.myteamrivals.typepad.com/newyorkgiants

by myteamrivals on Jul 19, 2008 3:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This isn't too different

than what many major college football programs have been doing for decades. However, it’s always been cloaked as a “yearly donation” to the program. Unless you make a certain level of donation, you will either get really crappy seats or you won’t get the opportunity to purchase season tickets at all. A friend of mine makes a $1,000 donation every year for his 2 season tickets. How successful has this program been? Well, Nebraska has sold out every home game since November 3, 1962 for a 81,000 seat stadium that broke ground in 1923.

by rzor on Jul 21, 2008 9:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs