Sports marketing experts say the Redskins’ practice of marketing seats to former and would-be season ticket holders while still touting a decades-long season ticket wait list can damage the team’s credibility. “It’s spin,” said Susan Goodell, vice president of Baltimore communications firm Warschawski. “What’s the difference between the tickets available and season tickets — they don’t tell you.”
Other teams are more forthcoming with their fans. The Baltimore Ravens, for example, have capped the number of Permanent Seat Licenses at 62,000 for a 73,000-seat stadium, and a waiting list to buy a PSL from the team at face value is closed out with 3,000 people in line.
The team reserves several thousand tickets per game to sell at face value to fans; however those tickets typically sell out for the season within hours.
FedEx Field also boasts a home sellout record that dates back to the 1960s. Yet in recent seasons the stadium has not filled up for every game, or opposing fans have grabbed large numbers of tickets, embarrassing longtime fans with their raucous cheers.
For the Redskins, making money is the measure of the team’s success, Goodell said.
“They think, ‘As long as people come and buy tickets, I’m good,’ ” she said. “For the brand, it’s very clearly obvious that when half of the stadium is rooting for the opposing team, your brand isn’t emotionally relevant.”
