Are season tickets about to become one of the victims of the coming NFL labor dispute?
The Washington Redskins and fellow NFL teams sent renewal notices seemingly moments after the Super Bowl ended. They want their money for games that are at best six months away — games that, given the current negotiations, might not happen at all.
The greed never stops.
Who pays six to 10 months out for tickets — aside major concerts — especially for an event that might not occur (or even worse, features replacement players)? If you pay for Randy Travis and Travis Tritt walks on stage, hard feelings will follow. At least the Redskins offered ticket holders a refund or credit for 2012 tickets for any games that are wiped away.
Some fans are wavering, though. They want to see what happens March 4 when the collective bargaining agreement ends. If owners lock out players, some fans will lock out owners. Why send money to billionaires when they can’t promise to fulfill your order?
Some NFL teams struggled to fill seats last season. The recession isn’t over — no matter what mumbo jumbo government stats are released. It’s over when people return to work. It’s over when the public — one now stretched to pay the mortgage — feels free to spend money on games it can watch for free at home.
And that’s another threat to season tickets — affordable big screen, high-definition TVs. You’ll see more from your living room than from the stadium’s first row, beer won’t cost $8.50 and parking in your driveway isn’t $35. Hopefully it’s not raining or 20 degrees inside your home, either.
StubHub also makes season tickets archaic. You can buy Redskins tickets sometimes for less than face value via a secure company, attend games you want and skip the crummy preseason or meaningless late-season contests. The Redskins get a piece of this deal, by the way.
This isn’t little RFK Stadium anymore. FedEx Field has 91,000 seats. Tickets are always available online.
With all these options, why do people still pay ahead? Some ticket holders like knowing where they’ll sit. They might have great seats that aren’t easy to obtain through scalpers. And they live the dream that one day this franchise will be Super Bowl-bound again and want to be there to see it. There are still plenty of die-hard fans, too, plus those locked into long-term premium seat deals.
Bottom line: win and the stadium sells itself. Unfortunately, the Redskins’ persistent losing for nearly two decades has stretched the Burgundy Revolution to its brink.
The labor shutdown could be the final jolt to make season ticket holders put the renewal letter in a drawer and wait for the day a deal is done. Ironically, Wizards fans must be thinking the same thing as the NBA also faces a labor lockout this fall.
Preserving season tickets is just another reason for NFL owners to make the deal by March 4. Otherwise, some fans may not return.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
