Six years ago on a lark, I signed up for the Washington Redskins season ticket waiting list. I was No. 90,000-something and figured maybe I would move up in time to take my future grandchildren to a game.
My how time flies.
The letter recently came for the real general admission tickets, not the premium seats I’ve been offered since day one. They’ll probably be in the upper part of the upper deck, but theyare real season tickets.
Now comes the hard part — do I buy them?
Sports writers never pay — so I usually don’t know what tickets cost. But over the years, I’ve bought single game tickets for family so I learned they’re not cheap. I even sat in the stands with my youngest daughter for the 2004 season-ender, the only time I have ever seen a Redskins game from the stands.
The Redskins letter says I can buy six tickets and the first 500 customers get a 75th anniversary commemorative poster.
Wow! They have at least 500 seats available? Kinda shows the cracks in the franchise when only a handful use to turn over in past years. Granted, this is a 91,000-seat stadium, but that’s still surprising.
Naturally, there’s a financial catch. It wouldn’t be Dan Snyder’s team otherwise. You have to pay $50 per seat deposit that applies to tickets if you buy them, but isn’t refundable if you hate the seats. Don’t like sitting behind a pole? Too bad. Come on — that’s a bit greedy.
For those of you not smarter than a fifth grader, two season tickets at $70 each times 10 games is $1,400. Throw in taxes and parking and it’s about $2,000 just to watch. Naturally, you’re going to eat so figure $3,000 overall for the season.
OK, $3,000 isn’t pocket money, but it’s not completely unreasonable. It would buy four season tickets in the bleachers for the Nationals’ 81 home games plus parking and concessions, but who has time to go to 81 games?
I’m a native Washingtonian who never saw a game live until covering the 1991 playoffs. Getting tickets at RFK Stadium meant knowing someone.
Today, there are 35,000 more seats plus eBay and other Internet sales. If you want to go to a game, you can. Parking passes are harder to get than tickets.
I nearly wrote the check, figuring my now grown children could attend games and keep the tickets in the family for the next generation. But then, the thought of giving Snyder my money was too much. He’ll just blow it on another overpriced free agent.
Put me back at the rear of that supposed 100,000-plus list, Dan. Maybe next time around I’ll feel differently.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
