More proof on why Rich is the best Jet beat writer June 20, 2008 Season ticket shakedown: Your Jets-to-English guide A friend of mine, a Jets season ticket holder, forwarded me a copy of the survey that has been sent to season-ticket holders (and those on the wait list). The subject is, of course, the new stadium. In the preamble, the Jets say they want to ?gauge your interest in purchasing season tickets to the New Meadowlands Stadium ? Your answers will help the Jets determine the best way to sell tickets to the new stadium.? That, loyal Jets fans, is a bunch of bull. This survey is simply a public-relations ploy by the team, a so-called attempt to show the fan base that it really cares what you think about the pricing structure for season tickets. Don?t buy it. This is the club?s way of trying to soften the blow for the inevitable news: Prepare to pay for a personal seat license (PSL) if you want a tiny piece of Woody?s new house. The alleged survey is filled with double talk. Here?s a breakdown of what the Jets are saying versus what they really mean: ?PSLs have been sold in virtually every new stadium built in the past 15 years as a way of paying for the construction costs. For example, the Dallas Cowboys have announced a PSL program with prices ranging (from) $2,000 to $12,000 for general-admission seats and from $16,000 to $150,000 for club seats.? Translation: If Jerry Jones can squeeze his fan base for that kind of dough, you can bet the Jets are planning to charge at least that much here in the nation?s biggest city. In other words, a family with four season tickets at the low end of the PSL scale would have to shell out at least 8 Gs for the right to purchase their season tickets. Ouch! ?The Jets have taken a substantial amount of debt to finance the construction of the new $1.3 billion stadium. Like other teams that have built stadiums in the recent past, the Jets are required to pay back this construction debt quickly.? Translation: Actually, some believe the cost will come in around $1.5 billion, but don?t shed any tears for the Jets and Giants. This week, MetLife and Anheuser Busch ponied up to be ?cornerstone? sponsors at the stadium, which means they?ve each agreed to pay an estimated $8 million per year for at least 12 years. There will be two more cornerstone sponsors, meaning they?ll be raking in roughly $32 million a year. Plus, the naming rights for the stadium are expected to fetch about $25 million a year. Over a 10-year span, that?s approximately $570 million in corporate revenue. That, no doubt, will ease the burden for those construction debts. In addition, the teams received $150 million each from the NFL in a G-3 loan, but that?s basically ?free? money because neither team has to re-pay the loan out of its pocket. The money comes from the visiting team?s share of the club seating. Not a bad deal, eh? ?The Jets are surveying different types and terms of Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs) as one of the ways to help achieve this requirement. A PSL is an asset, like a taxi medallion, that is purchased in addition to the ticket that gives the holder ownership of the seat. This holder can then sell the seat license in the future, including for any profit, to someone else if the holder no longer wishes to purchase season tickets.? Translation: A profit? Right. You?ve got a better chance of buying a $3 gallon of gas. Selfishly, the most troubling part of this whole thing is the section on ?Coaches Club? seating. In the survey/brochure that was e-mailed, it explains that ticket holders in the Coaches Club will have access to the postgame interview room, among other perks. (For $6,250 per year for a single ticket - the price quoted in the mailing - I?d hope they throw in a personal limo to the game.) ?After the game, you?ll want to grab a microphone to ask Coach a question at the postgame press conference, which takes place inside the Coaches Club,? it reads. They can?t be serious, can they? Not entirely.Turns out the big-spending fans will be behind a glass, creating the effect of the ?Today? show set. That type of set-up might work for Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, but they?re in the entertainment business. We?re in the news-gathering business, and there shouldn?t be an audience. I don?t think Woody Johnson, or the stockbrokers and lawyers that buy these overpriced seats, would want a bunch of reporters hanging out in their boardrooms and court rooms while they do their jobs, would they? I digress. Back to the main issue: The escalating cost to attend a football game. Pretty soon, the middle-class fan will be priced out of the stadium, and that?s not right - especially in today?s economy. I understand this will be the most expensive stadium in the country, and I understand it?s all privately financed, but they?re going to lose a lot of diehard fans. That stinks. Jets fans should voice their displeasure by calling the ticket office (516-560-8200) or writing a letter: 1000 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY, 11550-1099. Speak now ? or be prepared
for a family of 4 to spend 8K for their psls is very cheap and doable for most fans the psl fees can be spread out over 5 years ----so its only 400/year
Huh. Dude that's $1600 per year for 5 years not including the price of tickets or parking. What family of 4 are you talking about, " The Bloombergs"
Wait PSL's don't include the tickets? Hopefully I will be able to attend one Jets game at the new stadium.
My buddy, who is working with with Jets in the ticket department told me the PSL deal for my section at least. I'm in Section 314, Row 14, in Giant Stadium. He said in the new stadium the PSL would be about $6,000 per seat. And then $165 per seat per game. I have a feeling he's a little off on the per game prices as the it would be more than double the price per game.
THIS IS FUCKIN' UNBELIEVABLE! THESE UNGRATEFUL COCKSUCKERS ARE KILLING THE SPORT! let's see how full this stadium is in the late november, and december games, when all these corporate faggots who are going to the game on thier companies dime, are too cold to sit outside and watch a 4-8 team battle for the #1 pick in the draft!
the reality of the situation is this, the people that done pay the PSL's, there will be a guy right behind him willing to pay it, even if it is a "Corporate faggot"
I feel your pain. I was at the Stadium today to watch the Red Bulls... between the new stadium which is directly correlated with me losing my season tickets, and the giant 2007 New York Giants World Champions! poster plastered on the side of Giants stadium... it was a very sobering and sad sight. Thank you Woody Johnson for nothing. Bring us a Super Bowl or go to hell.
I am in section 314, row 9, and if are seats are 6k per seat then can you imagine the PSL price for tickets inside the 30's or lower sections. I am done at 6k.... done
What I don't understand is how are they going to allow TWO sets of fans purchase PSLs for the same seat in the same stadium and then WHO gets the rights to the seats for any other event? Makes no sense.
No one has the rights to other events. The PSL is for one teams games and that's it. No other events.
Yeah, I can imagine. The Jets actually moved my seats over this season. I use to be in section 336, Row 16 for the last 15 years or so. But I requested better seats last season and they gave me them for this season, 2 sections over, 3 rows down. Not much of an upgrade, but i'll take it.
