On March 18, I posted a story about Harold Oshinsky, the angry NFL fan suing both the New York Giants and Jets regarding the personal seat licenses at the future stadium of both franchises.
It appears thousands of other fans have no problem with the PSLs.
The New York Times and several other news outlets reported that the Giants have sold over 70,000 PSLs at the stadium that will open in 2010. The report states that the unsold PSLs cost between $7,500 and $20,000 per PSL (depending on the location of the seat).
Despite the struggling economy and the nervousness that comes with it, John Mara (co-owner of the New York Giants) believes that all of the remaining PSLs/tickets will be sold before the first game of the 2010 NFL regular season. Mara was quoted as saying “we have a year and a half to go (before the stadium opens).” The new stadium will seat 82,500 fans.
It's often said that the best way sports fans can protest anything going on with their favorite team(s) is with their wallets. For all of the complaining I heard on WFAN and 1050 ESPN Radio, this story comes as no surprise to me. When push comes to shove, there are tens of thousands of Giants (and NFL) fans that are willing to pony up the dough in order to see their favorite team live and in person.
The Harold Oshinskys of the world are the minority. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I believe that Mr. Oshinsky's lawsuit will go nowhere. Still, he's one of few fans that I've read about who is actually doing something rather than crying and moaning while writing a check to the Giants/Jets at the same time.
I'm no millionaire so I'm not a fan of the PSLs. With that said, the "New York Times" story just shows me that Mr. Mara and company are brilliant businessmen. These PSLs are not in any way keeping Giants fans from purchasing tickets. They are, in fact, generating the exact income that was expected.
What about you? Have you purchased a PSL? Are the PSLs keeping you from purchasing Giants/Jets season tickets? Let me know in the comments section.
Comments
I am purchasing 2 PSLs for the Giants. I would tell you that saying that there are fans that have "no problem" with paying the PSL fee is wildly inaccurate. That was in evidence when there was a loud and unanimous repudiation of Steve Tisch at halftime of the 2008 season opener. The majority of fans are paying the PSL fees because of one simple reason...we are attached to our tickets. But not only that, we are attached to something that has become more than just going to the games. I've been going to the games for about ten years. Over that ten years, the people who I have hooked up have become like family to me. Outside of games, we have been to important events in our lives. Weddings, funerals, christenings and parties. In fact, a great deal of my tailgating family made the trek from New Jersey to my 40th birthday party out on Long Island last year. Not the easiest journey to make on a Saturday afternoon/evening. It's kind of hard to let that go. Now the Giants have made that easier on me and a lot of us by only charging $1000 for a majority of the upper bowl seats, and it's not surprising that a lot of the unsold seats are in the lower bowl. But the Giants know that their customers have an attachment to their gameday experience. So much so that quite honestly, the game itself is secondary. My group was prepared to let it all go and find somewhere else to congregate on Sundays if the PSL fees were out of our range. But we are paying. We're not happy about it at all, but it's more about keeping our family together and doing something that we enjoy, rather than paying the Giants.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!