FanPost

A WARNING

It was a good exciting game, the Jets are lucky they won. But the game is over and I have no reason to be here except to warn you of the New York fans experience with PSL’s. I have posted this information on other threads, but included fan rah-rah stuff, which seemed to hide the importance of the warning. If you don’t care about this, it is no sweat off my a$$.

The owners of your team, like the owner of my team, only care about money, and they don’t care what goes on the field except to the extent it affects their pocketbook. Let's face it, we all like to think the owners are fans like us, we both want to win a SB, but their commitment reflects a financial interest which overrides all other concerns. This is particularly true when it comes to a new stadium. We all like shiny new toys, but sometimes the older toys are more serviceable for our use.

Like all older stadiums, I am sure you do not have PSL's now. A PSL (Personal Seat Licence) is a fee you pay in order to HAVE THE RIGHT to purchase a seat, even if you have been a season ticket holder for many years. It effects present ticket holders, as well as new ones. I am a Jet fan, and was a season ticket holder for more then 20 years. I no longer attend Jet games in person, because I could not afford to pay $20,000 for my four PSL’s which was the right to purchase my 4 season tickets. In addition, I would have to pay $4,000 each year for the tickets themselves, as I presently do. I do not mind paying $1,000 for a seat for the season, but $5,000 for the right to buy a seat is a bit much. And the experience is no better; you noticed if you watched the game, there was no roof over our 1.6 billion dollar stadium. Although I will admit the skyboxes are real nice if you have the 100's of thousands dollars to buy one.

A new stadium caters to the interests of upscale fans and corporate clients, for whom the cost is a tax write-off, as a business entertainment expense. The emphasis on an upscale clientele is reflected in the cost of all amenities, from the cost of a Hot Dog ($ 6) and Beer ($ 9.50), to the price of parking ($ 30). A new stadium means the regular, average blue-collar, fan can no longer afford to attend games in person. For less then the cost of one PSL, I have bought a 60 inch Hi-def TV, and watch the game at home with my family and friends. But I still miss the live stadium experience, and sharing it with my kids.

However, there is another worry. The NFL has a rule that if a game is not sold out four days before the game, the broadcast of the game will be blacked-out within a 75 mile radius of the stadium. I live in New York, which is a major market, and the networks have already stated they will buy any unsold tickets so no games will be blacked-out. But games have already been blacked-out this year in Tampa Bay and San Diego. I do not know if the networks consider you a major market.

You are a fan of your team. I am a fan of my team. But we are both fans. Am I bitter about this, yes I am. I am still a fan, and I can no longer enjoy the stadium experience. If you duplicate my experience, don’t cry you were not warned. If you do not believe me, please check this Link out. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2010/05/14/2010-05-14_woodys_psl_logic_tough_sell.html

We only play each other one time this year, and I harassed you as a fan, before the game. But that was not that important, it was all in good fun. However, preventing other fans from being screwed like me, is important. We are both fans, we are brothers.

The following you may disagree with, I know it will be controversial, but please be open-minded. The owners of Vikings have been trying to get a new stadium for at least the last five years, but in order to do so they need public money. Minny’s government has refused to give it to them. The only way a PSL program could be implemented, was if a new stadium was built. The value of the team would skyrocket. Since the elected government is so resistant, the owners feel their best hope is by using a public referendum.

The best way for the owners and the referendum to be successful, is to have a successful season. That is why they are going all out to reach the SB this year. That is why they offered Favre an extra 3-4 million dollars to come back this year. This year was seen as the best hope to win the SB. Yet, the offer to Favre was made even after the scandal allegations were first made public, on August 6, before the season begun. I believe the owners made no investigation, and the allegations were downplayed (covered up?). It was seen as a case of he-she said, since they believed after two years no proof existed. But, they never looked into the allegations, or contacted her, to see if there was any proof. They did nothing because they did not want to know, and they thought they had controlled the damage. They were confident their contacts with the local media meant the story had been, and would be, controlled. They were not interested in the truth, only their pocketbook. But they had to know if possible proof surfaced, it would cause a scandal, which could ruin the season. It was incumbent on the owners, that when the allegations were first made, a complete investigation should have been conducted. If one had been conducted the owners would have said so, and they would have said the allegations had no validity.

The owners wanted nothing to sully this season, they wanted their star Quarterback who would lead the team to the promised land of the Super Bowl. The owners hoped the "feel good" effect would make a successful result in a referendum much more likely, since not only would football fans support it, but the general public would also. The owners owe the Viking fans an apology for the possibility of a ruined season, which could have been avoided.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.