I recently read a blog post by DC Pro Sports Report ( http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/326435-snyders-holds-the-line-on-tickets-but-perhaps-he-should-cut ) that really touched on an issue I have had with the Redskins organization for 2 years now.
I have been a season ticket holder with my best friend for 2 years now and I have to say it is the most agonizing thing I have ever done. The fun wore off after about 6 games.
We have had to watch 16 regular season games of agony, rising ticket costs (until this year), rising food and drink costs ($9 beers, $8 hot dogs, $9 for a Phillips' Crab pretzal, $8 coffee, etc...), the removal of a pre-game concert that was exclusive to club level seat owners, removal of contests during the game, less access to players before the game (you used to be able to get close enough to the players lot to get autographs, now they have the barricades so far back that only kind souls like London Fletcher or Todd Yoder will take the time to acknowledge fans now), and a on top of that did I mention a mediocre football team?
As DC Pro Sports Report states the Skins were 28 out of 32 teams in the league as far as experience. This is absolutely horrendous for a team that is beloved by their city. This city barely pays attention to the only winning team here, the Washington Capitals, and every year it builds up false hope for the Redskins. We buy into the hype. We buy into the mediocre players. We buy into it because we are gullible.
I do not feel that the report stating they are holding ticket prices is enough. I feel they need to lower the costs. They are too high to start with, the contracts are way too restrictive, and the costs at the game are too much.
Take this into consideration.
A dad wants to take his son to a game. Here is a typical rundown of costs.
- 2 upper level 400 section tickets - $75 each = $150
- Parking (assuming he buys an orange lot pass) - $50
- 2 hot dogs - $8 each = $16
- 2 souvenier sodas - $6 each = $12
- 1 popcorn - $5
- GameDay program - $10
- 2 cookies - $8
- Redskins hat for son - $20
Total expected cost for a typical day of fun: $271 not including any tips or taxes assuming this is all they buy. If the kid wants chicken fingers the cost is $10 instead of $8 for a hotdog. Assume they only want one soda per game, which if it is an early season game the heat is too much for one soda.
With the economy in the pits and most people pinching money as it is to spend $271 for one day of sports fun is hard to swallow.
What are your thoughts? They don't need to be just about the Redskins. I would like to know about other teams as well.
Maria Kirilenko
Kim Cloutier.jpg)
College Superfans
SI's Pictures of the Week
Comments (7) Add A Comment
The one problem with your arguement is that people pay that $271. And when one person won't, another will step up. In Philly, the Eagles actually tried to stop people from bringing in hoagies and such, claiming it was for security reasons. The team was fried in the media and eventually the team gave up. Professional sports owners will do as much as they can get away with, including duping people into buying the right sit in a stadium (PSLs) before they even buy a ticket. Me personally, have never been to an Eagles game and enjoy watching it with my kids at home with my fifty cent soda and my microwavable popcorn. If more people were willing to forgo the stadium experience, then things might change. Otherwise fans have to **** and take what they get.
The Sports Simpleton
Willingboro , NJ
Total Comments (412)
And I should point out, in the 400 section it's $79 (plus 10% tax, for roughly $87) per ticket. I know this because my brother has season tix, and that's what I gotta pay HIM every time I go with him (which is about 2-3 times a year).
But I agree they should be ROLLING BACK the price(s), in this economy. But we both know that WON'T be happening any time soon...
DC Sports Nut: Nats,…
Total Comments (2558)
Sounds like Dodger Stadium...I feel your pain
rizzo74
Total Comments (40)
I haven't been to a game with my dad in 15 years but I still remember everything about that game. I remember booing Deion Sanders on and off the field with that stupid doo rag on his head. The only player in a 49er uniform with his helmet off running onto the field....anyway, my point is that I can tell you what we had for lunch, the score, how the players played, how the field smelled, what it was like to met Ken Harvey. I'll bet my dad can remember all those things but doesn't have a clue as to how much he paid for it. Point is, that you are paying for an experience that you can't get anywhere else. I know it is expensive but it has always been expensive.
During these hard times, everyone needs to stop and smell the Phillips crab pretzels (which are probably the greatest thing ever to grace the palet). These times are the most important to get away and remember that everything will get better.
Just a thought.
yourmomlikesfannatio…
Charlotte , NC
Total Comments (425)
People will pay it but the issue is the product on the field and in the stands is not worth it. Also how many of those people are paying it but truly cannot afford it? What I mean is that money should be used in other areas of their lives.
But I am not one who wants to tell people how to spend their money. I am more for Dan Snyder doing two things.
1. Putting a product on the field that is worth the money
2. Creating prices that are more fan friendy. If you lower the price of tickets to $50 in the upper levels that is a lot more beer or hot dogs people can buy at high profit margins.
homercles82
Spotsylvania , VA
Total Comments (343)
Snyder didn't get rich being a idiot. If you wanna play, you gotta pay!
Dog of War
Total Comments (1629)
I don't know. Recent history would suggest that he became fabulously wealthy despite being a huge idiot. I swore off the Redskins stadium experience after one trip to FedEx Field four seasons ago. Never again. I'm not sure I would even take the enormous amount of time out of my Sunday to brave the trip there and back.
I agree that there will always be people willing to take my place (especially around D.C. where nothing beats the Skins' fan base). I suspect though that as the memory of the 1991-2 Championship season fades further and further from memory and the coaching carousel continues (+1 for alliteration), more people will stay home. Personally I think the best thing that could happen to Snyder and therefore the Redskins would be to suffer the humiliation of camera shots showing huge pockets of empty seats on a national broadcast. Maybe then he'll stop paying for much attention to marketing and a little more to building a championship-caliber team.
eightyeight
Annapolis , MD
Total Comments (124)
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.