Comments on: 'Skins sold seats directly to scalpers

By: Slug

Slug — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:50:51 +0000

Statement from the team:
From Redskins General Counsel David Donovan: “The bottom line is, tickets got into the hands of brokers in violation of our longstanding policy to make tickets directly available only to our fans. When the Redskins discovered the abuse, broker contracts were terminated. Employees in the ticket office were disciplined and some were fired. We’ve taken steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
This is good to hear.

By: Philadeagles

Philadeagles — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:22:45 +0000

@jamaltimore…you are so right. I went there to watch Philly kick that a$$. The video board looked like they stole someone’s 25″ console TV.
Traffic was horrendous, parking was worse and then when the Foreskins blew the 4th qtr lead and lost…dumb Foreskin fans wanted to fight. Fortunately, I’m a law abiding citizen and didn’t toss the old lady like Pedro did to Don Zimmer!

By: Fire_Reid

Fire_Reid — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:21:43 +0000

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES

By: SteelTown6

SteelTown6 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:59:46 +0000

“…footballnut says: September 2, 2009 12:14 PM
@SteelTown6. I was thinking this as I made my earlier post and almost wanted to take back what I said, but the league knows how great of a TV sport they have anyway…”
Exactly. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe it must really chaff the owner’s butts when they can’t sell all their tickets. but their games are being shown, more or less, for free on TV – at least… for now.

By: Jackal138

Jackal138 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:18:12 +0000

# ☻☼CBS, FOX, ESPN, NFLN nbc says: September 2, 2009 1:46 AM
The Redskins will win the NFC east.
———————
Wow, I thought the only crime being reported here was the scalping. Officer, I have a first degree felony assault against logic and reason taking place in this thread.

By: footballnut

footballnut — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:14:36 +0000

@SteelTown6. I was thinking this as I made my earlier post and almost wanted to take back what I said, but the league knows how great of a TV sport they have anyway.
You’re right, they will find a way in about 10 years or so to get virtually all of their games in a higher cable package, PPV as you stated, etc.
I was looking to see how long the network contracts with Fox, NBC and ESPN go for as nothing can be changed until then…maybe Florio can elaborate on this particular subject.

By: Horatio

Horatio — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:11:05 +0000

Snyder was livid, sure…but he was livid that the story got out in the first place. Trust me, one of those “disciplined” parties will spill their beans on this Napoleonic dictator of an owner.

By: hayward giablommi

hayward giablommi — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:46:19 +0000

@ Mangy66:
You obviously have not been on PFT very long.
If the Boston Globe ever publishes an article about the Patriots scalping tickets directly, and a high level executive makes a public statement about it, you can bet your bottom dollar that will PFT beat the horse’s dead rotting corpse to a bloody pulp. See camera hunt.
Until that happens, though, what you mention is all hearsay. With that said, for all the good Kraft has done, I cringe at what he has turned the gameday experience into, from ticket buying to parking to the gestapo-like security force prowling Gillette Stadium.

By: Mangy66

Mangy66 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:07:47 +0000

FYI…got a friend in Boston that does ticket scalping on the side.
Guess which beloved team of Florio and the NFL does the same exact thing?
Pretty sure if it was the Patriots getting caught…it wouldn’t be as demonized…especially on PFT.

By: Branephood

Branephood — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:02:41 +0000

Another reason to annoit this team as the scum of the NFL.

By: golongboyee

golongboyee — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:00:01 +0000

Redskins should be happy they can sell tickets AT ALL!

By: jamaltimore

jamaltimore — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:41:23 +0000

Gameday experience at Fedex is worst in the league!!! Only the true, drunk and idiotic freakin skins fans go there on a consistent basis. He has to sell them to anybody who will take them. Heck half the people who own the seats give them away to friends because they are sick of the effort and hassle it takes to get to the stadium.
He needs to tear the monstrosity down and move back to DC.

By: SteelTown6

SteelTown6 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:52:22 +0000

footballnut says: September 2, 2009 9:24 AM
..the NFL has a great TV product and HDTV has only enhanced this…”
Agreed, it’s become better, unfortunately, it’s also becoming harder to obtain.
I figure that in my lifetime, every sporting event will only be available on TV as a Pay-Per-View product. We’re halfway there now, with rising ticket prices, local blackouts, games being broadcast only on the NFL Network, etc. Consider, why stop at charging people $300+ a season for
NFL Sunday Ticket, when you can command say, $45 a pop for each game? Not much difference.
It’s coming, just as soon as the league’s legal advisers can figure out how to navigate the minefield of antitrust laws.

By: danj0306

danj0306 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:35:30 +0000

Lawsuit on the way…. Washington is responsible for that and they need to reimburse those fans that purchased tickets for more than face value the difference. Even though they did not sell the ticket for higher value, it was their fault it happened.

By: footballnut

footballnut — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:24:56 +0000

Most, if not all teams and not just in the NFL do this…
I know Kraft does this for ACE Ticket here in NE. They then turn around and resell those tix for about a 200% mark up and claim it’s for handling fees, etc.
I just choose not to pay more than face value for a ticket and if I don’t get that option, I don’t go. I’ve said this time and time again and I know others have mentioned it as well, the NFL has a great TV product and HDTV has only enhanced this.
This is another reason why I myself hate the bandwagon fans here in NE as the beginning of every 3rd quarter you see tons of empty seats between the 35 yard lines (as the wine and cheese crowd is getting their Merlot) as the opposing team will drive and there isn’t enough crowd noise, but alas I digress.

By: Samuel L. Bronkowitz

Samuel L. Bronkowitz — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:21:50 +0000

“Donovan said that the employees responsible for the sales have been disciplined.”
“disciplined” = promoted and praised for their brilliant work

By: hayward giablommi

hayward giablommi — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:05:52 +0000

deymond says:
…from an economics standpoint, it is imperative for the league that these tickets be sold for the highest prices the market will bear. If the Redskins selling tickets at face value instead of a higher price people are willing to pay, they’re not only hurting their own bottom line, they’re hurting the other 31 teams…
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is absolute garbage. That kind of mentality is what brought you tickets priced at $2,600 FOR A SINGLE GAME at Yankee Stadium this year. Not only did the Yankees follow this ‘rape and pillage the fans’ economic theory, but more than half of these front row seats sit empty every single game.

By: frox

frox — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:50:31 +0000

I’m sure someone else mentioned this, but this is pretty crazy because teams are using the prices on the secondary market as a reason to increase their ticket prices. So now the teams are selling them directly to the brokers instead of the fans? I believe this is total BS because what one person will pay to see one game should not determine what someone pays for the entire season ticket package. Plenty of people might shell out $200 to see their favorite team when they are in town once every four years. This does not mean the tickets should be priced at $200 if you want your fans to be there. Most of the people that pay the big bucks are fans of the opposing teams. So the price they pay, should not result in higher prices for the loyal, hometown fans. Eventually, you are going to price out the fans and the atmosphere at the stadium will be dramatically different.

By: CowboyHokie

CowboyHokie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:50:30 +0000

The mamagement denial is too funny.
Auditors R O C K

By: east96st

east96st — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:47:12 +0000

From the late 80s all the way thru 2000, I had nice, but not great, season tickets for the Knicks. Once Cablevision took over MSG and the Knicks started to play well and watching Micheal Jordan was a national pastime, I started getting phone calls at home (an unlisted number BTW) from scalpers. Wonder 1) how it is they knew I was a season ticket holder 2) how they got my unlisted number 3) why were scalpers so aggressive despite the fact that scalping was illegal in NYC at the time. If a ticket is in demand, someone in the ticket office is getting a bribe. All sports, all venues, all the time. I’m no fan of the Skins, but to act like this is something unusual or that Washington operates any differently than any other pro team is just naive.

By: RagnartheViking

RagnartheViking — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:43:46 +0000

You know what they should do?
Sell stock in the team, so a pathetic fan base can run around and say I “own” part of the Packers.
Sell worthless pieces of paper to morons and laugh all the way to the bank!
My biggest belly laugh with the 1st Favre retirement, was the idiots yelling”I’m a stock holder and I demand Favre be let back”
Truly, truly 1 of the funniest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

By: bake

bake — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:35:56 +0000

I still don’t understand why they didn’t blitz tom brady more in that 52-7 loss. It was obvious they couldn’t handle the recievers, pressure was what was called for……….
And by the way, zorn RUN THE BALL, PLEASE, qiut asking campbell to throw to lorenzo alexander

By: Bigbluefan

Bigbluefan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:04:40 +0000

He is a clue it is called business if there is someone willing to pay then they will be sold at a higher price
While I am surprised that anyone would pay extra to see the red skanks if some ahole goverment worker whos feeding at the taxpay table gets screwed who cares.
When the goverment does it we call it taxes when its done in business its called scalping

By: Football Fan

Football Fan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:57:57 +0000

They probably knew back then that they would be signing Haynesworth to a $100 million deal and thought that would be the only way to fund the money before free agency.

By: hotchick

hotchick — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:54:31 +0000

The amount of money made scalping is not worth the effort risk to the organizations. Its a different story for the salaried employee in the ticket office.
The pro scalpers have their methods. It used to be pay off the guy running the machine at Ticketron to print out the best tickets before selling anything to the people in line.
Then it began get envelopes to the guy filling the orders in the mail order lottery.
Then it became pay a bunch of kids a few bucks to sit in line overnight. Then when they tried to fix that with lotteries it became pay more kids to show up just before the lottery so the scalpers odds of being first were great.
Now the scalpers have computer programs to swarm the on-line sales, and we know have to type that stupid word on ticketmaster.
So yes the scalpers are going to pay a ticket office worker a few bucks to sell him tickets via outside channels.
The scalpers know they will get tickets. Sometimes even through legit channels. But yes, also through channels the general public does not have access.
The tix they adveretise before an on-sale are typically bait and switch tickets. The ads for Springsteen tickets in NJ during the May onsale had tickets listed at scalper sites for rows and sections that didn’t even exist. But the buyer calls and is told those tickets are gone, but I have these or give me your number and I’ll call you when I have what you want. Its rare they have the tickets in hand before the public on sale.
I’ve listed NFL tickets on EBay for games I knew I wasn’t going to before my season tickets were in hand.
But do the math on what the GA Skins tickets face value is, what they sold for, and how many tickets were involved, and ask yourself if its worth it for a billion dollar enterprise?

By: steelerfan9598

steelerfan9598 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:37:15 +0000

Gotta appreciate the irony of the REDSKINS being caught SCALPING.

By: wvugrad00

wvugrad00 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:25:07 +0000

I was wondering how long it would take for some one accuse the Eagles of doing the sme thing. Fans have been complaining about it for years, especially when they contracted StubHub to be their “Official Resellers” of secondary tickets.
Everyone does this, and the only surprise is that it actually came out

By: callmecougar

callmecougar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:48:50 +0000

Anyone that spends their hard earned money on the NFL is a dipshit. You are helping ot supplement the incomes of some of the biggest a-holes on the planet.

By: Raider Pride

Raider Pride — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:35:11 +0000

Mr. Florio.
Do the right thing….
Send “Florios_a_tool” A copy of your book.
“Florios_a_tool” wrote the comment……
“Redskins? Scalpers? I detect just a hint of racist, profiling glee in your article.”
NOW that is creative, interesting, and just a brilliant COMMENT.
It made me laugh, It made me cry, It made me jump up with cheer.
TWO THUMBS UP For “Floios_A_Tool”

By: Choirdrunk

Choirdrunk — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:14:33 +0000

Venue owners (and, if not the venue owners then their ticket sellers) have been doing this nonstop for 150 years. The only company that had any success stopping the process was P.T. Barnum and the lengths he went to were ridiculously expensive at the time.
If Snyder was genuinely livid then he’s dumber than I thought. Every NFL ticket office has employees that do this to supplement their income.
It reminds me of the scene in Casablanca: “I’m shocked, SHOCKED to find gambling in this establishment.”