PSLs: Dolla dolla bills ya’ll
-
- June
- 26
A little Wu Tang reference for all the old schoolers out there. But to business.The Giants will be charging season ticket holders a one-time fee of at least $1,000 to keep those tickets once the team moves to the new stadium, currently being constructed in East Rutherford, N.J. for the 2010 season. It’s called a Personal Seat License, and it’s becoming a popular way for NFL teams to finance new buildings.
So what does this mean for Jets season ticket holders?
The Jets are splitting construction costs with the Giants 50/50, and they don’t have any magical way to finance the debt for the $1.6 billion stadium any better.
So Jets fans, get out the checkbooks.
“We are currently studying the use of PSLs as a financing option for the new stadium,” Jets spokesperson Bruce Speight read from a prepared statement today. “We recently sent a survey to our season-ticket holders to explore a range of seating options, pricing structures payment terms and amenities.”
So the results are mostly in, and the Jets plan to study them and then release a payment structure.
One thing is certain; those prices will rise. Currently the cheapest seat is $750 for the Jets, $800 for the Giants. Stadium expert Neil deMause, author of “Field of Schemes,” said that new stadiums always mean more money, although given the recent success of the Giants they’ll be able to charge more.
“I imagine (the Jets) will have to use some kind of PSL but probably not the same,” deMause said. “They don’t have the 130,000 on the waiting list or the Super Bowl championship.”
In fact, the Jets had 10,500 people on the waiting list coming into this season. Those numbers mean that if a PSL is instituted, it may just be imposed on the better seats in the new 82,500-seat stadium. But given the costs and the debt, the Jets will have to ask fans to bear the costs of a shiny new seat.
One fan who got the survey was shocked by the prices being thrown around, “It’s tough to think about that when shelling out $5,000 for something that’s not tangible at the time.”
If not, there’s always the flat screen and DirecTV.
“There hasn’t been a stadium built in the last 20 years where the average ticket price didn’t go up,” deMause said.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 5:57 pm by Jane McManus.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Share and Enjoy: 
| 
Print
| 
Email
Jane McManus 
Money, money and more money. The Jets fans asked for a stadium in NYC and the Jets just couldn’t have it done, the fans that live in NY are paying so that NJ gets richer. So at the end it comes to what matters to some people most- Money, and I’ll just stay home (at least part of the time) and keep mine. Thanks and Have a Great Weekend.
NFL stands for No Fan Loyalty from the league. PSL fees will more than cover the cost of the new stadium. They will probably pay the salaries of the teams for the next 5 years. Remember both the Jets & Giants will be collecting PSL fees plus the money from BUD not wiser and other stadium advertiser. The fans will say they will not go back to the games just like the year of the MLB strike. But we know what has happened there. To even ask for more money from fans who have supported a below average team(they only made the playoffs 13 times in thier history) for all these year is rediculous. I attended the very first NY Titan home game at the Polo Grounds. Granted It was not very good football at the time, but you were entertained by it. And games only took 2 hours and both teams played to the end, without taking a knee. Todays games are so infested with commercials it puts you to sleep. Not to mention the quality of the game itself. Players sit out games with minor sprains or bruises. Guys use to play games with broken bones in the 50-late 60s. Players cry because somebody is making more money than them. They sit out training camp to protest. One such player is Plexico Burress of the Giants. He hardly practiced last season, but he was always ready at game time. We call those guys SLACKERS. Now this year he sat out training camp because he wanted more money. Chris Baker is no better. He signed his contract and took his bonus money up front. Now he’s crying. The teams front offices are no better. They create thier own problems. Lokk at the salary Jake Long just signed with the Dolphins. But that money means nothing to the fish. They will just raise the price to the fans. After all, thier GM is Mr Scavenger himself. Billy Fat Boy. How many years did it take the Jets to get out of the mess he left them with. So buy yourself a big screen TV and stay home. Save your money, no gas or tolls or $8.00 beers and $5.00 hot dogs. Let the corporate boys fund this new stadium. And I have had season tickets since 1964. I am out now. So some of you 10,500 on the waiting list can have my seats NOW
The big wigs are finding a way to eliminate the real fan; the diehard fan that has stuck with this team through God knows how many heart wrenching seasons. Soon the stadium will be filled with corporate (suits) types who zip into town for a weekend and a game on their companie’s expense. I imagine the management feels more safe with a crowd that sits down and gives a golf clap every time something good happens (or perhaps they won’t realize because they’ll be on a conference call.) I see an end to real fun tailgating and fans that actually care. Blue collar fans that actually sacrifice some things for their love of the team. It’s just a shame that my child who will be born next month may grow up never truly experiencing what it really feels like to go to a game – even to go to a game played by the ugly stepchild of NY football.