The new football fan caste system

Long-time New York Giants and Jets season ticket holders attending exhibition games at the New Meadowlands Stadium this month can be excused for feeling confused. After navigating to their new seats, they may not recognize any of the faces sitting by them, or be able to read the numbers of the players on the field.

Perhaps troubling to New York/New Jersey area football fans may be a sense that their presence at games is no longer about loyalty to their team. A tradition of rewarding long-time fans with the opportunity to occupy the best seats in the house has been severely compromised. In its place, a new caste system based on money – lots of money – has been implemented.

Besides significantly increasing the game prices for all its tickets, particularly the best seats that have been held by its most loyal fans and their families, the Giants charged between $20,000 and $1,000 per seat simply for the privilege of being able to buy season tickets at the new stadium.

The Jets charged up to $30,000 per seat for these “personal seat licenses” that awarded its loyal fans the privilege of obtaining prime season tickets in the new stadium. Unlike the Giants, the Jets did not slap a PSL on upper concourse seats, but informed these fans that their tickets could be revoked at any time for any reason for a refund.

The two football teams are heralding the start of a new era in the New Meadowlands Stadium they share. But, many of its fans may be lamenting the end of an era when nearly all tickets cost approximately the same and the best seats usually occupied by its most loyal fans. Now, these fans may find themselves sitting far away from the action while the location they formerly enjoyed is occupied by a new, wealthier fan.

It remains to be seen whether long-time New York/New Jersey football fans will tolerate the new caste system for long, or simply take advantage of the many opportunities to spend their recreational dollars elsewhere.