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NY Jets find themselves with thousands of unsold season tickets

There are people who have been on the waiting list for Jets season tickets since the Shea Stadium days. Season ticket turnover has traditionally been low; fans hold on to their seats.

What a difference PSLs (Personal Seat Licenses) make. With the advent of their new billion dollar stadium and the accompanying high cost of the seat licenses and season tickets the Jets are faced with an unforseen problem born of their greed — they aren't sold out.

Suddenly "thousands" of season tickets are available for the taking. Except there are no takers.

The unprecedented availability comes in the midst of a weak economy, the Jets coming off a disappointing season and fan resentment about the cost of "personal seat licenses" for the new stadium. The PSL is a one-time charge of up to $20,000 or more for the right to purchase season tickets in the lower deck.

Add in the parking fees (and the lack of onsite parking), the restrictions on tailgating, the ridiculous limits on beer purchases, and the requirement that to purchase season tickets for this season you also have to pay in advance for next season's tickets and it's no wonder that people aren't falling over themselves to sign up.

There are so many tickets available the Jets aren't even going down the waiting list in order; an email blast to everyone on the list went out Tuesday morning offering seats on a "first come, first served" basis.

My guess is they still won't sell out. The price is just too high for the perceived value. It's Economics 101 — raise the price and the demand for the product goes down. Especially when the quality of the product is questionable at best.

Unsold tickets should prove to be "interesting" for the NFL. Will they black out the local TV broadcasts? Their archaic blackout rules have never been tested in a major sports market like New York. The lost ad revenue will dwarf the unsold ticket receipts. Which may just lead to Woody Johnson buying up the tickets to let the seats sit empty.

It's not like the Jets aren't used to playing to a half empty stadium. Their fans are notorious for not showing up when the season inevitably heads south.

Posted at 12:34 by Chris Wysocki   [/jets]   Comments | Archived | Perm Link |
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