Shameful Chargers Block Pats Fans

[UNHWildCats]

team refuses to allow ticketmaster to sell tickets for Sundays game to anyone who doesnt live in Southern California.

:mad: PATHETIC CHARGERS :mad:


By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff | January 10, 2007

The San Diego Chargers are trying to solidify their home-field advantage against the New England Patriots Sunday by restricting the sale of tickets to Southern California residents only.

Several Patriots fans who went looking for game tickets on Ticketmaster were stunned to learn that their money was no good.

"The San Diego Chargers have restricted sales to the Divisional Playoff game to residents of Southern California and the surrounding area only," Ticketmaster warned. "Residency will be based on your credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside of southern California will be canceled without notice."

Lynda Frank , a Patriots fan from Tewksbury, thought the sales restriction is unfair, if not outright illegal.

"Who do they think they are?" she asked. "Our reputation must have somehow preceded us and made us part of the fear factor associated with our team at playoff time."

Bill Johnston , a Chargers spokesman, said about 1,000 tickets went on sale Monday and sold within minutes.

"Our goal has always been to fill our stadium with Charger fans and supporters of the team. This also helps give our team the best home-field advantage possible," he said.

Johnston said the same ticket policy will be employed if the Chargers defeat the Patriots and advance to the American Football Conference title game. The hometown-fan-only restriction was not in place for regular season games of the Chargers.

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/01/10/chargers_shut_out_pats_fans/

[lizrdgizrd]

That's certainly underhanded if not illegal. :nonono2:

[AppGuy04]

That's certainly underhanded if not illegal. :nonono2:

I've seen it done for concerts but not for a sporting event

[lizrdgizrd]

I've seen it done for concerts but not for a sporting event
I understand for concerts, they're trying to keep scalpers from getting too many. They could have pretended this was for the same reason.

[HiHiYikas]

This isn't the first time I've heard of this. When I tried to buy Panthers tickets when they went on sale at the beginning of the season, I couldn't use a credit card with a billing address outside of the Carolinas. Fortunately, most of my family still lives in NC, so I borrowed my dad's credit card information.

[89Hen]

Strangely, I have no problem with this. :thumbsup:

[YaleFootballFan]

I hope the San Diego Padres won't do the same thing when they host the Red Sox in June. Someone who works for the Padres told me last month that the Red Sox series is the highlight of the Padres home schedule in '07. I plan on making the 3,000 mile trek out to "America's Finest City" to cheer on my Sox....I hope I don't get blocked!

[UNHWildCats]

ANy series with the Sox is a highlight of a teams schedule. With Boston having such a large universal fan base and the fact there stadium is so small fans trek great distances to catch games.

The same for the yankees though to a lesser extent, with Yankee Stadium seating some 20,000 more then Fenway. Aside from the home opener, Torontos only sellouts last year were against Boston and New York.

Tampa Bay double and triples there attendence when Boston is in town and Oakland is a favorite destination of Sox fans as is Baltimore. Now Baltimore I can see but why go to Oakland? lol

[BigApp]

it's no different than UMass keeping Appfans from buying their tickets to the championship game.

[UNHWildCats]

it's no different than UMass keeping Appfans from buying their tickets to the championship game.

tickets to the championship were made available to both teams. Big difference

[lizrdgizrd]

tickets to the championship were made available to both teams. Big difference
:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

[dbackjon]

No problem with this. They are trying to maintain Home Field advantage, and keep chowderheads outta the state, which is a worth-while and admirable goal.

I am working on a proposition here in Arizona to round up the fans of other teams (non-Cardinal) and ship them back to whence they came. Chowerheads are in the first wave, along with Cheeseheads, Cowturds, Donkeys and Seahags.

[BigApp]

No problem with this. They are trying to maintain Home Field advantage, and keep chowderheads outta the state, which is a worth-while and admirable goal.

I am working on a proposition here in Arizona to round up the fans of other teams (non-Cardinal) and ship them back to whence they came. Chowerheads are in the first wave, along with Cheeseheads, Cowturds, Donkeys and Seahags.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[griz37]

No problem with this. They are trying to maintain Home Field advantage, and keep chowderheads outta the state, which is a worth-while and admirable goal.

I am working on a proposition here in Arizona to round up the fans of other teams (non-Cardinal) and ship them back to whence they came. Chowerheads are in the first wave, along with Cheeseheads, Cowturds, Donkeys and Seahags.

The question is how many people will actually admit to being a Cardinals fan?

[dbackjon]

The question is how many people will actually admit to being a Cardinals fan?

Enough to fill the stadium. We've done it before, and did it this year as well.

[aggie6thman]

Well now I hope the Chargers get steam rolled. This sucks for Pats fans, but I don't think it is illegal.

[HiHiYikas]

ANy series with the Sox is a highlight of a teams schedule. With Boston having such a large universal fan base and the fact there stadium is so small fans trek great distances to catch games.

The same for the yankees though to a lesser extent, with Yankee Stadium seating some 20,000 more then Fenway. Aside from the home opener, Torontos only sellouts last year were against Boston and New York.

Tampa Bay double and triples there attendence when Boston is in town and Oakland is a favorite destination of Sox fans as is Baltimore. Now Baltimore I can see but why go to Oakland? lol
Baltimore has actually sold tickets to Sox and Yankees games at higher ticket prices than other opponents.

I have never seen anything like the Yankee influx into Camden Yards. You can't walk down the sidewalk, you can't get a table at a restaurant, you can't turn around without seeing 25 people in Yankee hats.

Boston games are usually fairly crowded, too.

[Ivytalk]

Well, hell, have Teddy Kennedy legislate a few tix for the Pats fans!:p xcoffeex :rolleyes:

[blackfordpu]

That's certainly underhanded if not illegal. :nonono2:

Is it legal?

[TheValleyRaider]

I don't see why it would be illegal. The Chargers are a private entity and can sell their tickets in whatever way they choose. As pointed out above, the real people who get screwed are Charger fans who don't live in SoCal.

Of course, I'd be curious if the NFL could/would step in to do something if the Pats complained loudly enough. But I doubt it :twocents:

[spelunker64]

team refuses to allow ticketmaster to sell tickets for Sundays game to anyone who doesnt live in Southern California.


:hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

GO CHARGERS!!!

[spelunker64]

I don't see why it would be illegal. The Chargers are a private entity and can sell their tickets in whatever way they choose. As pointed out above, the real people who get screwed are Charger fans who don't live in SoCal.


I was thinking about going too. There is StubHub, Ebay, and other online ticket outlets, sure it'll be more than face value, but you CAN get a ticket.

Speaking of illegal/unethical, how many Patriot players are on the injury report this week, 54?

[kardplayer]

The way they really should have positioned this was not that they were shutting out Pats fans, but that they were giving local fans first crack at tickets, as a thank you for their support.By the way, the Bears are doing the same thing in their game.

[Cobblestone]

I don't have a law background but it would be interesting to hear if this legal from someone who is an attorney. I think if nothing else it starts a bad precedent. What's to stop any team from selling tickets to any group of citizens for any reason they see fit? Eventually something like this could fall into the parameters of discrimination. In the future I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this end up in the courts.

[89Hen]

I don't have a law background but it would be interesting to hear if this legal from someone who is an attorney. I think if nothing else it starts a bad precedent. What's to stop any team from selling tickets to any group of citizens for any reason they see fit? Eventually something like this could fall into the parameters of discrimination. In the future I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this end up in the courts.
AFAIK, geography is not a protected class.

[spelunker64]

I don't have a law background but it would be interesting to hear if this legal from someone who is an attorney. I think if nothing else it starts a bad precedent. What's to stop any team from selling tickets to any group of citizens for any reason they see fit? Eventually something like this could fall into the parameters of discrimination. In the future I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this end up in the courts.


Do we have to bring lawyers into every little thing in our lives these days? : smh :

[bluehenbillk]

Having worked in pro sports for a decade I can tell you what the Chargers did has been done a couple times before. The Carolina Panthers did it years ago with Green Bay fans & many teams & schools at all levels do this type of thing. Whether it's tickets can only be bought in person, from a certain zip code(s) or area code(s), package the game with other games, force you to buy season tickets for another sport, it's all been done & yes, it's legal.

As another poster or two said if Pats fans wanna goto the game they still can, they just won't pay face value.

[CollegeSportsInfo]

UNH, I love your thread topics. They are hillariously awful with their bias "slant". I'd take them over those on The Onion anyday.

[BigApp]

UNH probably wouldn't have a problem with this if it weren't the pats.

[spelunker64]

Patsies are going down Sunday!

[UNHWildCats]

I was thinking about going too. There is StubHub, Ebay, and other online ticket outlets, sure it'll be more than face value, but you CAN get a ticket.

Speaking of illegal/unethical, how many Patriot players are on the injury report this week, 54?

Nothing Illegal or unethical about New England injury report.

S Rodney Harrison (knee) -- out (Possible torn ACL)
WR Bam Childress (ankle) -- questionable (Has missed the past few games)
FB Heath Evans (shin) -- questionable (has been a game time decision past couple games including missing a game)
TE Benjamin Watson (knee) -- questionable (Missed several games)
QB Tom Brady (right shoulder) -- probable (took a nasty hit in the season finale)
CB Ellis Hobbs (wrist) -- probable (banged up and failed to return kicks last week despite his great numbers late in the season)
DL Richard Seymour (elbow) -- probable (has missed several games)
LB Mike Vrabel (back) -- probable (was banged up last week)

[TheValleyRaider]

Having worked in pro sports for a decade I can tell you what the Chargers did has been done a couple times before. The Carolina Panthers did it years ago with Green Bay fans & many teams & schools at all levels do this type of thing. Whether it's tickets can only be bought in person, from a certain zip code(s) or area code(s), package the game with other games, force you to buy season tickets for another sport, it's all been done & yes, it's legal.

Cornell hockey fans were upset about this starting a few years ago, because Harvard began to package the Cornell game tickets in with other games. You had to buy them all, or none. Since Cornell usually packed Harvard's rink, they wanted a less Red crowd. Some Cornell fans sucked it up, bought the tickets anyway, and probably sold the extras later.

[bodoyle]

This is nothing new...

The White Sox and Cubs give priority to out of state callers for tickets because they think more money will be spent at the ballpark from "tourists" as opposed to "locals". When I was a student at CCU calling from their 843 area code I could get right in and get good seats for a Sox game. When I used my cell phone with an 708 IL area code, it would tell me all that was available was upper deck, or they would put me on hold forever. The White Sox don't sell tickets to the Sox/scrubs series unless you have a season ticket package.

As for the patriots....who cares how many people are on their list? It might work one or two weeks, after that b.b. is wasting time and ink.

USC does the same thing for their football tickets. You can only get tickets if you buy a season ticket package.

[Marcus Garvey]

Screw the Patriots and screw their fans. They're getting as arrogant as New York Yankee fans.
The nicest thing I can say is that so far, they have yet to achieve Ohio St. Buckeye level of arrogance.

[GannonFan]

Screw the Patriots and screw their fans. Their getting as arrogant as New York Yankee fans.
The nicest thing I can say is that so far, they have yet to achieve Ohio St. Buckeye level of arrogance.

Wouldn't that be THE Ohio St level of arrogance? ;)

[bluehenbillk]

Wouldn't that be THE Ohio St level of arrogance? ;)

At least they don't refer to themselves as just "The U".

[TheValleyRaider]

At least they don't refer to themselves as just "The U".

But isn't that only because most Miami guys don't know any other letters? :cool:

[Marcus Garvey]

Wouldn't that be THE Ohio St level of arrogance? ;)

That's a good point. I've never met a Penn St. grad who said he went to "The Pennsylvania State University," even though that's what it says on his sheepskin!

[bodoyle]

Tickets through ticketmaster are only made available to people with credit card accounts that have a Chicago or NW Indiana address affiliated with it.