Milking the Cash Cow

By Tyson Rauch

While it would be very easy to sit back and write an article blasting the Jets after an embarrassing performance in Oakland, there is something else that has caught my ire.  This week Gang Green has begun auctioning off their Coaches Club seats in the new stadium.  How do I know this? Well other than repeated emails sent out by the Jets, I also received a nice snazzy brochure in the mail explaining the benefits of these luxurious seats.

These seats offer it all from vip parking, to on field access, to your own private bar (where you still have to pay for alcoholic beverages).  Minimum bid for these seats $10,000.00 per seat.  Keep in mind this does not even include the price of the tickets for the season which has been estimated to be about $7000.00 a year.  So before the auction even starts the Jets are looking to get at least $34,000.00 from you the loyal Jets fan. But to show you how considerate Gang Green is they are only requiring $5,000.00 initially and you can pay the rest over time, with interest of course.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

How in the hell can any average fan even justify trying to pay this amount?  And on top of that what exactly have the Jets done over the years to actually make you want to consider spending your children’s college fund? Bringing in Brett Favre for one year?  This franchise has not won a championship in almost 40 years and several times were not even competitive the last quarter of the season.  So what exactly are you truly paying for, being a loyal fan?

As much as I want to believe the Jets brought Brett Favre to New York to prove they are serious about winning, it is hard to argue that they really did it for the exposure and the opportunity to increase their profits.  In many ways the whole Favre move has been one big dog and pony show for Gang Green.  From meeting with the mayor, to the constant marketing promotions it almost seems like winning is secondary.  Some can argue that Woody Johnson spent over $140 million this offseason to prove his dedication to winning.  Well Mr. Johnson is clearly not a fool and knew that something had to be done to make the team at least competitive and able to win some games.  It is hard to charge filet mignon prices when you are selling chop meat.

Of course there will be the argument that the NFL is entertainment and tickets are considered a luxury to purchase.  If you cannot afford it, don’t buy it.  Those comments usually come from people that are not impacted by the situation or not have emotionally and physically invested years of their life attending games.  They did not go to games with family and friends for years on end enjoying countless memories.  They also will not have to sit down and tell their children they can no longer take them to games because you can no longer afford it.

The pricing structure for the new stadium will give Woody Johnson and his Jets organization exactly what he wants; seats that only the better off can afford and a crowd that will buy up his souvenirs.  What he fails to realize is once the novelty fades he will realize that he alienated the biggest portion of his fan base, the diehard fan that lives and dies for his team.  The shame is he can care less.

Parting Shots:
1.    How many times do I have to hear about how happy Brett Favre is to be in NY?  Does someone not believe him?
2.    Is it possible that Brian Schottenheimer is in over his head trying to coach Brett Favre?
3.    All of the money spent on the offensive line, why is Brett Favre being hit like a punching bag?

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