PSL's

[luv]

What's your opinion? Sounds like companies and corporations can start offering sporting event tickets as part of a special benefits package. I know that a company owns the four seats next to my dad's. What would happen if Arrowhead ever went to this? They are doing some renovations, afterall.

Sorry if this is a repost. Was just watching Reals Sports on HBO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Seat_License

A personal seat license, or PSL, gives the holder the right to buy season tickets for a certain seat in a stadium. This holder can sell the seat license to someone else if they no longer wish to purchase season tickets. However, if the seat license holder chooses not to sell the seat licenses and does not renew the season tickets, the holder forfeits the license back to the team. Most seat licenses are valid for as long as the team plays in the current venue.

Seat licenses have been given various names- the most common term in North America is Personal Seat License and in Europe is Debenture. The primary reason sporting venues offer PSLs is that the proceeds are used to help pay the debt incurred during the construction of the stadium or arena. Also, many supporters feel that such licenses essentially give fans ownership of the seat. Opponents of PSLs see this as another way to extract money from the sports fans.


Origin of Seat Licenses
The permanent seat license was invented by a Columbus, Ohio architect, Rick Ohanian, in January 1987, rather than by Charlotte sports marketing agent, Max Muhleman, in 1993, as is commonly believed. The first appearance of a PSL can be seen in a Letter to The Editor from Ohanian to the Columbus Dispatch, published on March 2, 1987, entitled "Ticketbond is Answer to Financing Proposed Facility". However Muhleman is credited as the founder of the first PSL's at Charlotte's then Ericcson Stadium.

Those in disagreement with this claim, cite that similar program(s) were in existence among many college fund raising activities, prior to 1987. However, the difference here is the fact that these programs were tax-deductible donations to a scholarship fund, in which case the main "quid-pro-quo" was between the donation and the resultant deduction, not between the donation and the actual seating rights. The seating rights in all these cases were the "icing on the cake", not the cake itself, and it remains to be seen how many of these "College PSLs" would have sold, if any at all, had they not been tax-deductible.


Seat Licenses Across Teams and Leagues
Here is a list of some of the teams that have seat licenses:

NFL Seat Licenses

Baltimore Ravens PSL
Carolina Panthers PSL
Chicago Bears PSL
Cincinnati Bengals COA (Charter Ownership Agreements)
Cleveland Browns PSL
Dallas Cowboys SL (Seat Licenses) (Effective in the new stadium only. No seat licenses in Texas Stadium)
New York Giants PSL (effective in the New Meadowlands Stadium only.)
New York Jets (same as Giants, as they will share the new venue, although the two teams will have different policies)
Houston Texans PSL
Philadelphia Eagles SBL (Stadium Builder Licenses)
Pittsburgh Steelers SL
Seattle Seahawks CSL (Charter Seat Licenses)
St. Louis Rams PSL
Tennessee Titans PSL

MLB Seat Licenses

Arizona Diamondbacks Legacy Club Seat Licenses
San Diego Padres Founders Club Memberships
San Francisco Giants CSL Charter Seat Licenses
St. Louis Cardinals Ballpark Founders Club Seat Licenses

Car Racing Seat Licenses

California Speedway PSL
Kentucky Speedway PSL
Texas Motor Speedway PSL

NHL Seat Licenses

Columbus Blue Jackets PSL
Toronto Maple Leafs PSL

NBA Seat Licenses

Toronto Raptors PSL

[luv]

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2008/08/hbo_sits_down_with_john_mara_t.html

[luv]

I can see why ticket prices would go up. Organizations see ticketholders making money off their tickets on a regular basis. Why not charge the prices that people are willing to pay so that they get the money instead of the ticketholders? But I still don't see a point in charging for the right to even buy the tickets. WTF?

[ptlyon]

This is a benefit Luv... I wouldn't have a problem with it. Just like a 401K kick, just cheaper...

Maybe more so than before. But companies have always had "tickets".

Arrowhead has already sold out... Big deal. It is what the corps want to buy, for their associates.

Thoughts?
IMO of course...

[Bugeater]

Yeah, they're bullshit. They're doing it in college FB as well, but instead of calling them PSLs you need to make a donation to the school each year to keep your seats. Just another way to squeeze the fan for a few more bucks.

[luv]

Yeah, they're bullshit. They're doing it in college FB as well, but instead of calling them PSLs you need to make a donation to the school each year to keep your seats. Just another way to squeeze the fan for a few more bucks.

Well, at least the PSL is a one time fee, but still. Telling someone they have to pay $10k just to be able to purchase season tickets each year? At least they have the option to sell that to someone else, but they forfeit it if they stop purchasing season tickets.

Will they even have single game tickets anymore?

[Bugeater]

Well, at least the PSL is a one time fee, but still. Telling someone they have to pay $10k just to be able to purchase season tickets each year? At least they have the option to sell that to someone else, but they forfeit it if they stop purchasing season tickets.

Will they even have single game tickets anymore?

I would imagine most stadiums only have PSLs on "premium" seating, although I could be wrong. Also I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that only privately owned stadiums can have PSLs, city owned stadiums like Arrowhead can't have them.

[unlurking]

Well, at least the PSL is a one time fee, but still. Telling someone they have to pay $10k just to be able to purchase season tickets each year? At least they have the option to sell that to someone else, but they forfeit it if they stop purchasing season tickets.

Will they even have single game tickets anymore?
Exactly what people seem to miss on these, a ONE TIME FEE.

Anyway, I know it was a huge draw for Ravens fans, as the licenses include a clause that makes it impossible to move the team without approval from the PSL holders.

[luv]

Exactly what people seem to miss on these, a ONE TIME FEE.

Anyway, I know it was a huge draw for Ravens fans, as the licenses include a clause that makes it impossible to move the team without approval from the PSL holders.

Would you give the Chiefs organization $10k knowing that you forfeit it if you stop buying season tickets? I don't know about you, but I don't know many people who I'd be able to sell it to. I feel that it will cut out the average fan going to games.

[Phobia]

When the Texans built a new stadium in Houston they sold PSL's for all the premium seating. We bought the best tickets we could find without the PSL pricetag. I think they're the best seats in the stadium and my MIL still has them to this day. If we ever make it back to Houston we'll take 'em back.

[Deberg_1990]

Heck, if i owned a business and I could find a way to charge the customer twice for the same thing, id do it to!