Kid Cid Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Tony Kornheiser's article from today's Washington Post. Only Snider would come up with this. Season Ticket: $2,350 . . . Redskins MasterCard: Priceless By Tony Kornheiser Monday, January 31, 2005; Page D01 Maybe if the Redskins were like the Patriots, and contending for the Super Bowl every year, this credit card thing wouldn't seem so smarmy. Or maybe if the Redskins were like the Packers, and making the playoffs every year, this credit card thing wouldn't seem quite so snarky. Heck, maybe if the Redskins were simply finishing above .500 once in a while this credit card thing wouldn't seem so totally cheesy. But the Redskins aren't winning. Year after year, they aren't winning. And while I'm not for a second questioning the owner's desire to win or his commitment to win, it just seems like this is not the time to tell your loyal fans that they'd better use a certain kind of credit card to pay for their season tickets. With a winning team you could say, "Ahhh, that's just business." With a losing team you say, "That's crapola." See, now it's not only that you have to get your money to the team months and months before the season starts (so the team has access to your money long before you get any product in return) -- now there's a specific credit card you have to use to get it there so early. A Redskins Extra Points MasterCard, which allows you to redeem those points you accumulate for your charges to acquire a bunch of Redskins gifts. As in whoop-de-***-do. Of course, you can still pay by cash or check -- at least for this season. But if you choose to charge your tickets, you must use this specific credit card. The Redskins say this is going to "streamline" the ticketing process. And, okay, if it makes the Redskins a little extra money on the side because of a sweetheart deal with the credit card company, what's it to ya, huh? It's perfectly legal to do this, to specify the method of payment for something. There are plenty of businesses that won't take credit cards at all; they insist on cash or check -- plenty more that won't take certain types of credit cards. There are plenty of teams that partner up with specific credit card companies, and offer merchandise, like team jackets and T-shirts and sweatshirts as incentives to use that kind of card. Colleges do this all the time, too. You regularly get mail from your school urging you to show your school spirit by signing up for one credit card or another. But if you want to buy a decal from your college, you're not usually prohibited from using another brand of credit card besides the one your alma mater is in business with. Usually, any kind of credit card is good. Not any more with the Redskins. They are committed to this one card now. And, consequently, so are you. Their partners are now your partners. Mi casa es su casa. Now maybe that's just shrewd business. Maybe shoe-horning every seat possible into that stadium is just shrewd business. Maybe selling obstructed-view seats is just shrewd business. And charging an exorbitant amount for parking (because there are no places to park close to the stadium) is just shrewd business. I'll say this, Dan Snyder is a heckuva businessman. He paid more than anybody ever for an NFL team, and he's turning a big profit. Clearly, he's a marketing genius. And let me say again that I think he's been putting his money out there trying like crazy to acquire the best talent on the field and on the sideline. Portis, Spurrier, Gibbs, Coles, Deion, Bruce Smith, Jeremiah Trotter -- oh, he is trying his darndest. But for me what this comes down to is a taste call. People who buy season tickets are real fans -- particularly people who buy season tickets for a team that hasn't won squat in the last decade or so. And now it seems that being a real fan isn't enough. Now they don't just want your loyalty and your money -- now they want a specific kind of your money. In return, you won't necessarily get a good team, but you may be able to get enough points to get a seat upgrade. Maybe from obstructed to clear. If the team was winning, this might not be so hard to swallow. It's amazing how winning can be the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down. But now it seems small and petty, and designed to go just one way: theirs. One part shrewd business, three parts crapola. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Jerry Jones is pissed he didn't think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I can tell ya right now..up front...and everything..... I am NOT getting a TheHuddle.com Visa card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DexterDew Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Jerry Jones is pissed he didn't think of it. 680121[/snapback] Al Davis, too. I would like to type that I can't believe that this sh*t is happening, but owners don't own for the sake of being an owner. Sometimes it is because they are fans, really rich fans. Sometimes they want to enrich a home town community. More often than not, they are egomanics who are trying to make a buck or a million, while asking for the city to fund stadiums so they can reap the windfall of luxury suites and parking and concessions, while the tax payers [re: us poor shleps] pay for the nuts and bolts (nuts and bolts, we got screwed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdadreed Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I can tell ya right now..up front...and everything..... I am NOT getting a TheHuddle.com Visa card. 680139[/snapback] DMD would probably throw in a free Koozie with each new card issued, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 DMD would probably throw in a free Koozie ... 680238[/snapback] Hmmmm....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 It is ridiculous. He always does something like this and I hate him and then he goes and brings Gibbs back. Meh. I downgraded from two club seats to one regular seat this year and my buddy pays cause mine is one of his. I will still cut him a check but I cant wait til he hears about this. Ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Man, that is bs. About 5 years ago, you could only pay for Colts season tix with cash or check. They didn't want to give the cut to the credit card companies. That has changed recently. I still usually pay with check, but if I was told I had to pay with a Colts credit card, I'd be ticked off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Lions wanted to emulate this idea. Unfortunately, no credit card company wanted to hurt their image by partnering with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Hey upset Redskins fans, there is a quality team about 20 miles north east. We usually make the playoffs, have won a Superbowl in recent memory and do not limit the type of card you use. While you are here you can see what a real NFL/MLB stadium looks like, we have one of each in our city's downtown. Be careful though, Baltimore is as 'safe' as DC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Johnies Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Lions wanted to emulate this idea. Unfortunately, no credit card company wanted to hurt their image by partnering with them. 680341[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vatican Hitsquad Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Al Davis, too. I would like to type that I can't believe that this sh*t is happening, but owners don't own for the sake of being an owner. Sometimes it is because they are fans, really rich fans. Sometimes they want to enrich a home town community. More often than not, they are egomanics who are trying to make a buck or a million, while asking for the city to fund stadiums so they can reap the windfall of luxury suites and parking and concessions, while the tax payers [re: us poor shleps] pay for the nuts and bolts (nuts and bolts, we got screwed). 680150[/snapback] Come on... how many Raider fans have Credit Cards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Come on... how many Raider fans have Credit Cards? 680522[/snapback] In their names you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vatican Hitsquad Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 In their names you mean? 680528[/snapback] LOL, right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 LOL, right! 680532[/snapback] Well, in that case..... I will take a wild guess and say.... two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Hey upset Redskins fans, there is a quality team about 20 miles north east. We usually make the playoffs, have won a Superbowl in recent memory and do not limit the type of card you use. While you are here you can see what a real NFL/MLB stadium looks like, we have one of each in our city's downtown. Be careful though, Baltimore is as 'safe' as DC. 680493[/snapback] Meh. Baltimore smells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pork chop express Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Hey upset Redskins fans, there is a quality team about 20 miles north east. We usually make the playoffs, have won a Superbowl in recent memory and do not limit the type of card you use. While you are here you can see what a real NFL/MLB stadium looks like, we have one of each in our city's downtown. Be careful though, Baltimore is as 'safe' as DC. 680493[/snapback] sweet downtown you have there in Baltimore. the only thing good about Baltimore is that it is close to Annapolis. I understand that they are making drugs and prostitution legal there as long as you don't kill anyone.....wait a second that was last year's plot from The Wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrambled Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I can tell ya right now..up front...and everything..... I am NOT getting a TheHuddle.com Visa card. 680139[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Meh. Baltimore smells. 680607[/snapback] Baltimore doesn't smell, it's just that on any given day it's either downwind from DC or Philly. sweet downtown you have there in Baltimore. the only thing good about Baltimore is that it is close to Annapolis. I understand that they are making drugs and prostitution legal there as long as you don't kill anyone.....wait a second that was last year's plot from The Wire. 680615[/snapback] Watch too much TV, do we? Annapolis is only about 10-15 minutes closer than DC. It's just that Annapolis doesn't have the beyond horrible DC traffic to make it longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I could be wrong, but isn't there a commercial at Gillette Stadium saying that the Pats only accept VISA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
posty Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Lost interest after seeing that Kornheiser wrote the article... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Baltimore doesn't smell, it's just that on any given day it's either downwind from DC or Philly.Watch too much TV, do we? Annapolis is only about 10-15 minutes closer than DC. It's just that Annapolis doesn't have the beyond horrible DC traffic to make it longer. 680690[/snapback] You sound like you been spending too much time on the Block, homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pork chop express Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 (edited) Watch too much TV, do we? 680690[/snapback] is that even possible? Edited February 1, 2005 by pork chop express Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Lost interest after seeing that Kornheiser wrote the article... 680723[/snapback] Kornheiser is annoying. PTI is annoying. But I like the CBS show based on his books. Somewhat funny... This whole 'skins credit card thing is such a f'in joke. If I were a 'skins fan - especially die-hard and/or season ticket holder, I would be livid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Hmmmm....... 680280[/snapback] **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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