Of course his strategy of alienating JETS fans has paid off. They have 20,000 tickets still available for 2010 and no waiting list. At this rate there will be 40,000 seats available when Woody builds his next stadium in 2050. Let’s hope he is a bit smarter and builds it with a retractable dome.

Woody please sell the team to The Boss, George Steinbrenner.

You quoted a section of my post yet disregarded the gist of its content, which is fine. But who exactly are the greedy, “some?” The owners of all the teams that sell PSLs?

Ny Jets
NY Giants
Tennessee Titans
Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Philadelphia Eagles
St. Louis Rams
Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens
Chicago Bears
Seattle Seahawks
Cincinnatti Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Cleveland Browns

Does Randy Lerner deserve less ire than Woody for some reason? It’s a simplistic, romantic notion that NFL owners are so rich they pay for their teams out of their pockets, but a false one. In building a 1.6 billion dollar stadium both the Jets and Giants ownership took on humongous debt loads:

“Mara said that “it would have been impossible” to finance the Giants’ half of the stadium without selling seat licenses. Not only are the Giants and the Jets splitting the cost of the most expensive stadium in the N.F.L., but the league is requiring that they repay their debt faster than even their banks required. Each team received $150 million from the league’s stadium-financing program to defray construction costs. After proceeds from the seat licenses and the N.F.L. loan, Mara said that about $500 million would remain to be financed from other sources such as revenues from tickets, concessions, sponsorships, naming rights, luxury suites and club seats.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/sports/football/27seats.html?scp=4&sq=stadium%20psls,%20credit&st=cse

Why should a new stadium cost 1.6 billion dollars? It shouldn’t, but does for a number of the reasons I noted in an earlier post, including NY area real estate and construction costs, political lobbying (aka graft) etc. “It costs more to build in New York, but the total is breathtakingly ridiculous,” said Marc Ganis, a sports industry consultant. “How did it get up to $1.6 billion, five times more than Gillette Stadium http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/sports/football/01sandomir.html?scp=1&sq=stadium%20psls,%20credit&st=cse

I’m not saying that Woody Johnson is a saint and doesn’t share some responsibility for his participation in something that bleeds the fans. My point is that demonizing him any more than the other participants is disingenuous. Greed is viral at all levels of the system.

“The current NFL model exists because it’s what the market will bear. Woody didn’t invent it. He’s operating within a system that has drifted towards rewarding a reach for the highest profits while punishing those who attempt to maintain the status quo”

That is exactly my point!! It is the greed for the highest profits by some, not all, that is the root of the problem. PSL’s anyone? And maybe “Partnership Fees” to come from these licenses. Greed, to some, is more than a business, it a way of life !!!
Why do you think this country is shifting towards Socialism?

Also,

“If he were, he’d likely have bet his family fortune on
something with a higher and faster rate of return than an NFL franchise”.

Two points there: 1) I’m not too sure about that if you look at the return on original investment and it beign about as much recession proof as there is ( besides Medical stuff) and 2) Can’t think of any other business that gives the ownership a “Toy” that weilds as much sense of POWER over individuals as professional sports.

The current NFL model exists because it’s what the market will bear. Woody didn’t invent it. He’s operating within a system that has drifted towards rewarding a reach for the highest profits while punishing those who attempt to maintain the status quo. There are a number of participants including corporations that buy boxes, players, agents, lawyers, networks, advertisers, politicians, real estate speculators, construction firms, etc. that contribute to the cost of a seat at a new stadium.

I have no particular affinity for Woody Johnson, I just don’t see him as being that much more greedy than any of the other players in the opera. If he were, he’d likely have bet his family fortune on something with a higher and faster rate of return than an NFL franchise. There are easier ways to make money. And the one upside to the increased financial pressure on Woody is that there’s a much stronger motivation to deliver a winner than in the Leon Hess era. There are, of course, a number of different arguments to be made about how that should be done and whether Woody Johnson is employing the best strategy. He’s fair game, there.

The one point on which we agree is that the fans have to power to change the equation by not buying the PSLs or season tickets. As you have pointed out, that has already delivered some downward pressure on the pricing. Perhaps if enough fans in enough markets reject the current price structure there will be pushbacks all the way down the chain sufficient to reset the baseline. Either that or some of these big stadium bets will just fail and the league will eventually crumble in on itself.

I highly doubt players would skip the playoffs. This is their livelihood and I can’t see them jeopardizing it for the fans, as much as some of them love us.

And oil prices have gone down? Maybe from the absurd $3.50 a gallon, but they’re still up 150-200% since the mid-90′s. PSLs won’t be plummeting in price unless they’re still unsold by preseason next year.

And yes, I can honestly say being at an event is better than being at home watching it. I’ve been to GREAT games in person. Robin Ventura’s grand-slam single. Larry Johnson’s 4 point play. I was at the Matteu! Matteu! Matteu! game at the garden. I’ll even throw in the Pats game from this season into that group. Games that, while exciting on tv (and more convenient with fantasy, gambling, finances, etc.) don’t hold a candle to the games in person. The buzz in the air, the boom as the crowd erupts in unison. Yeah, a stinker like the bills game this year are awful to sit through, but nothing beats being in the building for a legendary game.

Prices will come down because demand will go down. Look at oil use for a perfect example. Supply and demand. Also throw in the threats of the NFLPA not having players report for the playoffs.

Its going to be a wild ride.

Most of your points are well taken, but Woody absolutely was not “made a villan” in order to “blame him for everything.”

He is a self made villan(aire) and must be blamed for this extortion $$$ because he is personally responsible for shoving it down the throat of his ”
followers.(congregation)

He is a greedy in that he understands that most sports fans are addicts and he will extort/fleece as much $$$$$ as he can out of them.

And before we get on the “That’s Capitalism ” side kick, how else do you explain his “generous” price roll back on 7000 of his 65,000 = seats from $400 t0 $200 PER SEAT/PER GAME, are you kidding me?

He is a smart, smart, greedy capitalist that is milking every red cent out of the NY Metro area market (addicts) fans !!!

I strongly suggest you speak out against this now before, as you say, ONLY large Corporations can aford to buy season tickets, because as you and I know, WoodyPecker can’t wait to get there !!!

I agree wholeheartedly. Take a look at my first post, it’s all about PSL’s and the fact that months ago I suggested that the Jets bretheren actively, and easely demonstrate this owners “Personal Suckers License” extortion $$$$. And yes, that is the name I Baptised it then also.

Of course, my friend Mr Brendan, picked on my example and ran with it !!!

The fact is that he is helll bent on bashing everything Mangini and I defend him.

It seems as if both your arguements are coming together.

What was the topic of dicussion….. oh yeah Woody and PSL’s.

You guys weren’t hired by Woody to get us talking about something other than PSL’s were you?