Fans denied access to seats at Super Bowl

[jack sommerset]

Jerry Jones is a complete and utter asshole! 200- 400 of them. Scatter them throughout the stadium. Field, suites, let them walk around the joint. Prick.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-angryfans020611

[ALVAREZ6]

that's fucked up

The SB is being held in Jerry Jones's venue, so unprofessional bullshit like this is not much of a surprise to me.

[CubanMustGo]

After watching that halftime they should be thankful.

[jack sommerset]

After watching that halftime they should be thankful.

That was awful.

[Jacob1983]

LMAO @ those people chanting "Dallas sucks" at the Super Bowl today. Fuckin stupid. :lol

[BanditHiro]

how was this jerry's fault if the NFL is the one who is responsible for organizing and planning the event?

[Trainwreck2100]

Others said they had paid up to $3,000 for their seats and were not happy about the NFL’s offer to give them three times the amount in a refund.

“What about our travel and hotel expenses,” one man shouted.


nfl shouldn't be responsible for scalpers

[Axe Murderer]

Sometimes everyone knows the truth, even if nobody goes on the record.

Just ask Stan Van Gundy, the former Heat coach.

Everybody knew Heat president Pat Riley was looking for an excuse to take over as head coach from the day Shaq arrived. An 11-10 start in 2006 suddenly put family atop Van Gundy's priority list, causing him to conveniently "step down" as coach. Given that history, current Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was wise to look over his shoulder when the 2010 Heat stumbled to a 9-8 record to open the season.

Who coaches the Heat to the conference finals is not the worst kept secret in the NBA this season. When Amare Stoudemire told everyone that he, Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony were going to form their own big three in New York, it sounded more like bluster than tampering. Yet Parker signed an extension with San Antonio and now confirms that the Knicks were on his radar. Carmelo wants to be a Knick, the Knicks want him, and Denver knows they can't keep him, though for a long time, nobody said these things on the record.

This reality means a Mark Cuban clone in New Jersey with money to burn was the only one even entertaining the idea of giving anything up for 'melo, but once it became apparent that Anthony would cross the East River to the Knicks as soon as possible, making him the most expensive rental property in the tri-state area, the Nets bailed on the idea.

The outcome is all but inevitable, and all the Knicks have to do is wait. If NBA management gets their way, under a new labor agreement the Knicks will get him for substantially less than current market value. Either way, Denver ends up with nothing but the potential to go back into the draft lottery as early as this summer, their ability to sign free agents and to keep their own is now in doubt.

This is one of those situations where a commissioner should earn his money. One team and one player are bound and determined to be together, and it's been made public. Isn't it in the league's best interest that the Knicks make a good-faith effort to acquire Anthony under the current rules? While one might argue that the precedent has already been set, the league should see Lebron, Bosh and Wade in Miami as a red flag. It's pretty likely that the three solidified their plans while playing for Team USA, and it's equally likely that Dwyane Wade informed the Heat of their plans. None of that is on the record; if nothing else, there's value in the ability to keep a secret.

Not only does Carmelo know his final destination, thanks to Amare's big mouth, everyone else does too. It's bad enough that an NBA team should pick well in the draft, develop a superstar, and then lose the player to free agency, but the potential for big market teams to use the rest of the league as their farm system is becoming clear. David Stern should not be excited about the idea of transforming into major league baseball.

Perhaps the cynics have been right all along, that the NBA cares less about the well-being of the teams in Flyover Country, so long as the Lakers and Knicks go deep into the playoffs every year. Perhaps there was some monkey-business with the ping pong ball that landed Patrick Ewing in The Big Apple as well. Perhaps David Stern will make sure that those beliefs aren't reinforced, and inform the Knicks that the only way they end up with Carmelo is if they make a trade with Denver now.

Perhaps the NBA will follow Spoelstra and learn from history.

[Trainwreck2100]

Sometimes everyone knows the truth, even if nobody goes on the record.

Just ask Stan Van Gundy, the former Heat coach.

Everybody knew Heat president Pat Riley was looking for an excuse to take over as head coach from the day Shaq arrived. An 11-10 start in 2006 suddenly put family atop Van Gundy's priority list, causing him to conveniently "step down" as coach. Given that history, current Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was wise to look over his shoulder when the 2010 Heat stumbled to a 9-8 record to open the season.

Who coaches the Heat to the conference finals is not the worst kept secret in the NBA this season. When Amare Stoudemire told everyone that he, Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony were going to form their own big three in New York, it sounded more like bluster than tampering. Yet Parker signed an extension with San Antonio and now confirms that the Knicks were on his radar. Carmelo wants to be a Knick, the Knicks want him, and Denver knows they can't keep him, though for a long time, nobody said these things on the record.

This reality means a Mark Cuban clone in New Jersey with money to burn was the only one even entertaining the idea of giving anything up for 'melo, but once it became apparent that Anthony would cross the East River to the Knicks as soon as possible, making him the most expensive rental property in the tri-state area, the Nets bailed on the idea.

The outcome is all but inevitable, and all the Knicks have to do is wait. If NBA management gets their way, under a new labor agreement the Knicks will get him for substantially less than current market value. Either way, Denver ends up with nothing but the potential to go back into the draft lottery as early as this summer, their ability to sign free agents and to keep their own is now in doubt.

This is one of those situations where a commissioner should earn his money. One team and one player are bound and determined to be together, and it's been made public. Isn't it in the league's best interest that the Knicks make a good-faith effort to acquire Anthony under the current rules? While one might argue that the precedent has already been set, the league should see Lebron, Bosh and Wade in Miami as a red flag. It's pretty likely that the three solidified their plans while playing for Team USA, and it's equally likely that Dwyane Wade informed the Heat of their plans. None of that is on the record; if nothing else, there's value in the ability to keep a secret.

Not only does Carmelo know his final destination, thanks to Amare's big mouth, everyone else does too. It's bad enough that an NBA team should pick well in the draft, develop a superstar, and then lose the player to free agency, but the potential for big market teams to use the rest of the league as their farm system is becoming clear. David Stern should not be excited about the idea of transforming into major league baseball.

Perhaps the cynics have been right all along, that the NBA cares less about the well-being of the teams in Flyover Country, so long as the Lakers and Knicks go deep into the playoffs every year. Perhaps there was some monkey-business with the ping pong ball that landed Patrick Ewing in The Big Apple as well. Perhaps David Stern will make sure that those beliefs aren't reinforced, and inform the Knicks that the only way they end up with Carmelo is if they make a trade with Denver now.

Perhaps the NBA will follow Spoelstra and learn from history.
in b4 the edit

[TampaDude]

Jerry Jones is a complete and utter asshole!

Yes, he is. Nothing new or surprising there.

[Phillip]

i just heard that the NFL has given back triple the face value of the tickets as well as free tickets to next years superbowl

good job NFL :tu

[monosylab1k]

Yeah, it's nice except for Packers fans who got screwed out of seeing their team win a title. And what if next year's SB is Bears/Bengals or some shitty matchup like that?

[PuttPutt]

Yeah, it's nice except for Packers fans who got screwed out of seeing their team win a title. And what if next year's SB is Bears/Bengals or some shitty matchup like that?


They'll make MORE money! They'll be able to sell their tix to some other sucker.

[Mixability]

i just heard that the NFL has given back triple the face value of the tickets as well as free tickets to next years superbowl

good job NFL :tu

minus hotel and airfare and the chance to see your own team play.

[monosylab1k]

how was this jerry's fault if the NFL is the one who is responsible for organizing and planning the event?

don't use logic to get in the way of GNSF and their "we irrationally hate everything associated with Dallas!" campaign of idiocracy.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

This one might not end well for JJ:


...Cowboys and Jones deceived hundreds of the team’s best season ticket holders into paying $1,200 a seat for Super Bowl tickets that turned out to be temporary seats with obstructed views.

The season ticket holders, known as the “Founders” of Cowboys Stadium, each paid at least $100,000 per seat for a personal seat license at the stadium, which the Cowboys and Jones promised would entitle them to the “best sightlines in the stadium” and the right to purchase a ticket to Sunday’s Super Bowl at face value. Instead, they arrived at the stadium Sunday to discover that Jones and the Cowboys had assigned them to sit in obstructed view, temporary metal seats, which had only recently been installed in an effort to meet Jones’ goal of breaking NFL Super Bowl attendance records. Adding insult to injury, almost all of the seats lacked any view whatsoever of the Cowboys’ prized “video board”, which Jones routinely claims is the most unique and best feature of Cowboys Stadium.

The “Founders” season ticket holders collectively account for over $100 Million in personal seat licenses Jones sold to pay for the construction of the stadium, as well as over $3,000,000 in annual season ticket sales.

“These season ticket holders are rightfully irate at Jones and the Cowboys,” said lead attorney Michael Avenatti. “Jones sold the very fans that helped finance the construction of the stadium on the idea of attending the Super Bowl, took their money, and then put them in illegitimate seats with obstructed views. What team or owner on the planet would treat its best fans like this?”

[Blake]

They'll make MORE money! They'll be able to sell their tix to some other sucker.

non-transferrable tix from what Ive heard

[Blake]

I can pretty much guarantee there will still be a lawsuit filed by someone's lawyer somewhere over this.

[sa_butta]

The NFL has offered money, tickets, merchandise and more to roughly 400 fans who had to give up their seats at the Super Bowl. It might not be enough.
Approximately 1,000 fans sued the NFL, the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones on Wednesday saying they were deceived by not getting seats or received inadequate seats. The federal lawsuit, filed in Dallas, alleges breach of contract, fraud and deceptive sales practices.
"We think that this is a pretty straightforward matter," said Michael Avenatti of Eagan Avenatti which is representing the fans, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "People did not obtain what they were told they were going to get."
The lawsuit seeks $5 million in actual damages for the plaintiffs -- but that number can be tripled under the state's trade law -- and unspecified punitive damages, according to Bloomberg.
About 1,250 fans were displaced after some temporary seating sections were not completed in time at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. Other seating was found for 850 fans, but 400 were forced to watch the game on monitors or use standing-room platforms.
The league initially said Monday those fans would get $2,400 -- three times the face value of the ticket -- and tickets to next season's Super Bowl. The fans also were allowed on the field after the game and given merchandise and food.
On Tuesday, the NFL added a second option: They can choose to attend any future Super Bowl instead of being limited to the 2012 game and receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations. If fans choose that option, they will not get the $2,400. They can wait until after the conference championship games each season to see whether their favorite team reaches the Super Bowl.
If fans choose the first option of next year's game plus the $2,400, the ticket is transferable, which means it can be sold on the secondary ticket market. It won't be transferable in the other option.
Some fans who were moved want compensation as well. Mike Dolabi said that when he paid for his seat license at Cowboys Stadium, he was promised "the best sightlines in the stadium" for the Super Bowl, according to Bloomberg.
Instead, some fans received "temporary metal fold-out chairs" in an attempt to break the Super Bowl attendance record, according to the complaint.
"The NFL and Jerry Jones sold something to fans they weren't able to deliver, and they knew they weren't able to deliver it," Avenatti said, according to Bloomberg.
The Green Bay Packers (http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/gb/green-bay-packers) beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/pit/pittsburgh-steelers) 31-25 on Sunday.
The NFL said it is working with the Packers, Steelers and Cowboys to track down all of the affected fans. Contact information can be e-mailed to [email protected].


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=6104356