Legislation Would Prohibit Sports Teams from Selling Personal Seat Licenses
Senator Kevin O’Toole (R-40) introduced legislation today that would prevent sports teams in New Jersey from selling personal seat licenses (”PSL”). The bill is a direct result of plans by the New York Giants and New York Jets football franchises to charge season ticket holders a PSL fee upward of $25,000 for the right to buy season tickets. The proposed bill would ban the Giants, Jets and any other team in the state from requiring fans to purchase PSLs.
“Personal seat licenses are an attack on middle-class fans who are loyal to their teams but cannot afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars to attend games,” O’Toole stated. “Many fans have been season ticket holders for years or inherited the tickets from relatives and faithfully attend games. PSLs will force these fans to give up their seats so wealthy individuals and corporate sponsors can purchase them.”
The PSL provides the owner, for as long as the Giants and Jets play in the new stadium, with the right to purchase season tickets to specific seats. The PSL stays active as long as season tickets are purchased annually. The New York Giants are requiring all season ticket holders to purchase PSLs with fees ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 per seat depending on location. The New York Jets are requiring only season ticket holders in the lower section to purchase PSLs at a price between $4,000 and $25,000.
“Neither the Giants nor the Jets mentioned PSLs when New Jersey decided to invest nearly $300 million of taxpayer money on road and rail projects to make access to the stadium safer and more convenient,” O’Toole continued. “The stadium is also being built on New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority property. Owners, residents and fans all have a vested interest in the new stadium and the teams that play there, yet exorbitant ticket prices will put tickets out of the reach of most of them.”
O’Toole concluded, “The teams just announced their intention to charge PSLs over the summer. With the new stadium scheduled to open in 2010, time really is of the essence. I will aggressively advocate for this legislation and am hopeful it will be posted for discussion and a vote as soon as possible.”
People can show their support for this legislation by going to http://www.senatenj.com/contact.php.
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