When you go to the personal seat license section of Carolina Panthers Web site, you are greeted by Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad telling you when you purchase a PSL it is for a “lifetime”. Well for any Panthers PSL owner who decided against purchasing playoff tickets this season, that lifetime has been cut short.
The Panthers sent a letter to ticket holders explaining that according to the agreement with PSL owners, purchasing playoff tickets is a requirement. If they did not buy tickets to their game vs. the Arizona Cardinals their PSL was terminated, according to a story in the Charlotte Observer.
It is not the end of the line for PSL owners though, as they have a chance to get the PSL back, for a price.
“Due to your past support,” the letter continues. “The Carolina Panthers, under no legal obligation, hereby offer you the opportunity to reinstate your account by paying a reinstatement fee.”
The Charlotte Observer said that that fee depends on ticket price, and for one owner it was $228.
“I think it is a cheap way for the Panthers to make money in a poor economy,” Kyle Burks, president of SeasonTicketRights.com, told TicketNews.
Burks, whose company helps consumers buy and sell PSLs, says that in all the license contracts that he has read, most have the requirement of buying pre-season and regular season tickets, while the postseason is a perk.
“I would encourage all PSL owners to read their contracts,” he said.
Personal Seat Licenses are controlled by the individual teams, and contracts for each will be different. But, Burks added, having your PSL revoked usually comes as a consequence of acting out at the game, and even in those instances it is very rare.
The Panthers told the Charlotte Observer that this year is not different from previous playoff season in a comparable number of PSLs were terminated.
A spokesperson for the National Football League could not be reached due to Super Bowl obligations in Tampa, FL.
