Earlier this month, a New Jersey mom complained after she was told that she could not bring her 14-week-old son into a New York Giants game without purchasing a ticket. Now, the team has changed its policy.
The breastfeeding mother, Sarah Zadoyko-Bartee, who has Giants season tickets along with her husband and two kids, shared the news in a Facebook post earlier this month. The active NJ Army National Guard member said that she was told she would have to pay $800 to bring her infant son into the stadium with her, a seat which she notes he is “physically incapable of sitting in.” She also explained how the policy was discriminatory toward mothers with babies that are exclusively breastfed. As a season ticket holder, she was now being forced to choose to pay a ridiculous fee to hold her baby on her lap or leave her baby at home and pump while at the game. Security let her bring the baby inside as a “one-time courtesy.”
While the Giants were a part of the five teams in the league that required all guests have a ticket regardless of age or size, MetLife stadium allows children up to 34″ inches to enter the stadium free-of-charge while accompanied by an adult. After Zadoyko-Bartee’s post went viral, the team released the following statement on Tuesday:
“We were not made aware of this particular situation until after the fact. We have attempted to reach out to the mother to discuss what occurred that evening, but have not yet made contact. In addition, we are in the process of revising our long-standing policy to bring it more in line with the policy of MetLife Stadium. Also, please note there is a nursing suite behind section 142 on the Plaza level. This suite can accommodate two people simultaneously and has comfortable chairs, a pull curtain for privacy and televisions. There is also a location where the Stadium will store milk for mothers that choose to pump.”
Then, on Wednesday, the team changed its policy to match MetLife Stadium’s. Zadoyko-Bartee shared the news on Facebook, which was met by many congratulations.
Now, the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers are the only four of 32 teams that require infants to have a ticket to enter the stadium. We’ll see if they follow suite.
