When you head out to the ballpark or stadium, chances are that once you find your seat you will inevitably be within shouting distance of a loud, over zealous or “unruly” fan. Well, now according to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, you have someone to point the finger at: the secondary ticket market.
At the recent NFL Spring Meeting, the commissioner along with league owners and club executives addressed the rise in poor fan conduct. The thinking behind linking the secondary market to fan behavior is that if the person in the seat was the season ticket holder, they would be less likely to do something to warrant being kicked out or certainly do anything that would have their season tickets revoked.
During the meeting, Goodell said that the secondary market was a “new factor” among others the NFL had to figure out for its new Fan Conduct Policy, adding “There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution,” according to NFL.com
“In some cases, that’s because the normal season ticket holder isn’t at the game and they give (their ticket) to somebody else,” he said at the meeting. “That’s not a license to be unruly. In our opinion, you have the responsibility to whoever you give those tickets to. And you’re responsible for their behavior.”
Late last year, the NFL finalized a deal with Ticketmaster for the company to be the official ticket reseller, so the league will be capitalizing on the growth of the secondary market while criticizing it as well. This falls in line with the other major professional sports leagues like the NBA and NHL which struck deals with Ticketmaster and Major League Baseball which will use StubHub as its official ticket reseller. The leagues have universally embraced the secondary market, but each continues to make strides in the attempt to control it.
The NFL said that a new Fan Conduct Policy will be announced prior to the start of the 2008 season, but details were not divulged.
