11/23/24
February 09, 2011
NFL Offers 400 Displaced Fans New Deal: To compensate the 400 fans who were screwed over during the Super Bowl because of unsafe seats, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is now offering them free tickets to a future Super Bowl of their choice along with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations. "We had more time to think about how to create a broader range of options that would better recognize the deep emotional bond that fans have for their team," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. Some fans have already sued over the fiasco.
Wonder if the free tickets to a future Super Bowl includes a guarantee that the team(s) they wanted to see will be in it. Granted, Steeler and Packer fans aren't long shots for having their teams in the Super Bowl again in the not-too-distant future, but just imagine it: "Yeah, so, you wanted to see the Steelers vs. the Packers, and we screwed you, but here's a full ride to see the Bucs vs. the Chargers!" Or whatever.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:34 PM on February 09, 2011
Not really surprised they're suing. lbb has it right, it wasn't a superbowl they were going to see, it was a superbowl that their team was playing in.
While highly unlikely, this may be the only time fans of those respective teams will ever have a chance to go see them in the big game. Forget just the actual odds of your team getting in the superbowl, it is the circumstances of life that make it near impossible to go.
I wouldn't have sued myself, but I am not surprised that some fans feel that a relatively cheap (for the NFL) buy off isn't good enough.
On a baser level, I find it funny that this happened at "Jerra-world." Maybe less bragging about your stadium all year & more preparation to actually hold the event.
posted by brainofdtrain at 07:51 PM on February 09, 2011
I think one thing is clear from what happened and the NFL's reaction. The Super Bowl is less and less about the game itself. It's an event, so the NFL mentality is that it does not matter if it is Steelers vs. Packers or Bucs vs. Chargers. Of course, many of the stories I have read about the seat-deprived is complaining not just about missing all or part of the game, but the pre-game and other festivities as well.
posted by graymatters at 08:08 PM on February 09, 2011
The story says fans won't have to pick their Super Bowl until after the conference championship games that year. So they can wait until their team makes the game.
posted by rcade at 11:58 PM on February 09, 2011
The story says fans won't have to pick their Super Bowl until after the conference championship games that year. So they can wait until their team makes the game. And with all expenses paid, airfare, hotel and ticket. That's a pretty sweet package if you are still alive when your team makes it there again. The Packers and Steelers are both in pretty good shape to get back soon. Just pray Jacksonville isn't the host city.
posted by gfinsf at 05:17 AM on February 10, 2011
Just pray Jacksonville isn't the host city.
Yeah, it's horrible here. Sunny days kept temperate by ocean breezes, year-round golf, long flat beaches and never snow. Who wants to run the risk of all that spoiling their Super Bowl week when they could be someplace like Detroit or New York?
posted by rcade at 07:56 AM on February 10, 2011
But it's flaaaat.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:40 AM on February 10, 2011
The festivities around the Super Bowl are a blast. There are tents upon tents of activities and sponsors keeping the crowd entertained for almost an entire week. At least that's how we do it in Tampa. All that was lost this year with the crappy weather. They should stick to places with good weather in the middle of winter.
posted by bperk at 09:55 AM on February 10, 2011
They should stick to places with good weather in the middle of winter.
posted by grum@work at 11:31 AM on February 10, 2011
They should stick to places with good weather in the middle of winter.
Like somewhere down South, perhaps? Like Texas, maybe?
posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:51 AM on February 10, 2011
All Southern cities are not the same, weatherwise. I grew up in Dallas and we'd have a bout of winter storms like last week every couple years. The only guaranteed no-February-snowstorm NFL towns, I think, are San Diego, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville and Phoenix. And someday Los Angeles.
posted by rcade at 11:55 AM on February 10, 2011
Who wants to run the risk of all that spoiling their Super Bowl week when they could be someplace like Detroit or New York?
I think New York is going to do a fantastic job with the Super Bowl. It may not be warm, but there will certainly be a lot to do.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:10 PM on February 10, 2011
It isn't New York; it's New Jersey. Plus, the commute to the Meadowlands for an event is a nightmare under the best of times. I can't even imagine how that is going to go during a Super Bowl. Are the Super Bowl festivities going to be all in New Jersey? If so, they are going to be competing against the 24-7 entertainment already provided in NYC.
posted by bperk at 12:15 PM on February 10, 2011
bperk, you're just determined to piss in the punchbowl, aren't you? Can you name any NFL stadium that's not a pain in the ass to get to?
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:26 PM on February 10, 2011
Ravens Stadium.
posted by Hugh Janus at 02:00 PM on February 10, 2011
bperk, you're just determined to piss in the punchbowl, aren't you? Can you name any NFL stadium that's not a pain in the ass to get to?
The whole NYC doesn't require a car, but you have to get in one and sit in traffic to watch a New York team play football just annoys me. I'm not an expert on NFL stadiums, having only been to a few. The Meadowlands is better than FedEx field, I think.
posted by bperk at 02:33 PM on February 10, 2011
The MTA provides a fleet of buses going to every Jet game from Manhattan. I can only imagine how many they will have during the Superbowl. Yes, it is sitting in traffic, but with a busful of friends it's not nearly so bad.
I will grant you that taking the Lincoln tunnel back from Jersey is like descending into the ninth circle of hell (very slowly). But I always take the GW bridge.
And I would think that there would be great synergy between the 24/7 entertainment in NYC and the Superbowl festivities. The stadium itself is only eight miles from Manhattan.
posted by cjets at 03:33 PM on February 10, 2011
Wonder if the free tickets to a future Super Bowl includes a guarantee of a seat - with a view of the field.