Letters to the editor
Share with others:
Super Bowl seat fiasco demands a big penalty
It seems incredible that the NFL would have created such a blunder of selling tickets for some extra seating at the Super Bowl and not have it ready in time for the game.
This must have been in the planning stage for months since the Cowboys Stadium had been chosen for the venue more than a year in advance.
Bill Brink's story on Page One ("All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Sit," Feb. 8) puts it very well; the NFL had 49 days between the last Cowboys game at the stadium and the day of the Super Bowl. Design for the extra seats should have been accomplished months in advance. Construction and setup should have been complete at least a week in advance of the game.
The NFL's efficiency in getting tickets out to interested buyers was superb. Why wasn't the NFL as efficient in overseeing the addition of the extra seats?
Instead, hundreds of fans spent thousands of dollars to watch the game on TV at the stadium just as I did in my Bethel Park family room for just the cost of my cable hookup.
The NFL has had no problem handing out penalties for actions on and off the field that it does not approve of. What's good for the goose is sauce for the gander. In my opinion the head honcho bears the responsibility for this fiasco. So, perhaps Roger Goodell should be fined $100,000 and be suspended from any NFL contact for the first four games of the regular 2011 NFL season!
GERALD CORNELL
Bethel Park
Fan treatment
I was one of the "Fightin' 400" fans who had their seats pulled out from under them. I have set up the website www.displacedfans45.com to serve as a "home base" for these fans. Please visit and join the Twitter feed.
Business school textbooks will be written someday about how this Super Bowl ticket fiasco is a classic example of the worst customer service. We have launched the Professional Football Union of Fans to promote the voice of the fan in professional sports. It is our hope that the NFL will begin to include the fans in its plans for Super Bowls and other events.
MATTHEW J. RUSH
Philadelphia
The writer is a native of Crafton Heights.
Ticket woes here
I have been reading the recent articles about the frustrated Super Bowl ticket holders. I feel it is necessary to point out the same frustration I had with the Steelers at the AFC Championship game against the New York Jets. As a season-ticket waiting list member, I was given the opportunity to buy playoff tickets.
I decided to gamble and buy tickets for the championship game, even though it wasn't a guaranteed home game. I purchased the tickets through Ticketmaster, via a link with a special password, provided to me by the Steelers. I bought the "best available," which were sold and described to me as "North Club Seats." I have never sat in the area, but these seats were to have separate restroom facilities, concessions and also a heated area to escape the elements, which was especially appealing due to the extremely cold weather.
When I got to the stadium and tried to use the club entrance, I was told that my tickets were not valid for that area and that they knew all about it, since they had the same problem at the Baltimore game. I was told to take it up with Ticketmaster and that they were sorry for the inconvenience. Not a very good response, but what do you expect when they have a captive audience?
First Published February 10, 2011 12:00 am
