Ravens Money Grab - Shafts PSL Holders

**ManfredHanover** · 01-22-2013, 07:36 AM

January 21, 2013

Mr. Steve Biscotti
Baltimore Ravens
1101 Russell St
Baltimore MD 21230
RE: Shame on You
Dear Mr. Biscotti:
I am a 17 year Ravens season tickets/Personal Seat License holder (I have 4 PSLs). I am writing today because I feel that your organization is providing an injustice to loyal fans like myself.
I grew up in Detroit and as a young kid my father took me to every Detroit Lions home game from 1966 to 1978. Some of the greatest memories of my childhood were from going to the football games with my father (and sometimes grandfather also). That is why when it was announced that the Ravens were moving to Baltimore I was estatic.
When the Baltimore Sun published where to write to get your name on the season ticket list, it was a Sunday. I prepared a letter and drove to the main post office downtown that night to make sure my letter was received the next day. At the time I was not married nor did I have any children, but I hoped that some day I would and that I would be able to take them to NFL Football games, and dreamed of going someday to the SuperBowl. Paying for the PSL was difficult. I got a second job so I could pay the cost of the PSL. In 2001 I got married and in 2003 my first child was born (a son) and a second son was born in 2007. I have been taking my oldest son to games since he was 3. The first game he went to we beat the Chargers on a last minute touch down by Todd Heap.

At 12:32am on 1/21/13 I got an e-mail saying that I was not selected. Since I have two accounts I sent an e-mail saying that I did not receive an e-mail on the second account and could they check if I had won. The e-mail said I had not but that I should check with your travel partner . All through out the day I was exchanging e-mails with people I know that own PSLs and no one I know won the ticket lottery. When I went to your travel partner page, there was a section for TICKETS AND EVENTS ONLY. On that page there were hundreds of tickets for sale starting at $2,500.

Shame on you. This is completely unfair to us loyal fans that hundreds of tickets are being sold at $2,500+ which clearly must have come from the Ravens allocation of Super Bowl tickets, rather than making them available to loyal fans like me. I have religiously paid for my tickets in full as soon as I get the bill (regular season or playoffs) for 17 years.
What does this say about your organization, that rather than help your loyal fans go to the Super Bowl by allowing them to buy tickets at face value, your organization uses the fantastic once in lifetime opportunity to stick it to loyal fans.

Since this is clearly all about the money, I expect that loyal fans like me will also be hit with a massive season ticket increase.
Shame on you.

**ravenfever_com** · 01-22-2013, 07:56 AM

Would be very interesting to hear if any PSL Holders were selected for SuperBowl Tickets and how much they had to fork over for the "Right" and/or "Privilege" to watch the Ravens play live.

If you did get tickets at "Face Value" (value means something I guess) how much was it and how many could you purchase?

**wickedsolo** · 01-22-2013, 07:59 AM

While I understand the frustration...if you're going to scold/lecture someone, the least you could do is spell his name correctly.

Just saying...

**ManfredHanover** · 01-22-2013, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

while i understand the frustration...if you're going to scold/lecture someone, the least you could do is spell his name correctly.

Just saying...

you are correct. Auto-correct changed the spelling. Sorry.

**FellsPointRaven** · 01-22-2013, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by ravenfever_com

Would be very interesting to hear if any PSL Holders were selected for SuperBowl Tickets and how much they had to fork over for the "Right" and/or "Privilege" to watch the Ravens play live.

If you did get tickets at "Face Value" (value means something I guess) how much was it and how many could you purchase?

Only one I've heard of here who was successful was Captain Offense, and apparently face value was $850 per ticket. Assume it's a max 2 tickets per PSL holder.

**Captain Silver** · 01-22-2013, 08:06 AM

Super Bowl seats are for rich folk silly rabbit.

**MyTurn** · 01-22-2013, 08:09 AM

I can't fault the Ravens for not making all the tickets available to PSL holders. There were plenty of people that didn't win the tickets in the lottery so holding a pool of tickets for general sale makes sense. I'm even good with the price, if they were lower than what they are going for on stubhub or ticketmaster people would just buy them and resell them.

**GOTA** · 01-22-2013, 08:16 AM

Are we sure that the Ravens travel partners got their tickets from the Ravens allotment? The OP says that it is clearly the case but is it really?

**pslholder96** · 01-22-2013, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

Are we sure that the Ravens travel partners got their tickets from the Ravens allotment? The OP says that it is clearly the case but is it really?

I'm pretty sure that's not the case. I recall reading somewhere how the travel partners get their allottment but for the life of me I can't recall what I read in that piece. Only way travel partners get any tickets is if they are considered "corporate sponsors". Then perhaps there's some truth to what the OP says

**whosyourdaddy1213** · 01-22-2013, 08:24 AM

I have two facebook friends that I know of that won the lottery. 2 tix each and they were both $1750.00 for the pair

**ravenfever_com** · 01-22-2013, 08:26 AM

$850 Face is a Value! Would be nice to Dream! LOL I would agree that the Official Partner Deal is way better then taking a risk of not having a real ticket. To many people get burned every year on Super Bowl Deals so to know you have a REAL Ticket and a flight to the game is awesome. NO Airport will be crazy to get into. Gulfport-Biloxi Airport (http://www.flygpt.com/) is a close ride (45 mins) away and might offer easier arrival and departures.

**Mista T** · 01-22-2013, 08:27 AM

Another guy who used to participate here just informed me that he won two face value tickets.

I share the OP's frustration. I have had as many as three PSL accounts (down to two) and have yet to hit on the various Ravens SB tix lotteries going back to 2001. However, the OP jumps to a conclusion that the travel partner gets an allotment of tickets. Based on my knowledge of the "system" and some of the individuals involved, I believe the OP's scenario is incorrect. Go ahead, admonish some of the suite-holders who get automatic tickets, or corporate sponsors whose employees have no interest in the game, or more likely: NFL players from the 30 other teams who are looking to make a quick buck (remember the former Lions coach + UMd alumnus who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar a few years back?)

**Captain Offense** · 01-22-2013, 08:48 AM

Yes I did win the tickets and they were $ 850 Face Value. I have two PSL's in Section 142 and one in 140. My wife has three in 140 and two in 142, but she was notified that she was not selected. With the number of PSL owners, I did not expect to get picked.

In getting our PSL's we have run into a lot of people who buy/sell on a regular basis. Since somebody mentioned elsewhere that there are Ravens' fans who are hustling their tickets for a profit, how many are simply marketeers? They are putting out the product for the best price. I would prefer that true fans get the options, but there is no way to make that call. I am glad for the opportunity, but would not feel slighted if I had not won. The hotels, the airlines, the businesses - they will all look to get the money.

I did notice last night when I picked up my tickets that the woman asked if I was a PSl owner or from a suite. I was directed to the second window to pick up the tickets I have no idea what was different about the pick-up process.

Look, the Super Bowl is a mega-event that is for the Bigger Pockets. Those of us who are involved during the season and year to year can still be in the game (at a market price), but it is not a reward process. I pay the season tickets for my pleasure, not to get any special rights to the Super Bowl. As far as I recall, I was made no promises about the likelihood of getting tickets. I would love to have a lot of other things too, but what happens, happens. I do not control it, so I try to live with it (except for last year's AFCCG, the 2006 Playoff Game, ...).

**ManfredHanover** · 01-22-2013, 12:53 PM

The tickets are allocated 17.5 to each team in the SuperBowl and then 30 percent among the other thirty teams. 1 percent in a yearly open to all lottery. The balance is for corporate sponsors such as FORD, ANESHEUR BUSH, CHRYSLER, ETC. So given the BILLIONS in TV contracts, it would be illogical for the tickets to have come from any place other than the Ravens allotment. There is one simple way to clear the issue up, have the Ravens be transparent about how many tickets there were, and who got them. How about a list of lottery winners by section of the stadium.

**JohnBKistler** · 01-22-2013, 08:28 AM

So you bought PSLs with the "dream of going to the Super Bowl"? Sorry...but the only thing a PSL guarantees is that you are put into a lottery with the chance to win the right to buy them. I know of some "regular" fans that have won...but it is a long-shot to be sure.

I believe luxury suite owners are the only season ticket holders that are guaranteed the right to obtain Super Bowl tickets.

And there seems to be the implication that the Ravens have access to thousands upon thousands of SB tickets....and have put them up for sale on StubHub.

While the 2 teams may split up most of a stadium's seats for a college bowl game, that is just not the case with the Super Bowl. Do you know that every player and coach in the NFL is guaranteed to right to 2 Super Bowl tickets? Do you know that every team in the NFL is guaranteed a certain number of tickets? Then there are the broadcast partners, the business partners, the media, the advertisers, etc., etc., etc...I would be surprised if the Ravens had an allocation anywhere near 25% of the seats in the Super Dome.

The Super Bowl was never intended to be an event for the average fan to attend...that is just the way it is and has always been...you are free to moralize about how wrong that is in the great scheme of things....but if you really thought buying a PSL would fulfill your Super Bowl dream, than you really had some unrealistic expectations.

**saintmatthew** · 01-22-2013, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by JohnBKistler

I would be surprised if the Ravens had an allocation anywhere near 25% of the seats in the Super Dome.

I read, in SI I believe, that the teams get 17.9% of seats. not sure if that's total split or each but that's still jack but that's the way it works. Also, it is DEF worth the outlay for an official travel partner. When I started working here 11 years ago, one of the jobs the copy girls had up front was a lit job for a class action law suit against some guy selling phony SB trip packages for the 2000 Ravens SB. A whole busload of people ended up in the parking lot of the Clearwater mall (I lived a mile from there not 2 years before, lol) waiting for the cops. I believe they still got the opportunity to watch the game on TV somewhere though.

**camdenyard** · 01-22-2013, 08:39 AM

No offense, but the OP was pretty naive to send this. A Super Bowl is not like a Ravens home game or even a conference championship game. Each NFL team receives an allotment of tickets. A shitload of tickets go directly to NFL affiliates, VIPs, corporate sponsors and networks...and to NFL office and friends of the NFL. I don't know the exact allocation, but once it's said and done about 75% goes to all NFL teams, which they distribute to fans as they deem fit. The two participating teams receive the biggest percentage, each getting about 17 percent of the tickets available.

So the Ravens may get about 9,000 tickets. Understand that suite holders are guaranteed 1:1. The rest are heavily weighted to club seat holders. So the odds of your average upper level seat holder winning is very small. And prices are set by the league office. And Steve Bisciotti doesn't control the secondary market.

**ManfredHanover** · 01-22-2013, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by camdenyard

No offense, but the OP was pretty naive to send this. A Super Bowl is not like a Ravens home game or even a conference championship game. Each NFL team receives an allotment of tickets. A shitload of tickets go directly to NFL affiliates, VIPs, corporate sponsors and networks...and to NFL office and friends of the NFL. I don't know the exact allocation, but once it's said and done about 75% goes to all NFL teams, which they distribute to fans as they deem fit. The two participating teams receive the biggest percentage, each getting about 17 percent of the tickets available.

So the Ravens may get about 9,000 tickets. Understand that suite holders are guaranteed 1:1. The rest are heavily weighted to club seat holders. So the odds of your average upper level seat holder winning is very small. And prices are set by the league office. And Steve Bisciotti doesn't control the secondary market.

NOTE: THE RAVENS GET 17.5 PERCENT OF THE TICKETS AT THE SUPERDOME. That is around 13,000. The other 35 percent of the tickets goes to the other NFL teams. 1 percent to a lottery held for anyone (see NFL.com). The balance to corporate sponsors.

**ManfredHanover** · 01-22-2013, 12:54 PM

Then why not be transparent and post exactly how many people got tickets, and what sections they have their PSL for all to see, just how fair the lottery was.

**pslholder96** · 01-22-2013, 08:15 AM

Football is a business first and they are in the business of entertainining. While I understand your concern and frustration, understanding football economics will make you realize that we are all part of the problem (i.e supply and demand). If anything the league should make more tickets available to the superbowl teams. As it stands now the Ravens and niners only get 17.5% of the allocation with the rest being split between other teams, corporate sponsors etc.