The Athletic Sabres’ season tickets have become a tough sell: ‘It’s just been so sad for so long’

[Ehran]

300 level

And I assume those prices are before taxes and fees.....

 

[oldgoalie]

300 level

back in the 70s a friend of mine had season tickets for years at the Aud - 2 center ice, first row reds. I think then it was like $1800 for the pair per year.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

back in the 70s a friend of mine had season tickets for years at the Aud - 2 center ice, first row reds. I think then it was like $1800 for the pair per year.

When the Caps moved downtown the 300 level were $10 a game for the first 2yrs, the 100 level were $35 and this was '98. Many a night watched a game with my equipment bag in the trunk before running off to Reston, Bethesda etc for a game, the good old days when I could walk, run n skate

 

[Djp]

If I still lived in WNY I would definitely consider one of those partial packages. Don't know that I could honestly afford two seats for a full season.

i think with many they fund the ST by selling many of the games against Canadian teams as well as Boston, rangers, and Crosby.

if ST for 2 costs $8000.. about $200 per game

you can sell 10 game pairs at $500= $5000

32 games for $3000…under $100/ game.

 

[Butt Ox]

When the Caps moved downtown the 300 level were $10 a game for the first 2yrs, the 100 level were $35 and this was '98. Many a night watched a game with my equipment bag in the trunk before running off to Reston, Bethesda etc for a game, the good old days when I could walk, run n skate

Remember jumping off of stuff like it wasn't nbd? Lifting you up brother. Go hard with what you have.

 

[Dex]

Dug out a couple of old stubs from the late 70s.

Row O was the first row of the Blue Section. Really good seats. My uncle had season tickets back then, so I'm assuming that the price on the ticket is the season ticket price, but I could be wrong.

They played 80 games back then - so 40 X $7 is $280 in 1979. For the 1977 ticket that would have been $250. I wonder how much complaining there was for the 12% increase from '77 to '79.

I used an online inflation calculator to determine that $250 in 1977 is equivalent to $1,228 in 2023

 

[valet]

Dug out a couple of old stubs from the late 70s.

Row O was the first row of the Blue Section. Really good seats. My uncle had season tickets back then, so I'm assuming that the price on the ticket is the season ticket price, but I could be wrong.

They played 80 games back then - so 40 X $7 is $280 in 1979. For the 1977 ticket that would have been $250. I wonder how much complaining there was for the 12% increase from '77 to '79.

I used an online inflation calculator to determine that $250 in 1977 is equivalent to $1,228 in 2023

View attachment 629321

the problem with using a simple inflation calculator is that inflation is derived from a large basket of various good/services. so sports tickets could have reasonably appreciated considerably more than the headline rate while still being ‘affordable’ in context of the broader economy, or at least the consumer base that might be interested in purchasing them

as an aside, it is kind of comical seeing $7 leaf’s tickets. good find

 

[Beerz]

The State of New York is horrible.

 

[ForsbergMoDo21]

The State of New York is horrible.

I don’t disagree, but the federal government has trended this way, too. I had concert tickets for NYC this summer that I ended up not being able to use. Can’t sell anything on Stubhub style sites anymore without giving them your full SSN and tax info due to a federal law change in the last couple of years. Even though I would’ve been well below the $600 reporting threshold. Half my family have credit freezes in place due to data breaches, so I have no interest in putting my SSN out there.

To say nothing of the astronomical nickeling and diming those sites do in fees.

 

[Beerz]

I don’t disagree, but the federal government has trended this way, too. I had concert tickets for NYC this summer that I ended up not being able to use. Can’t sell anything on Stubhub style sites anymore without giving them your full SSN and tax info due to a federal law change in the last couple of years. Even though I would’ve been well below the $600 reporting threshold. Half my family have credit freezes in place due to data breaches, so I have no interest in putting my SSN out there.

To say nothing of the astronomical nickeling and diming those sites do in fees.

No argument here

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I don’t disagree, but the federal government has trended this way, too. I had concert tickets for NYC this summer that I ended up not being able to use. Can’t sell anything on Stubhub style sites anymore without giving them your full SSN and tax info due to a federal law change in the last couple of years. Even though I would’ve been well below the $600 reporting threshold. Half my family have credit freezes in place due to data breaches, so I have no interest in putting my SSN out there.

To say nothing of the astronomical nickeling and diming those sites do in fees.

You cannot make an overall profit selling Sabres tickets when you count the bad games. It's not reality

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Sabre the Win]

I cant read the Buffalo News article but I assume for those season ticket holders in Canada, this is a non issue and the state literally can't do F all.

I'm also assuming this isn't for season ticket holders who sell here and there but for scalpers.

 

[Tatanka]

Do the Sabres maintain their own resell site?

 

[paulmm3]

Yikes. This seems unnecessary/burdensome from the government on two people who just want to swap tickets for money.

 

[Dirty Dog]

The State of New York is horrible.

Wait, what’s the details

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

The State of New York is horrible.

Havent seen anything like this from the Rangers or Islanders... Petty Pegula strikes again?

 

[Zman5778]

So it seems like this is strictly targeted to the people that buy seasons and go to a couple games a year then attempt to sell the rest for profit, generally to opposing teams' fans.

 

[Jim Bob]

So it seems like this is strictly targeted to the people that buy seasons and go to a couple games a year then attempt to sell the rest for profit, generally to opposing teams' fans.

Or, people who buy STs just to resell them.

Looking at the NYS.gov website, it seems like there is a 5 ticket block sale limit in there.

 

[Ehran]

Wait, what’s the details

Here are some select quotes:

In an email to these fans, the team said it has changed its season ticket membership terms and conditions, “particularly in light of the recent ticket reseller laws in New York State.” The state passed ticket purchasing protection legislation in 2022.
A team spokesperson said less than 1% of the 2023-24 season ticket member base received this communication – a majority of the accounts being from out of state.

While the letters went out only to season ticket holders who the team, through its records and research, identified as selling “the majority of their tickets/events since 2022” at KeyBank Center, some of these fans have said that they’ve been unfairly targeted.

Notice the bit about "majority" of their tickets.

He said in every season ticket holder’s manager account, there is an option to sell games through the team’s ticket partner Ticketmaster and it’s “almost like they encourage it. … And that’s what I’m doing, so why is it all of a sudden an issue?”
The Sabres told him that according to their research he sells more than 80% of his games at KeyBank Center, including his Bandits lacrosse season tickets. Czajkowski admits he has tickets in both the 100 and 300 sections for the Sabres and does sell many of them, but thought it was his right to do so.

I mean, sure it's his right to use the resale function of the tickets. But NYS (in it's infinite wisdom and I make no judgment either way here) has determined that they will regulate and tax his ability to do so. This isn't a team created issue, IMO.

The state considers a ticket reseller to be any person, firm or corporation, including internet websites or any other electronic services, who engages in the business of ticket resale, essentially buying tickets specifically to resell them or reselling them often, usually in an attempt to profit.

People who sell tickets online are not required to be licensed as a ticket reseller if they have purchased the ticket for their own use or the use of their friends, family or employees, and the ticket resale is at or less than face value.

So, again, I don't want to sound like I'm for or against this. The law was passed and the Sabres are doing what they are required to do. And as the one quote states, it's less than 1% of the STHs. Not like they're wholesale affecting a large number of people.

Also, on a side note, I don't normally like quoting this much out of an article that is behind a paywall but some of the tweets, etc., coming out about this issue seem to be intentionally misleading.

 

[crackdown44]

So if I’m reading what you guys are saying properly, this is ticketmaster having the state of New York in a chokehold and not Sabres ownership being greasy?

 

[Gras]

So if I’m reading what you guys are saying properly, this is ticketmaster having the state of New York in a chokehold and not Sabres ownership being greasy?

Its the State of NY dictating down to Sabres.

 

[crackdown44]

Its the State of NY dictating down to Sabres.

And likely the greasy Ticketmaster lobby dictating down to the state of NY

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Beerz]

Next you will need a $5000 licensing fee in order to sell your Pokémon cards