FedEx to Install Party Decks; Remove Seats

[Monkeydad]

I'm sure Michael Strahan would help you out with that.

[fanarchist]

I'd rather have Brian Orakpo. But then again I am a bit of a homer.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I would be stunned if the price of a party deck ticket is the same as the seats that were once there.

And the ticket revenue split is 66% to the home team, 34% to the other 31 teams. Plus the money the home team makes from premium seat fees (which I don't even know these count as, premium seats that is) is what they really keep. The cost of the ticket, if I recall correctly, is subject to be "taken away" from the home team. The home team keeps their share of the club seat ticket and the away team's share is subject to be given out as a "loan" for new stadium financing. As was the case with Gilette Stadium and the New Meadowlands.

Bottom line-there's a lot more to it than just Snyder is screwing the fans to put money in his pocket

SS is 100% correct but what isn't accounted for is the reason.......Fact ..the Stadium (who ever that is)...will sell alot more beer and food and...etc at hugely elevated prices....much more then if those seats remained as they were.As I stated when I went to the Giants/Redskins game this year at the "NEW MEADOWLANDS"...those things take away from the football game experence and wrecks it for the fans there to see a game ...with or without the kids be it trying to get to your seat ...going to the bathroom or even in the parking lot....the drunks are wrecking the game.

[SmootSmack]

Limited Number Of FedExField Seats To Be Sold For Charity

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by Giantone

SS is 100% correct but what isn't accounted for is the reason.......Fact ..the Stadium (who ever that is)...will sell alot more beer and food and...etc at hugely elevated prices....much more then if those seats remained as they were.As I stated when I went to the Giants/Redskins game this year at the "NEW MEADOWLANDS"...those things take away from the football game experence and wrecks it for the fans there to see a game ...with or without the kids be it trying to get to your seat ...going to the bathroom or even in the parking lot....the drunks are wrecking the game.

I'd support if they built a "Drunk Deck". Put it right along the top edge of the stadium and only serve beer there. I've never gone to an NFL game yet, but the many MLB games I've been to have had some moronic drunks...not great for a family outing.

[GMScud]

So I was listening to the Sports Reporters on 980 on the way home, and Andy Pollin and Steve Czaben had Lon Rosenberg (VP of Stadium Operations at FedEx Field) as a call in guest. Couple of interesting things:

The Redskins are NOT in fact planning on installing party decks in the hole in the stadium where those 5,000 seats once were. Apparently that is just an idea that was discussed, and nothing is set in stone.

Apparently before the decision was made to remove the 5,000 seats for the supposed party decks, these seats were offered to the 200,000+ fans (full disclosure: I have been on the waiting list for a long time and was offered tickets last year and passed) the Redskins say are on the waiting list for season tickets. Well, according to Mr. Rosenberg, they couldn't manage to sell a mere 5,000 tickets to 200,000 people. Wow. All you needed was a measly 2.5% of those on the waiting list to bite... no dice.

So I guess it is a waiting list... Waiting for the Redskins to be a decent team? Waiting for a decent stadium to see a game? That's what Pollin and Czaben joked anyway...

They also joked about the fact that a team that has such a legendary waiting list is removing seating. It was funny. Rosenberg didn't like Czaben calling Fed Ex Field an "overstuffed turkey" when referring to the expanding of the stadium from it's original capacity to over 90K...

Also speculated by The Sports Reporters was the fact that the Skins floated the rumor of the supposed party decks to justify the seat-removal at the time of construction, but it was in fact done to help protect against the potential ramifications of dealing with TV-blackouts a la Jacksonville, since the team couldn't seem to sell the seats despite such an infamous season ticket waiting list. I guess that's not really surprising since the on-field product has been very poor and the stadium is an overpriced and a bad game experience.

Anyway, the podcast isn't up yet, but as soon as it is I'll post it. It was at the end of hour 2. Pretty interesting and entertaining segment.

[mlmdub130]

so whats up with the post's redskins coverage? seems like it's a complete joke with j reid writing about how much he doesn't like shannahan, and whoever the new insider is just running with a made up story about party decks. wierd

[MTK]

It wasn't only the Post reporting on the party decks. Even Redskins.com was reporting it. It's not a made up story, sounds like there has just been a change in plans from what GM is saying.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

It wasn't only the Post reporting on the party decks. Even Redskins.com was reporting it. It's not a made up story, sounds like there has just been a change in plans from what GM is saying.

That's what Lon Rosenberg said on the radio yesterday. The podcast still isn't up on ESPN980.com. I can't find a link anywhere backing up what he's saying, but I heard it with my own two ears.

[Giantone]

ok, no party decks.You cut the price of the lowest tickets by 10 dollars and make it standing room only......where everyone drinks at the bar 20 feet away ....not having a party.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by GMScud

That's what Lon Rosenberg said on the radio yesterday. The podcast still isn't up on ESPN980.com. I can't find a link anywhere backing up what he's saying, but I heard it with my own two ears.

Here's the transcript:

Lon: Solar panels will create 850 parking spots that will be covered for our guests in our parking lot, but the real story is about the addition of the solar panels and FedEx Field being one of the first stadiums in the NFL (believe the Eagles were his, my words, not his) to bring sustainable, renewable energy

Reporters: Mm-hmm. Ok, now as far as the seats that are being ripped out to create the party decks. What is the thinking behind that and why is it going to take a year to install these party decks?

Lon: Well currently we removed the seats on both end zones and that project is pretty much completed so that will be ready for the soccer game. The idea is to give us more room, reduce our parking, reduce our lines for the bathroom (interesting spin-hey fewer people means no more waiting in line at the bathroom! again my words, not his), reduce our lines at the concession stand by reducing the total number of people here at FedEx Field (the Jaguars have this model down cold).

Reporters: So that was an issue, the overbuilding of the stadium. The increased capacity. Because when it opened it was 78 and change and the max capacity was 92?

Lon: That's correct

Reporters: So along the way you kind of overstuffed the turkey there is what you're admitting

Lon: That's not what I was saying. I was saying what we remove from the stadium is to give people a little more room. That's correct

Reporters: Ok. Now here's the question. Because the team has said that the waiting list is 200,000 people. 200,000 people waiting for seats, 5,000 of which have been ripped out. How does that make sense for people on the waiting list?

Lon: The people on the waiting list are being offered to buy seats, and we have seats available for them. These are seats that they were not wanting to buy and they were asking to be kept on the waiting list till better seats opened up

Reporters: So these had been seats that had been offered to some of the 200k and they said no, we don't want them. So you're just taking them out

Lon: That's correct

Reporters: And so, did you cycle through all 200k?

Lon: I'm not sure how the ticketing process was done

Reporters: Lon, what will be the capacity of the party decks? Roughly speaking

Lon: We are not putting in party decks at this time. We've just removed the seat. Removed the cement underneath them. And opened up the ends of the upper deck

Reporters: So there's not going to be party decks.

Lon: We have talked about what the future of FedEx Field will bring and that is something that's being discussed.

Reporters: So that's not a done deal yet

Lon: No, that's not

Reporters: When do you think that you'll make a decision on that

Lon: I'm not sure when that decision will be made. There are several ideas that we're talking about

Reporters: Now I did tell people that if they wanted some genuine FedEx Field seats they can be purchased. I believe it was 250 a pair. Is that right?

Lon: Yes, and in fact all of the seats that we have available have been reserved and we have a waiting list of people who have a chance to come out here and if somebody who reserved one doesn't show up to pick theirs up they'll be made available to the people on the standby list on the 22nd of July

For more go here. Interview starts at the 19:42 mark

ESPN 980 Audio Vault - Play Now

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

It wasn't only the Post reporting on the party decks. Even Redskins.com was reporting it. It's not a made up story, sounds like there has just been a change in plans from what GM is saying.

i guess, it just seemed like the post made it out to be a done deal, i'm pretty sure everyone here thought it was a done deal and probably because the post reported it as so. it just seems to be the new theme in journalism to be the first one with the story, even if that means you don't know all the facts.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by mlmdub130

i guess, it just seemed like the post made it out to be a done deal, i'm pretty sure everyone here thought it was a done deal and probably because the post reported it as so. it just seems to be the new theme in journalism to be the first one with the story, even if that means you don't know all the facts.

Nah man, like I said Redskins.com was pimping the party deck story from the start, in fact I think it was first reported on the Redskins blog.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Nah man, like I said Redskins.com was pimping the party deck story from the start, in fact I think it was first reported on the Redskins blog.

Seriously, why would ANYONE think those are party decks?!?!?

FedExField Party Decks In Progress

New Party Decks Are Coming to FedExField

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Reporters: Lon, what will be the capacity of the party decks? Roughly speaking

Lon: We are not putting in party decks at this time. We've just removed the seat. Removed the cement underneath them. And opened up the ends of the upper deck

Reporters: So there's not going to be party decks.

Lon: We have talked about what the future of FedEx Field will bring and that is something that's being discussed.

Reporters: So that's not a done deal yet

Lon: No, that's not

Reporters: When do you think that you'll make a decision on that

Lon: I'm not sure when that decision will be made. There are several ideas that we're talking about

Reporters: Now I did tell people that if they wanted some genuine FedEx Field seats they can be purchased. I believe it was 250 a pair. Is that right?



For more go here. Interview starts at the 19:42 mark

ESPN 980 Audio Vault - Play Now

There you go. Thanks. Last time I checked (which was the morning around 11am), the entire podcast wasn't available.

So there you have it. No party decks despite the announcement of party decks on the Redskins official blog, website, Washington Post, etc etc.

I wish the Reporters would have asked Lon the question: "Why did the team and the blog make official annoucements about the decision to build party decks if in fact there really was no concrete decision?"

Let's call this what it was folks, a cute little way to spin not having to worry about TV blackouts. Yank a bunch of seats that your beloved waiting list didn't even want and pretend you're doing something really cool with the space. Won't it make FedEx so much more fun to look at with a 5,000 seat hole in the upper deck?

Another Snyder masterpiece.