PSL Trouble Guys? What's up?

[Fooball]

Couldn't find anything on this with a search......haven't been here in a while. Is this old news?

Ticket holders get PSLs revoked over playoff game

07:17 AM EST on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

By TONY BURBECK / NewsChannel 36

E-mail Tony: [email protected]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers are revoking PSLs from fans who didn’t purchase playoff tickets.

Letters started arriving last week via certified mail giving ticket holders that news. If you own a Personal Seat License, you have to buy playoff tickets. It's part of the deal and made clear when you buy a PSL.

Those tickets against the Arizona Cardinals weren't cheap.

"It's a lot of money for some people," said PSL owner Mike Stewart.

Stewart bought his tickets and tried selling them but had no luck.

"I was very surprised," Stewart said.

He went and watched a blowout loss.

PSL owners who didn't buy their tickets say they're surprised by the letter in the mail that says their PSL has been terminated.

The letter adds: "Due to your past support, the Carolina Panthers, under no legal obligation, hereby offer you the opportunity to reinstate your account by paying a reinstatement fee of $228.00. We must receive this reinstatement payment in our office by the close of business on Friday, January 30, 2009. Failure to make this payment in a timely fashion will result in permanent cancellation of your PSL account and forfeiture of all rights and monies you have paid."

Some PSL owners say they couldn't afford it this year due to the economy. Others say they simply forgot.

"I don't agree with it, but I would hope the Panthers would have some consideration as to regards to the economy. Some people are suffering right now and some people maybe didn't have the money," Stewart said.

In the end, keeping a PSL means paying hundreds for something that already cost thousands -- and pay it now, even though some people couldn’t afford the playoff tickets a few weeks ago.

The Carolina Panthers aren’t giving specific numbers of people losing their PSLs. They do, however, say this year’s PSL losses are comparable to the number of PSL revocations following playoff games in 2003 and 2006.

The dollar amount people have to pay to reinstate their PSL depends upon the value of the PSL.

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Also from AOL Sports:

At the beginning of this week, another 60,000 people were laid off in the United States. They got dumped on top of 2.6 million of their neighbors who lost jobs last year.

Our new president is trying to pump almost a trillion dollars over the next two years into our economy, which is in throes it hasn't experienced since The Great Depression.

People are straining to make ends meet everywhere. Even sports have recognized the difficulties by slashing ticket prices and offering deals. All of which makes one wonder: What planet is the Carolina Panthers franchise living on?

The Panthers front office last week started mailing letters to its PSL – personal seat license – owners that their PSLs would be revoked if they hadn't bought playoff tickets. They were threatening to make good on a PSL agreement that PSL owners must buy all tickets. But in this economy?

What unmitigated and insensitive gall.

And this comes from a flagship company in the state of North Carolina where one of the major industries, banking and finance, has laid off tens of thousands of workers, 20,000 from Wachovia in Charlotte alone.

The PSL owners are among the people who helped make the Panthers a reality in Charlotte by stepping up early and plunking down chucks of dough to prove that an NFL franchise could work there. They are so important to the franchise that the Ring of Honor in the Panthers' stadium – naming rights owned by Bank of America, which is trimming upwards of 35,000 workers nationally - includes PSL owners.

Who knows why a certain PSL owner didn't buy playoff tickets? Maybe they were sick. Maybe they were suddenly deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Maybe they were laid off and other expenses took priority.

Whatever the reasons, taking away PSLs for not buying playoff tickets with all that is going on is not only a slap in the face to loyal PSL owners, but also unnecessary. After all, the NFL employs revenue sharing. Franchises don't need to screw their season-ticket holders to the wall.

If the Panthers continue down this ridiculous line, the NFL should step in and stop them, for the good of the league's image.

[Kingpatecu]

wow that is bs. I understand they want people to support the team but to revoke their PSLs or force them to spend $228, when they couldnt even afford the playoff tix is down right dirty. I have PSLs and bought my tix to the playoffs but it def was a stretch to afford, and I probley wouldnt of been able to afford the even more expensive NFC Championship tix. And to think if we beat Arizona I would have lost my PSLs really pisses me off.

Now I can't speak for all our fans but times are tough, but that dosen't make me any less of a fan. I would still support the team and allocate a budget to afford the yearly season ticket cost even with their increase, but if I can't afford another $250 or more around Christmas time, then the team is telling me they don't want my support anymore.

Someone who is lossing their PSLs because of this should call one of those news shows. Bad press will always make someone do the right thing.

[Cyberjag]

If you can't afford PSLs, then sell them. They're a luxury item and should be treated as such. The contract clearly states that if you own a PSL, you're obligated to purchase the tickets, including playoff tickets. It's not gall, it's a contract.

As for the guy who had no luck selling his, I call bullshit. Prior to the game there were lots of opportunities to unload them, up to and including scalpers outside the stadium. He had no luck because he didn't try, that's all. The media wants to stir up some crap, that's all.

And the "right thing" in this case is clearly to honor the contract you agreed to.

[Go To Girl]

I don't see anything wrong with what they're doing. Moreover, the people who didn't buy their tickets need to say thank you to the Panthers for giving them chance to not lose my PSLs by letting them pay the fee. It's in the agreement that if you don't buy the tickets, you lose the PSLs. And yes, I do understand that it's financially tough to pay that money at Chrismtas just as it's tough to pay the invoice when it arrives in the spring. But if you want to keep your PSLs you do it. Harsh as it sounds, I do not feel sorry for any of them.

Anyone who "couldn't" sell their tickets didn't try hard enough....or maybe they just couldn't get triple over face. The panthers worked with PSL owners by offering the pay for play option...that's never been an option before - I used it - and I was thankful for it.

[carpanfan96]

I don't see anything wrong with it at all, You signed the contract and agreed to buy all tickets including playoff games. I don't see what the big deal is with this, and why aol has decided to try and start an uproar over a contract.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I don't see anything wrong with it at all, You signed the contract and agreed to buy all tickets including playoff games. I don't see what the big deal is with this, and why aol has decided to try and start an uproar over a contract.

You probably don't see anything wrong with it because none of you have PSL's

[Go To Girl]

I have PSLs. Cyberjag has PSLs. Don't know about anybody else in this thread.

[raleigh-panther]

I have them.

It is painful, yes, at that time of year; but, the reality is if I buy the tickets I can keep them or resell them.

The reason I have PSLs is the hopes of seeing a championship team play and as the NFL sets the prices not the Panthers, when one witnesses the beat-down we had the playoffs, its really really hard to take. Those tickets were $100 more a piece than the normal game price.

What I resent, like many others, is being forced to pay full price for exhibition games. That is really hard to take. Football is the only sport that requires full price for practice games; but ,that's a whole other topic.

I'm blessed to be able to buy them period.

[Kyle82]

As a PSL owner, I look at owning my seats as a privledge....nobody is FORCING you to have one but I can also see where people are coming from as far as the economy is right now.

[blackpaw]

I feel for those in financial pain but I side with the Panthers on this. There were alternatives to ignoring the bill. The Panthers even let PSL holders to advertise the sale of seats on their web site. E-bay, etc are places that were getting higher than face value prior to game. My guess is that a private conversation with management might have brought about a solution on an individual basis. Legal ramifications abound for the Panthers if they just ignore violations of the PSL contract signed.

[natty]

I'm looking at buying PSLs and I'm factoring in the cost of all the games, including playoff games, because I know that's part of the deal. If someone is a PSL owner and can't afford playoff tickets then they really shouldn't have the right in the first place. No one said it was cheap, the team has to pay their bills too.

[carpanfan96]

You probably don't see anything wrong with it because none of you have PSL's

Why would you say that. The people who have psl's are paying A lot of money for them, if you can't afford the tickets then sell the psl's. You're the one that signed the contract and agreed to buy the tickets. So I really don't see anything wrong with it. You shouldn't be spending thousands of dollars on a luxury item if you can't afford it. Point and simple.

[cookinbrak]

Wow. Just wow.

Maybe the Panthers could give people an extension to be able to pay the "fine" for not being able to afford the playoff tickets. After all, the economy has improved so much since the beginning of the month.

[Go To Girl]

I disagree. The people who didn't pay should be thankful they're getting a reprieve even if they have to pay for it. They could have easily bought their tickets and sold them to recoupe the costs if they could not afford it