This past Sunday Jerry Jones unveiled his new monstrosity known simply as Cowboys Stadium. The NBC Sunday Night Football crew drooled all over Jones's new building and the broadcast served more as an infomercial than a football game. The building has some cool features, and one thing that bothered me was it made me think about the designs and plans I saw for the Jets proposed West Side Stadium. I'm sure it would have been equally as impressive. But, it was not meant to be.
As I watched the game they explained some of the unique features and the more I heard the more I was infuriated. The NFL experience has become something that is simply not geared towards the average middle class fan anymore. This is a 80,000 seat arena that has an expandable capacity to over 100,000 thanks to standing areas. Most of the seats are just not obtainable to anyone earning less than half a million a year. PSL's that average 50,000 each are a nice way of letting the common man know he is not welcome at any Cowboys home games.
Sure, King Jones has set aside 8,000 seats that don't require PSL's and cost anywhere from 59 to 125 dollars. Thats less than 10 percent of the total capacity. He also came up with a brilliant idea, and when I say brilliant I mean evil.
He has standing areas that cost the fan 29 dollars for access. Fans in these areas don't have a clear view of the field, but they do have large monitors to watch the game. This is the most recent abomination in a long line of disrespectful gestures from the NFL to their fans. The blue collar middle class fan who helped to build this league is not even given the respect of a seat anymore. However, he still has to pay 29 dollars, a parking fee, and all of the ridiculous concession prices. I wouldn't stand outside of a stadium and 'listen' to a game for free, not to mention paying for the privilege.
As I watched all of King Jones's invited guests, like George W. Bush, enjoy the luxury boxes and all 0f their amenities I was reminded of a line from the movie 'Jerry Maguire': "First class, thats what's wrong. It use to be a better meal, now it's a better life". In this society the line between the have's and have nots is getting bigger and bigger.
The merchandise and game day experience prices, including PSL's, are out of hand in the NFL. The Jets and Giants both had 10 year waiting lists for season tickets and haven't played a game that wasn't sold out in decades. They are both scrambling to sell seats for their new joint stadium that opens in less than a year and NY fans are facing the real possibility of blacked out games this season. Loyal season ticket holders have walked away or were forced out by this greedy league that only caters to the wealthiest among us.
The Cowboys are know as "America's Team" and this year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the "American Football League". The NFL use to be something for the people, but today it is just another casualty of the bloodless, heartless capitalist war being waged against hard working people like me. I have a message to the NFL and all of you 'richies':
You can pry the football from my cold dead hands!
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