Why I Renewed My Season Tickets

About two months ago I explained why I hadn't renewed my season tickets yet.  Tonight I signed up for 2015, but not for the reasons detailed in my prior article.

My seat since I moved to Colorado has been in 108 with Class VI/Centennial 38.  I have a number  of friends (and sadly, the Zero who sits next to me ;)) involved in Centennial 38 and the gameday experienced is greatly enhanced by what the group does.  A couple of seasons ago the group worked out an agreement with the Rapids to handle all the ticketing in section 108 and the Terraces.  That agreement continues through 2015.

In my article two months ago I said the only lever that the fans have to push for change from the Rapids was their wallet.  My plan was to hold off giving the Rapids my season ticket money until they earned it by making changes that show they were serious about competing in 2015.  What C38 controlling the tickets in 108 means though is that my ticket for 2015 has already been purchased and the Rapids are guaranteed the funds from the sale of that ticket.  Choosing not to buy a season ticket now does not put any pressure on the Rapids Front Office to make any changes.  Instead it hurts C38 which has done a great job despite the mess the team is in.  It also hurts me as I enjoy going to games and I'd be depriving myself of that experience for no gain.

Given all of this I decided to renew my season tickets.  I also talked to the leadership of C38 and found out that the initial agreement with the Front Office for C38 to handle ticket sales is up after the 2015 season.  As a C38 member I will be pushing for the group to take a real review of the benefits and drawbacks (namely, the loss of the economic lever for individual fans) of handling the tickets before signing any new agreement.  Overall I think its better for the group to do it than not, but I think its important that the group really think about it and not just rubber stamp the idea because we've already been doing it for a couple of years.

So I've lost my ticket lever but that doesn't mean I have no options.  I have not changed my resolution that the Rapids will get no funds from me until they show they're willing to spend some funds towards being competitive next year.  I will buy no new merchandise or concessions in the stadium until I see some change.  Admittedly the concessions part is easy as with the mini-donut guy being gone (I got a bag of donuts from him at the UW-CU game!) the only thing I normally buy in stadium is a squishy on hot days.

The merchandise part though will save me some money.  A perfect example is this weekend's Supporters' Sale.  Normally I'm too busy this time of year to get out there but I have a nice hole in my schedule tomorrow morning and I would have jumped at the chance to check it out.  Instead I'm going to stay home and watch the Cameroon - DR Congo African Cup of Nations qualifier.  There's a new road jersey coming next year (please let it be better than the horrible FSL-lite kit) and regardless of how good it looks I'm passing.  The good news is that the Rapids, along with other MLS teams, are doing supporters faces on the numbers of their kits in August and fans wil be able to buy their own versions of the jerseys.  Hopefully by August the Rapids will be doing well enough that I'm willing to buy a jersey with my own face on it.