Personal seat license

Last updated

A personal seat license, or PSL, is a paid license that entitles the holder to the right to buy season tickets for a certain seat in a stadium. This holder can sell the seat license to someone else if they no longer wish to purchase season tickets. [1] However, if the seat license holder chooses not to sell the seat licenses and does not renew the season tickets, the holder forfeits the license back to the team. Most seat licenses are valid for as long as the team plays in the current venue.

Contents

As each PSL corresponds to a specific seat, the venue operator can charge different prices for each individual seat. From the fan's perspective, having a specific seat removed the necessity of searching for an open seat in a filled stadium. Newly built sporting venues often offer PSLs to help pay the debt incurred during the construction of the venue. Opponents of PSLs see this as another way to increase the price that fans must afford to attend the venue.

Seat licenses have been given various names. In North America, they are primarily called personal seat licenses or permanent seat licenses, while in Europe they are usually called debentures.

Origin of seat licenses

There are varying accounts as to the origin of the personal seat license.

According to one account, the first personal seat license plan was developed in 1986 at Stanford University by legendary tennis coach Dick Gould. [2] [3] Seeking financing for a new tennis stadium, Gould came up with the idea of selling the rights to seats, a licensing plan under which purchaser's name is engraved in the seat, and the purchaser owns the right to have first choice for tickets for any event held in the stadium. [3]

According to a second account, the permanent seat license was invented by a Columbus, Ohio architect, Rick Ohanian, in January 1987. Ohanian described his plan in a Letter to The Editor of the Columbus Dispatch , published on March 2, 1987, entitled "Ticketbond is Answer to Financing Proposed Facility". [4]

According to a third account, the permanent seat license was invented by Charlotte sports marketing agent Max Muhleman, in 1993. Muhleman is credited as the founder of the first PSLs at Charlotte's then Carolinas Stadium. The idea began as "Charter Seat Rights”, an idea Muhleman suggested to Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn as a way to reward those who bought season tickets and helped Shinn get the team in the 1980s. The Hornets' season ticket holders received these rights for free, but people sold them like a commodity. This gave Muhleman the idea to use a similar concept, which fans would pay for, to finance the stadium. [5]

In 1969, the Dallas Cowboys used stadium bonds to finance the construction of Texas Stadium in Irving. The purchase of the bond entitled the bond holder to purchase season tickets for the Cowboys. [6]

Others cite similar programs that were in existence among many college fund raising activities prior to 1987. However, the early programs were tax-deductible donations to a scholarship fund, in which case the main "quid-pro-quo" was between the donation and the resultant deduction, not between the donation and the actual seating rights.

Sports teams and organizations employing seat licenses

Some of the teams that have seat licenses include:

Automotive racing

Major League Baseball

National Basketball Association

National Football League

National Hockey League

National Rugby League

PSL Lawsuit

In 2019, a U.S. District Judge ordered Stan Kroenke and the Los Angeles Rams to issue a partial refund to personal seat license holders of the former St. Louis Rams, [8] under the terms of a settlement reached in June 2019. The Los Angeles Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995 [9] and issued personal seat licenses.

Disputes over the condition of the leased venue, and disputes between Rams ownership and St. Louis City leadership ultimately led to the Rams returning to Los Angeles. [10] Fans who had purchased a personal seat license still had 9 years left on their original contract, and filed a class action lawsuit in February 2016.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambeau Field</span> Outdoor football stadium located in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened 66 years ago in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing the original City Stadium at Green Bay East High School as the Packers' home field. Informally known as New City Stadium for its first eight seasons, it was renamed in August 1965 in memory of Packers founder, player, and long-time head coach, Earl “Curly” Lambeau, who had died two months earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Coliseum</span> Sports stadium in Oakland, California

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. In 2017, the playing surface was dedicated as Rickey Henderson Field in honor of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Rock Stadium</span> Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I college football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Stadium</span> Baseball park in Anaheim, California

Angel Stadium of Anaheim, better known simply as Angel Stadium, is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening 57 years ago in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). It also served as the home stadium of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Coliseum</span> Former sports arena in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, the Charlotte Convention Center, and Ovens Auditorium. It was best known as the home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 2002, and the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dome at America's Center</span> Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and the Edward Jones Dome from 2002 to 2016, it was constructed largely to lure a National Football League (NFL) team to St. Louis and to serve as a convention space.

The Charlotte Hornets were an American football team in the short-lived professional World Football League. Despite their brief existence, the Hornets were North Carolina's first attempt at a major league football team, predating the Carolina Panthers by two decades. They were relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, from New York City in the middle of the 1974 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum</span> Stadium in Los Angeles, California, US

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I. Completed in 1923, it will become the first stadium to have hosted the Summer Olympics three times when it hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics; the stadium previously hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 27, 1984, a day before the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 NFL season</span> 1973 National Football League season

The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season was highlighted by O. J. Simpson becoming the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in one season.

A season ticket, or season pass, is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.

The National Football League (NFL) has had a long and complicated history in Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the United States. Los Angeles was the first city on the West Coast to host an NFL team, when the Cleveland Rams relocated to Los Angeles in 1946 and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1946 until 1979. In 1960, a charter American Football League franchise, the Los Angeles Chargers began playing in the Coliseum. The Chargers moved to San Diego after their inaugural season, where they eventually joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger. The Rams moved to suburban Anaheim, California in 1980. A surprising move in 1982 brought the Oakland Raiders to the Coliseum to become Los Angeles Raiders.

The Super Bowl curse or Super Bowl hangover is a phrase that refers to three phenomena that may occur in the National Football League (NFL). These interpretations of the Super Bowl curse are not mutually exclusive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">49ers–Rams rivalry</span> National Football League cross-state rivalry in California

The 49ers–Rams rivalry is a rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). The rivalry began in 1950 and became one of the most intense in the NFL in the 1970s as the two California based teams regularly competed for the NFC West Division title. During the 2020s, the rivalry regained intensity following the Rams’ return to Los Angeles and subsequent playoff success. The intensity of the rivalry is also due to the fact that Northern California and Southern California have long been competitors in the economic, cultural, and political arenas. Similarly to the Dodgers-Giants rivalry equivalent in baseball, the intensity of the rivalry has fueled numerous incidents between fans as well.

The Cleveland Browns relocation controversy—colloquially called "The Move" by fans—was a controversy during the 1995 NFL season in which the then-Browns owner Art Modell announced that he intended to move the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from its longtime home of Cleveland to Baltimore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debenture (sport)</span> Certificate of agreement of loans in sport

In sport, a debenture is defined as a certificate of agreement of loans which is given under the company's stamp and carries an undertaking that the debenture holder will get a fixed return and the principal amount whenever the debenture matures. The terms may also include ancillary benefits such as an option to buy tickets at a favourable price, as well as or instead of interest. The term stems from the financial concept of a debenture.

The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that plays and competes in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis, and were known as the St. Louis Rams from 1995 to 2015. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016. This article chronicles the franchise's history during their time in Los Angeles, from playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between 1946 and 1979, to playing at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim from 1980 to 1994, and its return to Southern California beginning with the 2016 to 2019 seasons playing temporarily at their old home the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in 2020 alongside the Los Angeles Chargers.

Pogoseat is a US startup company founded in 2012 in Los Angeles, California. It develops software that is used to help professional sports teams and live-entertainment venues sell more tickets and enhance the fan experience. Its white-labelled mobile web application offers ticket holders to upgrade seats before or during sporting events, concerts, broadway and any live-entertainment venue. The app uses GPS tracking to show a user's location and a map of the seats available at a venue. Fans can buy open marketed seats that went unsold at a reduced cost. The seats are discounted from face value based on a number of factors some of which include the fans original ticket price, time remaining at the event and the score. The functionality is seamlessly embedded into any native 3rd party app such as a team or venue app. In addition to upgrade technology, Pogoseat also offers a number of alternative solutions such as text-based ticketing, to help venues sell last-minute tickets via SMS, and a mobile subscription service which is redefining the traditional season ticket model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SoFi Stadium</span> Indoor stadium in Inglewood, California, U.S.

SoFi Stadium is a 70,240-seat sports and entertainment indoor stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California, United States. SoFi occupies the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southeast of Kia Forum.

Though the city currently has no National Football League team, Milwaukee is considered a home market for the Green Bay Packers. The team split its home schedule between Green Bay and Milwaukee from 1933 to 1994, with the majority of the Milwaukee games being played at Milwaukee County Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte FC</span> Major League Soccer team in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

Charlotte FC is an American professional men's soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the expansion franchise on December 17, 2019. It began play in the 2022 MLS season as the league's 28th franchise. Charlotte FC plays at Bank of America Stadium, which it shares with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, a team also owned by Tepper; the stadium capacity is reduced to 38,000 for most matches.

References

  1. 1 2 Barker, Jeff. "OWNING A RAVENS SEAT CAN PAY OFF BIG TIME". baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Dick Gould profile". Stanford University. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Glenn Dickey (April 7, 2000). "Gould Serves Up New Ideas". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. ↑ Hill, Jemele. "Personal seat licenses, rising ticket prices spell doom," ESPN Page 2, Monday, August 4, 2008.
  5. ↑ Fowler, Scott (January 19, 2018). "The 'P' in PSL stands for 'permanent,' but Panthers fans wonder if that will be true". The Charlotte Observer . Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Bonds on Texas Stadium reach maturity". Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Rovell, Darren (July 20, 2017). "Warriors to become first NBA team with broad use of personal seat licenses". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Judge approves $24 million settlement over Rams' PSLs - NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019.
  9. ↑ "When did the Rams move to los Angeles?".
  10. ↑ "California love: Rams head back to L.A. for '16". ESPN.com. January 13, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.