Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Dan Snyder is no friend to Redskins fans.

The Washington Redskins are for the first time requiring season ticket holders who buy their seats with a credit card to use a Redskins Extra Points MasterCard, a move the club said will ease ticket distribution and increase fan loyalty, but others said could enhance the team’s profits over the long term.

The requirement that fans must use a Redskins credit card, which affects those buying tickets to FedEx Field’s 66,500 regular admission seats, was announced last week in a letter to season ticket holders.

[...]

The cards, issued by league sponsor MBNA Bank, also will enable the Redskins to track their customers’ spending habits, allowing more targeted marketing.

The requirement could have an even greater, long-term financial benefit to the Redskins if a sizeable number of fans subscribe to the card and use it regularly, according to one sports industry analyst. An NFL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said cards such as the Redskins Extra Points MasterCard benefit teams financially.

[...]

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has earned a reputation around the NFL for aggressive marketing that has turned the franchise and FedEx Field into one of professional sports’ biggest moneymakers. Since buying the Redskins in 1999, Snyder has signed sponsors, added more premium seating and luxury suites, opened Redskins merchandise stores and signed up fans for value-added items such as the Tailgate Club. Last season, Snyder installed 4,000 new general admission seats, some of which had partially obscured views, as he boosted FedEx’s capacity to 91,665, the largest in the NFL.

It’s all about money for Dan. Sure, he wants the team to win, but only because it means more money in his pocket.

Fans aren’t happy. I love this guy’s thinking:

Mike Burke, 46, of Sterling, said he has no intention of obtaining a Redskins credit card.

“I will probably write a check or go over there with $1 bills and count them out in front of them,” said Burke. “I may bring quarters over there and drop them off.”

Yeah, and I would demand Snyder’s presence to count it all.