Patriots Sue Their Own Fans

[Atlanta Dan]

It is all about the Benjamins - the Pats apparently have their designated resale service (TeamExchange) that any reseller needs to go through. So they sued StubHub and ticketholders who would not play Kraft's game by Kraft's rules.

Just before Thanksgiving, the New England Patriots sued online ticket reseller StubHub.com, a former season ticket holder and former wait list member and other season ticket holders for reselling their tickets online

The Complaint alleges that StubHub and the sellers interfere with the Patriots' advantageous relations with its fan base, misappropriate the Patriots' name and violate Massachusetts law.

http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2006/...e-stubhub.html

The Stelers also have a designated resale service but I do not think the Rooneys are seeking to get the names and revoke the ticket licenses of anyone who goes through StubHub (and Steelers tickets certainly are on there).

With the Internet scalping works a lot more efficiently and the teams want their cut - some work with StubHub and other ticket brokers to split the take, as stated in this article on the case:

In most other states, fans are allowed to resell tickets for any price and professional sports teams have jumped into the business to earn money by facilitating the resales.

The Phoenix Suns basketball team and the San Francisco Giants baseball team are two teams that operate marketplaces where season ticket holders can resell tickets at any price, with the teams taking a percentage of each sale. Major League Baseball this summer signed a deal with StubHub making the San Francisco company the league's official marketplace for ticket resales.

http://www.boston.com/business/globe..._names/?page=1

Not surprisingly, the Kraft/Belicheat mindset of "what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable" results in a different approach.

[BeuffordLTD]

StubHub filed a countersuit against the Pats basically saying the Pats are breaking MA law.

Ticketmaster's ticket exchange charges 10% of a ticket's face value as a "transaction fee." Furthermore, the only people that can purchase tickets via the ticket exchange are those that are already season ticket holders or those that put $100 down to be on a waiting list.

Those "fees" are definitely more than the $2 markup allowed by MA law.

The thing about the court ruling that most Pats fans don't under stand is that the names of anyone trying to buy, sell, or bid on Pats tickets via StubHub between November 2002 and this year was turned over to the Pats. If a name comes up that is a current season ticket holder or on a waiting, their tickets could be revoked and also be banned from holding tickets ever again.

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by BeuffordLTD

The thing about the court ruling that most Pats fans don't under stand is that the names of anyone trying to buy, sell, or bid on Pats tickets via StubHub between November 2002 and this year was turned over to the Pats. If a name comes up that is a current season ticket holder or on a waiting, their tickets could be revoked and also be banned from holding tickets ever again.

And my heart bleeds for those frontrunning, red, white and blue Kool-Aid sipping, bandwagon asshats. Can't you tell?

[revefsreleets]

This is a really interesting story, because there are no good guys.

Evil franchise sues company that encourages gouging fans of evil franchise (and since they support evil, they are evil themselves) by other fans of evil franchise. I'd like to sue them all into bankruptcy, then resurrect the debtors prison and throw them all in it.

[Steeler in Carolina]

It boils down to the fact that they want the extra money. They bleed the fans with all they can, they sell PSL's, they build as many luxury boxes as possible, and they charge outrageous prices for food and drinks. Yet, if someone wants to make a profit on the ticket, they sue over it.

[Indy_Steelers]

That confirms the fact that Kraft is a complete jerk.

[TroysBadDawg]

It makes the dislike for Kraft, the Pats, BelliCheat and the entire kit and cabootle even more now and thier mis-informed fans.

Kraft and crew has to pay the spies somehow don't they?

[RoethlisBURGHer]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

And my heart bleeds for those frontrunning, red, white and blue Kool-Aid sipping, bandwagon asshats. Can't you tell?

This is the worlds smallest violin playing those jerkoffs a sad song.