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The New Orleans Saints will play all home games and San Antonio and will not refund ticket holders, according to a high-ranking official with the team who contacted a WDSU sports reporter. An official announcement is expected in the next day or two.
al79philly wrote:Did anyone catch this? What a bunch of scumbags... I'm sure a lot of these ticketholders have lost everything, but no refunds?The New Orleans Saints will play all home games and San Antonio and will not refund ticket holders, according to a high-ranking official with the team who contacted a WDSU sports reporter. An official announcement is expected in the next day or two.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/4934334/detail.html
By the way, I meant the Saints owners are scumbags, not the fans...
lsu2001 wrote:The stadiums can accomodate the saints but the campus cannot. Sat. Night in Tiger Stadium is a complete madhouse. it takes all of sunday, sunday night and monday to clean up and get ready for classes on Monday. Two days Sat. and Sunday of tailgating, game, etc. would simply be overwhelming for the LSU campus. Also the impact on the actual natural turf field would be extreme. I think that relocating to a pro stadium makes much more sense.
TIm
wolfmmiii wrote:al79philly wrote:Did anyone catch this? What a bunch of scumbags... I'm sure a lot of these ticketholders have lost everything, but no refunds?The New Orleans Saints will play all home games and San Antonio and will not refund ticket holders, according to a high-ranking official with the team who contacted a WDSU sports reporter. An official announcement is expected in the next day or two.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/4934334/detail.html
By the way, I meant the Saints owners are scumbags, not the fans...
Although I agree it's slimy, it IS business. I'm sure this post will draw ire BUT I'm certain there are financial implications that would directly affect player salaries, employee salaries, etc. I'm almost certain that the ticket agreement states somewhere that acts of God do not entitle the purchaser to a refund.
Take, as a microchasim (sp?), the person who just went out months before and bought a new car (or even a house). Are the car dealers going to refund all the owners' money or are the mortgage companies going to just forgive the mortgages? I'm sure there may be a few on a case by case basis but as a whole, I'm not certain you'll see that happen.
Would it be nice? Absolutely. Good business sense? Probably not.
BENSON PLANNING TO STICK IT TO NEW ORLEANS
A week after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and numerous other Gulf Coast communities, we've heard from our old friend John Marie, host of the Sports Court on 990 am in the Crescent City. Over the past year or so, we've done several radio spots with John Marie, who isn't afraid to call it like he sees it when it comes to the Saints and their history of mismanagement and general ineptitude.
John Marie, who lost his home in Katrina and its aftermath, has forwarded to us a message from Fletcher Mackel of WDSU-TV containing some shocking revelations regarding the plans of Saints owner Tom Benson.
WDSU, you might recall, reported on Sunday that the Saints do not intend to give refunds to season ticket holders. The report was brief and vague, without identifying the source or disclosing any details.
Now, all of that has changed.
Mackel says that he has spoken directly with Saints executive Arnold Fielkow, who has outlined in detail owner Tom Benson's plan for profiting from the demise of New Orleans.
It was Fielkow, by the way, who recently told Louisiana state senator Mike Michot that Benson wants to move permanently to San Antonio. The "real" media, as we explained earlier on Monday, generally ignored the story.
Per Mackel through John Marie, Fielkow (who based on the following likely will soon be a former employee of the organization) says that Benson is hoping to anger the citizens and the Louisiana Legislature by refusing to issue refunds to season-ticket holders.
Writes Mackel: "[Fielkow] said Tom Benson WANTS to upset season ticket holders and the Louisiana Legislature! He wants to play this season in San Antonio, forcing the state to tell him that since he turned his back on the community in a time of need they won't make any more payments to him.
"If the state fails to make their payment next summer Louisiana is in breech [sic] of contract and Benson can move the team without making a penalty payment. He would then shop the team to the highest bidding city. San Antonio, L.A., even New Orleans with a better deal in place. He's simply going to use this tragedy get a better deal and perhaps [a] new stadium from some city."
The decision not to pay refunds, per Mackel, will be announced within the next 24-to-48 hours. Apparently, fine-print language in the tickets permits the team to deny refunds based on natural disasters.
Fielkow told Mackel that Benson simply does not care if this plan makes him the most hated man in the history of the city.
Mackel and John Marie both say that Fielkow is a good man, and that he is "passionate" and "upset" regarding Benson's intentions. Per Mackel, Fielkow has urged Benson to play this year's home games in Baton Rouge, so that the season-ticket holders may attend. Fielkow also told Mackel that insurance money for the Superdome along with possible federal finances could enable New Orleans to build a new or refurbished stadium that would also serve as a better place of evacuation when the next Category 5 storm prepares to make landfall.
Mackel says that he also has spoken with Saints running back Deuce McAllister, who said that "a bad decision" was about to be made by the organization. McAllister said he hopes the team can play in Baton Rouge and remain in New Orleans. Asked whether the Saints have played their last game in New Orleans, McAllister told Mackel: "I just don't know, nothing would surprise me."
These folks, starting with Fielkow, are getting the word out because, apparently, there's still time to change Benson's mind. John Marie and Fletcher Mackel are hoping that as many journalists, politicians, and fans as possible learn of Benson's plan and sound off in a loud, clear voice that his efforts to profit at the city's most dire time of crisis will not succeed.
We plan to do everything we can to spread the word on this. As to anyone out there who's in a position of influence of any kind, we hope that you do the same.
al79philly wrote:My gut feeling is that Paul Tagliabue (NFL Commissioner for all you non-football fans) will not let this happen. Tags is a great commissioner and too smart to let this happen (besides the fact that it is an outright horrible thing to do, it would be a PR nightmare for the league as a whole).
blueeyes_austin wrote:I don't see how this will hold up. It is not analagous to buying a car; the ticket is to provide a service in the future. If the service is not provided, a refund is in order. For example, when a concert is cancelled (or even rescheduled), the ticket holderis due a refund less service charges.
And, I suspect, any jury in Louisiana will see it the same way.
If there is wording in the contract (a ticket includes a contract) that prohibits refunds due to acts of God, there is no recourse. Again, I don't like the idea but I'd think that's the way it is.
ncdowneast wrote:wolfmmiii wrote:al79philly wrote:Did anyone catch this? What a bunch of scumbags... I'm sure a lot of these ticketholders have lost everything, but no refunds?The New Orleans Saints will play all home games and San Antonio and will not refund ticket holders, according to a high-ranking official with the team who contacted a WDSU sports reporter. An official announcement is expected in the next day or two.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/4934334/detail.html
By the way, I meant the Saints owners are scumbags, not the fans...
Although I agree it's slimy, it IS business. I'm sure this post will draw ire BUT I'm certain there are financial implications that would directly affect player salaries, employee salaries, etc. I'm almost certain that the ticket agreement states somewhere that acts of God do not entitle the purchaser to a refund.
Take, as a microchasim (sp?), the person who just went out months before and bought a new car (or even a house). Are the car dealers going to refund all the owners' money or are the mortgage companies going to just forgive the mortgages? I'm sure there may be a few on a case by case basis but as a whole, I'm not certain you'll see that happen.
Would it be nice? Absolutely. Good business sense? Probably not.
sorry but not offering refunds is lame if that is truely the case.Employees of the saints are not without money thats for sure.As far as players salary WHO CARES they are paid millions of dollars and can afford to give up alittle for their destroyed community and if they can't then they no longer need to be paid so much by the fans paying higher ticket prices!
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