The PSLs have landed and Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets has made it clear that he wants to fill the stands with loyal fans and reward those fans with a new stadium. The plan is to roll out the tickets in three rounds and use season ticket seniority as the priority list. The longer you have had your tickets, the higher you are on the list and the better options are offered to you.

Seniority vs Loyalty

At face value using season ticket seniority seems fair. In a lot of cases the fans who have held their tickets the longest are indeed extremely loyal. Some of these fans have been going in groups, with their family and friends for years and years, never missing a game, cheering loudly and supporting the team through thick and thin. There is, however, another group of long time season ticket holders who don't display the same characteristics. There is one group of season ticket holders who are just brokers. They have had them forever and just sell them online through auction sites to make a buck. They never go to a game and certainly don't bleed green. There is another group who are actually also Giants season ticket holders who picked up Jets season tickets when they came to Giants Stadium. They keep them, year in and year out but just sell them online or give them away as presents or business perks.

Jet Fans

There is another group out there what I would call the new blood of the New York Jets fan base. They have picked up tickets in the last three to five years, have either made it off the waiting list or got them handed down from someone. These fans treat every game as its own Super Bowl. They go year in and out, stay till the last second clicks off the clock and don't care what it says on the weather channel. They buy tons of merchandise and go to training camp. They hang out online in forums and listen to every podcast they can get their hands on. They are active fans and loud at the games. These are the fans you want to have at the stadium making the it rock with the chant. These are also the fans that because of seniority, might get bumped out of their seats or given no reasonable purchasing option.

While seniority is one measure of loyalty it is not the only one and I hope the New York Jets take that into account when they come up with the final solution.