Jump to content

Fire Idzik or I drop my Jets season tickets after 40 years


Flushing Roots

Recommended Posts

Fire Idzik or I drop my Jets season tickets after 40 years

December 28, 2014 | 4:44am

 

 

There’s no such thing as Jets Rehab to check into — no known 12-step plan for curing Gang Green grief. That’s why this Post reporter who also happens to be a long-suffering Jets season ticket holder pounded out this column as therapy to vent — and hopefully drive home a message to Jets owner Woody Johnson and his Florham Park minions.

Woody, if you’re clueless enough to bring back no-frills, number cruncher John Idzik as general manager next year, I’m done!

Not as a Jets fan — that never will happen — but as a season ticket holder beholden to shelling out megabucks for inflated-priced tickets that can be had much cheaper on StubHub and other secondary-market ticket sites.

If a sometimes crazy, but loyal, fan like myself is willing to cut losses on thousands of dollars in paid personal seat license fees by dropping tickets if Idzik returns, then it’s likely many other PSL owners might too. (Have you seen the “Fire John Idzik” campaign?)

I’ve had Jets tickets in my family for 40 years — and carry enough emotional scars to prove it.

Modal Triggerrich-clader.jpg?w=300

The Post’s Rich Calder has had enough of John Idzik’s incompetence.Photo: Caitlin Thorne Hersey

I sat through the abominable 1-15 Aints’ only 1980 win, Dan Marino’s fake spike, the entire Rich Kotite “error,” Victor Cruz’s salsa-dance 99-yard touchdown celebration, Mark Sanchez’s notorious “butt-fumble” …

God help me! I can go on and on and on!

Sure, I have endured many green-and-white wounds, but that never stopped me from coming back.

Heck, I’m one of the dumb diehards who were suckered into buying PSLs — all for the “right” to continue buying tickets — because I couldn’t bear giving up sentimental season ducats my father first secured in 1974 and that I took over decades later.

But 2014 changed everything. It has been the worst season ever — and that’s saying a lot as a survivor of the Kotite years.

It was clearly a rebuilding season in A Beautiful Mind of Idzik, but the Jets had the gall to again raise prices for my two lower end zone seats in Section 124, from $125 to $127.50 each.

It was even more infuriating when Idzik refused to address key roster holes while sitting on $21 million-plus available under the salary cap for most of the season.

Let’s face it: Besides signing Chris Ivory, the frugal one’s best move in two seasons was cutting Stephen Hill. He’s the Johnny “Lam” Jones of general managers — an epic failure driving down ticket values.

Woody, I’m sure you want to win, but I believe from first-hand experience that you’re much more interested in filling seats. Here’s a little story about the owner that I have kept to myself, until now:

My two PSLs originally were priced at $5,000 each, but were slashed in June 2010 to $2,500 as part of larger plan to lower prices in sections of yet-to-open MetLife Stadium not selling well.

Modal Triggeridzik3.jpg?w=300

Jets general manager John IdzikPhoto: AP

Jets staff reached out to me to interview Johnson about it because back then I was The Post’s de-facto sports-business reporter.

I was always upfront with the Jets about having season tickets, and Johnson bizarrely told me he was “reviewing” my account while being interviewed.

He then shamelessly said, “Rich, you’re going to save $5,000. You have plans for the money?”

I wanted to sarcastically thank him for only “stealing” $5,000 of my modest earnings — rather than $10,000 — but politely said, “I don’t know.”

In deadpan delivery, Johnson responded: “How about using the extra $5,000 to buy more PSLs?”

I was in shock, hoped he was joking and said, “I’d think about it.”

I never reported the exchange, but soon realized Johnson wasn’t joking. He actually tried hawking more PSLs to me — a reporter of all people — in the middle of a damn interview!

Woody, the same PSLs I paid $2,500 for now run as low as $500 on secondary-market sites. My $127.50 tickets commanded only $36 on StubHub when I couldn’t make the Dolphins game a few weeks ago.

Fans using brokers actually scored tickets below face value in my section every game this season, and best bargains ran below $86 most games, says TiqIQ, an aggregator of secondary-market ducats.

I don’t want to bail. My love for the Jets goes back to wearing a Matt Robinson jersey in the late 1970s as a child because, even then, I knew Richard Todd wasn’t the answer at quarterback — just like Idzik’s second-round bust Geno Smith isn’t now.

Woody, I hope the expected hiring of former Redskins and Texans general manager Charley Casserly as a consultant signifies Idzik will be gone.

I want to someday actually watch the Jets win a Super Bowl — as a season ticket holder.

But, mark my words: Bring Idzik back as general manager, and you will have at least two more empty seats to fill in 2015.

 

http://nypost.com/2014/12/28/fire-idzik-or-this-post-reporter-will-drop-his-jets-season-tickets/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This part just stuns me:

 

I was always upfront with the Jets about having season tickets, and Johnson bizarrely told me he was “reviewing” my account while being interviewed.

He then shamelessly said, “Rich, you’re going to save $5,000. You have plans for the money?”

I wanted to sarcastically thank him for only “stealing” $5,000 of my modest earnings — rather than $10,000 — but politely said, “I don’t know.”

In deadpan delivery, Johnson responded: “How about using the extra $5,000 to buy more PSLs?”

I was in shock, hoped he was joking and said, “I’d think about it.”

I never reported the exchange, but soon realized Johnson wasn’t joking. He actually tried hawking more PSLs to me — a reporter of all people — in the middle of a damn interview!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen enough of this garbage. Nobody forced anybody to buy a PSL. If like going and you can afford it and you bought it then so be it. In Sports there's never any guarantees of the team is going to be good.

I go to games because I love football I enjoy tailgating with friends and I like bringing my kids.

It's entertainment nothing more nothing less. It is certainly expensive entertainment but nobody forced anybody to buy tickets or PSL's.

If they didn't put PSL's in the ticket prices would be higher. Why do people think because they bought a psl that means the team is supposed to be good all of a sudden? most of us here on jet nation were not alive in 1969 never saw a super bowl and possibly never will. Why would a PSL change any of that?

I'm tired of listening to people rant and get pissed off at Woody Johnson because they decided to make a purchase.

If you buy a car and you don't like it you still have to make your monthly payments right?

I pay a big mortgage on my house do I love my house? no ,who am I supposed to blame for the purchase I made on that??? Is that Woody Johnson fault also???????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...