Poor Tony Seminary. The man flew from Portland, Ore., to Boise, Idaho to see his University of Oregon Ducks lose 19-8 to the Boise State Broncos.
According to a story on espn.com, Seminary was so angered by his team's performance he sent a $439 bill to Ducks' head coach Chip Kelly. While a fan expecting his money back because the team lost is not surprising, the fact Kelly actually sent him the money is.
Kelly wrote a check to Seminary, and now Seminary is saying Kelly is a classy guy that won't hear anymore criticism coming from Seminary.
This is bad. Kelly better get an extra mailbox or two, because once some Oregon fans read this, he's going to get a lot of letters.
For this fan to send a letter and a bill is ridiculous. Sports fans know what they're getting into when they buy a ticket and travel to see their team play. There is a 50 percent chance your team is going to lose. Now combine that fact with playing a consistent top 25 team at a very tough place to play, and it shouldn't be that surprising the Ducks lost.
This is going to open a door for tons of silly sports fans that think they deserve to be reimbursed for watching their team lose. Letters are going to come streaming in to team offices across the country from fans that would balk (and rightfully so) at teams asking for fans to pay double after their team upsets someone. Should Oregon send bills to all the fans in attendance to last weekend's upset of the No. 18 Utah Utes?
Just imagine that for a moment. Your unranked team just toppled a top 25 team in your home stadium. You're ecstatic and nothing could take the smile from your face as you approach the exit. Suddenly, there is a long line, and when you get to the end of the line there are ushers checking your tickets. Your smile disappears. They are looking at your tickets so they know what to charge you for witnessing an upset.
I'm pretty sure it would be illegal for a school or pro organization to do this, but you get my point. You would be outraged. So what gives this Seminary guy, and others like him, the idea that they deserve their money back if their team doesn't meet expectations?
Just stay home next time.
Get Over It - The Eagles
I loved that story but I don't think it had anything to do with the loss...he asked for his money back because an Oregon player punched a Boise St player then tried to attack the fans. He was disgusted with the class that his Ducks showed that night and that made him send the letter. Also this guy was a big time salesman and really just did it out of principle. He was so speachless that he sent the signed check back to Kelly uncashed with a thank you note.
ReplyDeleteObviously I did not read it closely enough. I missed that whole sentence about sending it back. My bad. There is no statement in the article that said he it wasn't the performance on the field, but the punch, that annoyed him.
ReplyDeleteNow I know I didn't read it closely enough the first time, but I have read it several times since. Seminary said "The product on the field Thursday night is not something I'm proud of." Oregon played a pretty terrible game, so I think the loss had something to do with it too.
Thanks for the clarification, Greg. I still think it's a bad idea to send disgruntled fans money, whether it's out of principle or not.
I guess I was inferring that Oregon's conduct played a major part in the letter being sent. It was supposed to be a shootout, so maybe he wanted to see some points. I didn't watch all of it but I remembered it as a decent defensive game, rather than an offensive struggle.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance of the article title my thoughts were pretty much mutual with yours. People pay outrageous prices to attend sporting events, but you always risk leaving the game unsatisfied. There is no guarantee on the ticket that your team will play well. I can't even guess how much money Roarty put up to see the maize and blue get destroyed by USC a few years ago in the Rose Bowl.