In case it's not already abundantly clear, I am a bit into Philadelphia sports nostalgia. For example, amongst other things I have framed photos/posters of Andre Waters, Moses Malone, Mike Schmidt, and Ron Hextall in my basement.
I never tire of name-dropping random former Philly players like Ron Jones (RIP. Convinced he would have been a perennial all star were it not for his knees getting torn up by the Vet turf), Junior Tautalatasi (he was in the background of this Randall Cunningham poster I had as a kid), Mark LaForest aka "Trees," and Shelton Jones (who I was convinced was going to win the '89 slam dunk contest).
Some of my favorite pieces of nostalgia are the ticket stubs I've hung on to from the games I've attended. At this point it's basically second nature that when I get home from a game I immediately drop my ticket stub into a giant mug I keep in my basement.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
However, if the other teams in town follow a new season ticketing trend, seen most recently with the Philadelphia Union, I may not have many more stubs to collect.
The Union just announced that they will be distributing season ticket cards instead of actual paper tickets unless the plan holder specifically requests printed tickets. The card will apparently be credit card sized and will allow the Union to reward season ticket holders through a loyalty program. Ticket card holders will accumulate points, which they'll be able to redeem in various ways—including team sponsored auctions where you can redeem your points.
Yes, it's an environmentally friendly way to handle ticket distribution. Yes, it enables the team to track and reward fans in attendance. And, yes, some season ticket holders will probably like the new system a lot better and maybe feel that the permanent card further infers a certain level of exclusive membership. But for a collector like me, much like print-at-home tickets, which I despise, it's just not the same as having an actual paper ticket, printed on that thicker paper stock, in your hand.
There's something incredibly satisfying about holding a unique, changes-with-every-game, paper ticket in your hand that cannot be replaced by even a personalized card and definitely not a bound-to-be-folded 8.5" x 11" print-at-home ticket. How much fun is it to receive your season ticket book and carefully tear the tickets along the perforation? What about the rough serrated edges of the ticket caused by tearing it along the perforations? I may be crazy and a bit tactile-OCD, but I love that.
News
The ticket art and graphic design also make paper tickets special. Look at Enrico's post about receiving his Phillies opening day tickets in the mail. Doc, Chooch, Opening Day, the red, white, and blue bunting. You can't beat that. You also don't get that with a season ticket card. How exciting could it be to receive a plastic card in the mail?
I appreciate that things change and the technology behind a season ticket card allows franchises to do some fan-friendly things, but I'm old school and I want my paper ticket. Hopefully they will at least always be an option for the Union and other teams, but even this first step toward a card system signals a possible end to a small but favorite part of my live event experience.