By Paul M. Banks
Congratulations to the Pacific Northwest on providing not one, but two of the most amusing sports stories of natural interest today. The first was obviously the tale of Seattle Mariners’ legend Ken Griffey Jr. falling asleep in the clubhouse. Their soccer team, the Seattle Sounders FC has decided to grant a refund to their fans due to their awful play recently. As refreshing, fun and cutting-edge as this idea may be, it sets a dangerous precedent.
If these trends continue, what will become of the Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Illinois Fighting Illini football, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Lions, Sacramento Kings, Penn State basketball and every Cleveland team that doesn’t have someone named LeBron on it? Will they have to refund entire seasons every year?
More on this from Fanhouse
Even when the Seattle Sounders lose, and lose big, they get it right. The most unique franchise in North American professional sports added another item to its lengthy list of fan-friendly initiatives on Sunday, offering a full refund to season ticket holders following a 4-0 rout by Los Angeles at Qwest Field.
“That wasn’t Sounders soccer and it was quite frankly embarrassing, humiliating and the fans don’t deserve that,” GM Adrian Hanauer said. “We want our fans committed for the long haul and we think this is the right thing to do for our fans.”
The refund isn’t exactly cash on the barrelhead. It will be furnished as a credit toward a fan’s 2011 season ticket package. But it’s still a significant concession from the club, which has about 32,000 season ticket holders. The Galaxy loss will cost the Sounders well over $1 million in self-imposed penalties.
The 2010 season hasn’t started nearly as well as expected. Picked by most to improve on last year’s third place finish and quarterfinal playoff exit, the inconsistent Sounders have labored to a 2-3-3 record that now includes two defeats at home. They lost just twice at Qwest Field through the entire 2009 campaign.
For more go here