Calling all fans: NFL and MLB pushing exclusive use of e-tickets for entry
Paper tickets are going the way of rotary phones, video stores, dial-up internet, Saturn, Burger Chef and White Hen.
It's not really a new phenomenon. The trend toward e-tickets stored in smartphones began several years ago. But the NFL and MLB took the next step this year.
People attending Bears games this season must use an electronic ticket. Fans no longer have the option of printing tickets at home, and for the first time ever the Bears did not print physical season tickets.
The White Sox also require an e-ticket to enter Guaranteed Rate Field, with a few different options. The Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawks declined to describe their ticket policy for this story.
Lee Twarling, Bears senior vice president of sales and customer relations, and Brooks Boyer, White Sox senior vice president of sales and marketing, provided details on what the disappearance of paper tickets means for fans.
No smartphone? There are options available
Basically, the plan here is to plan ahead. Teams will not turn away fans just because they may be averse to modern technology. Call ahead of time to discuss problems.
Realistically, outside of purchasing a ticket at the box office on game day, it's tough to acquire any sort of event ticket without using the internet. So a bridge can be built for those "no smartphone" fans.
Twarling: "We encouraged them to reach out and we've taken those case by case. We've found in many cases there is a mobile ticket option for them that works because they attend every game with a guest who has a mobile device. In some cases, they resell every game.
"I know our reps are averaging about 20 minutes a call. We want to literally get into every situation to the deepest degree. What we've learned is sometimes it's not about not having the phone, it's about the angst of using the phone. We appreciate that."
Worry less, help is available
The White Sox didn't print season tickets this season but did give season ticketholders the option of printing at home at an additional fee. The most common problem is probably getting to the gate and your phone won't load or you lose service. Expect stadiums to continue to enhance local Wi-Fi and cell service.
Boyer: "We put service centers outside the gates, so if people were having problems, instead of standing in line, getting to the front and then having an issue and having to get out of line, we put service booths right around all the main gates.
"Knock on wood, it's been a smooth process. We've increased our mobile scan four times over what we did in 2018. We've really had no issues with it."
Practice sometimes makes perfect
One solution for people who aren't comfortable with the new process is to arrive earlier. The Bears are giving away 20,000 historic bobbleheads at every home game this season, not only to commemorate the team's 100th season, but to encourage an earlier entry.
Twarling: "Pull that ticket up on your phone well in advance and practice. I don't mean just when you get in the parking lot or just as you're walking up to the stadium, I mean like right now, the day before, the weekend before. Practice pulling it up.
"One path is through the Chicago Bears official app and the other is through your phone's browser. Either way, they both lead to the same ticket. I just think from a comfort level, too, you're going to feel a lot better knowing that you have that ticket."
Ticket stub collectors, your pain is felt
Since the beginning of organized sporting events, the ticket stub has been a cherished collector's item for many people. And now it's gone. The Bears have a plan for this dilemma.
Twarling: "I am that guy who has a scrapbook with every stub to every event I've ever gone to. My dad kept them and he kept them for me and I enjoy keeping them for my kids - and that has been a part of the conversation.
"What we've done, in 40,000 of our seats we'll have a little coupon book. The coupon book has some little things you can tear off and use, but we made the cover a collector's piece. And it had to get to a place where I felt like, 'That's what's going to be in my scrapbook, in my kids' scrapbook, or on my desk or something that I can frame.'
"In the old days you got home and emptied your pockets and if nothing else you had that stub and that just felt good. So this cover of this accordian-style booklet is meant to do that, to be a collector's piece. To commemorate the day, time, the opponent and to take home.
"For some people, it's like, 'Who care?' For me and a lot of us here, it felt like a big deal."
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