Staff Reports
The Los Angeles Dodgers went digital with season tickets and, for one 50-year fan, that change meant missing Opening Day. Errol Segal, an elderly lifelong season-ticket holder who uses a flip phone, was told printed season tickets were not an option. The story went viral, the team quietly printed tickets, and the rest of us watched a simple courtesy become a spectacle.
Paperless ticketing? Fine — but not for everyone
Teams like the Dodgers pushed mobile ticketing for good reasons: less fraud, easier re-sale control, and fewer trees cut down. But the move ignores a simple fact — not everyone has a smartphone or wants to live inside an app. When a team changes how it does business, it should not strand its oldest, most loyal customers. Errol Segal didn’t wake up one day and decide to miss Opening Day. The Dodgers’ policy did that.
Common sense would have avoided the mess
Here’s the common-sense playbook: announce the change, explain why, and set up an easy exception process for fans who can’t use mobile tickets. Print the booklets on request. Charge a small fee if you must. But don’t tell a man who has backed your franchise for half a century that his history is less important than your tech plan. That’s bad customer service, and worse PR.
Why this matters beyond a single fan
This is a loyalty test, not a tech experiment. Sports teams trade on tradition. Longtime season-ticket holders are walking billboards who keep the ballpark full and the culture intact. Alienate them, and you don’t just lose a seat — you lose stories, referrals, and goodwill. The Dodgers got an easy fix only after the story blew up. That tells you where the priority really was.
So here’s a friendly reminder to big teams and corporate ticket vendors: adopt new tools, but don’t forget the people who built the brand. Printed tickets aren’t about nostalgia alone. They’re about access, respect, and common sense. If the Dodgers want to be seen as champions, they should start by treating fans like actual customers — not bugs in their software rollout.
