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Hypocrisy – Thy Name Is San Diego

December 31, 2008 in Uncategorized

Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA in March 200...Image via WikipediaIf you have been a long time reader of this blog you probably remember my public disdain I expressed to the San Diego Chargers management regarding their decision to reduce tailgating times at Qualcomm Stadium. Jim Steeg, Chargers Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, was gracious enough to respond to my comments and offered some answers.

In a nutshell, Steeg explained that the overall rowdy and drunken behavior of fans in the past had prompted Ace Parking, (the management company that runs the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot) San Diego Police Dept. and the contracted private security company to decide that reducing tailgating times before Chargers games would reduce the amount of drunken and disorderly conduct seen in the past. I continue to disagree with that notion. This season with the reduced tailgating times I have seen just as many irresponsible tailgaters getting drunk in less time compared to when the gates opened five hours prior to kickoff. So what has gotten my panties in a bunch now? The hypocrisy surrounding the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl played at Qualcomm Stadium on Dec. 30th.

Even though the Holiday Bowl is played in the same exact stadium where these new rules were applied to Chargers tailgaters, the rules are not the same for Holiday Bowl tailgaters. How can that be? Let’s do a quick comparison:

Broncos vs. Chargers, Dec. 28, 2008 – kickoff: 5:15 pm – Parking lot gates opened at 1 pm = approximately 4 hours of tailgating prior to kickoff.
Holiday Bowl, Dec. 30, 2008 – kickoff: 5:00 pm – Parking lot gates opened at 11 am = approximately 6 hours of tailgating prior to kickoff.

Wait, it gets better!

Broncos vs. Chargers, Dec. 28, 2008 – Parking fee = $25 per passenger vehicle.
Holiday Bowl, Dec. 30, 2008 – Parking fee = $15 per passenger vehicle.

So let me get this straight… college bowl game tailgaters not only get lower parking fees but they also get an extra two hours of tailgating? How does that make any sense? Am I mistaken or were both of these games played within days of each other and held at the exact same stadium?

If the Chargers management is pointing the finger at ACE Parking, Elite Show Services and the SDPD saying they were the ones that reduced the tailgating times, then why do we have different times and different rules for college and pro games held at the exact same facility? It is not as if Ace Parking manages the parking lot for Chargers games but not the Holiday Bowl. The SDPD still patrols the parking lot for both types of games. So how does this make any sense? Am I to believe that college football fans are more responsible drinkers and can handle two extra hours of tailgating better than NFL fans? Seriously?

Have you ever been to a college football game and tailgated? Yeah, me too. The amount of alcohol consumed at a college football tailgate would make Ted Kennedy look for an AA meeting. Yet apparently San Diego Chargers tailgaters are the ones that need to be treated like children, charged more and allowed to tailgate less.

I would love to hear a rational and lucid response to what I believe are extremely valid and poignant questions. Until I get one I am forced to believe that the Chargers are a bunch of hypocrites. They are charging more and giving tailgaters less and blaming others when the policy is called into question.

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Mailbag: Jim Steeg Responds

August 8, 2008 in Mailbag

Jim Steeg HeadshotYesterday I posted an open letter to Jim Steeg, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the San Diego Chargers. In a nutshell, I was voicing my disappointment with the combination of increased parking fees and less time to tailgate. Please visit and read the original post to get the full story.

When I checked my email this morning I was pleasantly surprised to find an email from Mr. Jim Steeg himself. It has been well documented, I have had my issues with the NFL and some of their stances regarding the limitations on tailgating. In both instances I was contacted immediately by those representatives close to the issue and was not passed off to some intern or office staff member. In the case of the grilling ban at the Super Bowl, Brain McCarthy, the NFL Director of Corporate Communications, called me and we had a 25 minute phone conversation. In the case of my issues with the San Diego Chargers, Jim Steeg personally emailed me even before I was able to fax and mail my letter of complaint. Although I may still have some issues with the policy changes I have no issues with the way I was treated professionally and with respect.

For those interested, I am providing you with the email response (with his permission by the way) I received from Jim Steeg this morning after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry →

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An Open Letter Of Complaint To The San Diego Chargers

August 7, 2008 in Tailgating Ideas

Statue of Jack Murphy and his dog Abe in front...Image via WikipediaAs a fellow tailgater, I have my favorite teams and my home stadium of choice. I happen to be a San Diego Chargers fan and tailgating at Qualcomm Stadium before games has been a highlight since getting season tickets in 2004. I recently found out that parking fees for Qualcomm Stadium will be going up 25 percent from last year ($20 in 2007 and $25 this season). No surprise there. They have steadily increased parking fees since 2004 when they were $10 per passenger vehicle. That’s a 150% percent increase in parking fees in four years if you are scoring at home.

I also learned that in addition to getting stuck with increased parking fees that the stadium gates will open four hours prior to kick off. Last year the gates opened five hours before kickoff.

So let me get this straight. You are going to charge me more money yet reduce the amount of time I can tailgate? Is that a great way to treat your customers? Charge them 25% more yet deliver 20% less? This prompted me to put together a letter of complaint that I will be faxing to the San Diego Chargers front office in the morning. I would highly encourage everyone reading this to do the same. It does not matter if you are a Chargers season ticket holder or not. This issue confronts all tailgaters who support the 32 NFL franchises. If the Chargers are allowed to get away with increased parking fees yet reduced tailgating time, what is to stop the other 31 NFL teams from doing the same?

Fax your letter to the following number: (619) 281-6974. If you prefer the old fashioned mail, send it to:

San Diego Chargers
Attn: Jim Steeg
P.O. BOX 609609
San Diego, CA 92160.

Here is my letter I will be faxing and mailing to Jim Steeg.

Dear Mr. Steeg,

I am writing to you today to express my disappointment and frustration with the way Chargers fans; tailgating fans in particular, have been treated by the San Diego Chargers, Qualcomm Stadium and Ace Parking.

I have been a season ticket holder since 2004 (account No. XXXXXX) and in that time I have seen parking fees jump from $10 in 2004 to $17 in 2005, $20 in 2006 and 2007 and now this year, $25 to park a single passenger vehicle. If that were not enough now comes news that the stadium gates will open four hours prior to kickoff. I ask you, how can the Chargers, Qualcomm Stadium and Ace Parking justify raising parking fees by 25 percent while taking away 20% of time spent tailgating in the parking lot?

I’d like a few questions answered. Is the extra $5 collected per vehicle going to improve the parking situation at Qualcomm? Will there be more portable toilets this year due to the increased parking fees? Will the portable toilets be cleaner and maintained better than in years past? Will the increased fees go towards more parking attendants available to assist fans park faster and more efficiently? Will the increased fees go towards more traffic police officers directing traffic in and out of Qualcomm Stadium? Or will the increased parking fees go towards Ace Parking’s bottom line?

In today’s declining economy when expendable and discretionary income is getting smaller and smaller, how do you justify charging more but delivering less? I have heard and read that reducing the tailgating time from five hours to four hours is an attempt to cut down on drunken fans becoming disruptive and unruly. While I would agree that we all want to enjoy the game and pre-game tailgating festivities responsibly, do you really think someone who is determined to get intoxicated can’t be successful at that task in two hours? People who are going to consume too much and create problems can achieve that goal is a short amount of time. Whether they can do it in five hours or four hours, irresponsible fans will get drunk no matter how much time they have to tailgate. By reducing the tailgating time from five hours to four you are actually hurting responsible tailgaters. It is my belief that the decreased tailgating time will not decrease the amount of alcohol related incidents inside or outside the stadium this season.

With the stadium gates opening only four hours prior to kickoff, have you considered the traffic raminifications that will stem from this? Congestion on Friars Road and the subsequent back up onto Interstate 15 is already a major issue. By reducing the time the parking lot is open you are now forcing the same number of vehicles to park in the same limited space in a shorter amount of time. The traffic congestion and potential gridlock could create a very disappointing and frustrating fan experience.

I would strongly encourage you, the Chargers organization as a whole, Qualcomm Stadium management and Ace Parking to reconsider this policy of reduced tailgating time. We all want to enjoy the Chargers’ march to another successful season in a responsible way. Taking away our tailgating time only hurts those that tailgate responsibly. If the Chargers are trying to win over fans in order to keep the team in San Diego County, raising ticket prices, increasing parking fees combined with reduced tailgating time is the wrong way to gain support.

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