Islanders Fans Losing Money on Season Tickets
The following article is about being an owner of Islanders’ season tickets during the 2021-22 season.
I remember when I was on the other side of the Islanders’ season ticket holder dilemma.
I remember becoming an Islanders fan in the early-mid 2010s and buying last-minute tickets on StubHub — and then SeatGeek once I could use code drive4five to save $20 off my tickets.
I remember the bathroom lines and the lack of food options at Nassau Coliseum and the awful train ride and sight lines at Barclays Center.
For years, Islanders’ fans bought season tickets, even though they knew the product on the ice was awful. Then, they bought them knowing the arena was awful and the product on the ice still might not be good. Then, they bought them at the Nassau Coliseum and fans weren’t even allowed in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets sold for way below face value on the resale market, and the Islanders had one of the worst attendance records in the NHL.
But I loved my team, even during the years the Islanders missed the playoffs. I made every effort when I had the night off to trek to Uniondale or Brooklyn and watch my favorite team and cheer them on. Some might call me stupid, but I think that is what being a fan is all about.
My father purchased season tickets this season — the first at UBS Arena. We bought them during what we thought was a great time to be an Islanders’ fan. The Islanders had just come off a sensational playoff run in the bubble and I could not wait from them to do it again.
And they did. The Islanders had another memorable run in 2021. My deposit for this season’s tickets allowed me to purchase tickets for all but two of the Islanders’ playoff home games at Nassau Coliseum. I went when I could and sold all the others on Facebook groups or on StubHub. I profited off all but one of those sales, but when I could not go, I knew that another Islanders’ fan got to see an exciting hockey game during Nassau Coliseum’s swan song.
But this season has been a nightmare for season ticket holders.
Yes, the product on the ice is incredibly disappointing. The team is 9-12-6, sits dead last in the league in goals scored and is still being decimated by COVID-19.
While ESPN says UBS Arena has 100.8 percent attendance — the second best in hockey — there are so many empty seats. I’ve been to four games so far and I’ve moved down from my season tickets in section 315 each time.
Now that I have season tickets of my own, I can’t wrap my head around why Islanders’ fans won’t buy tickets on StubHub or SeatGeek, even when getting into the arena costs much less than parking. If I still lived at home, I’d buy tickets almost every night at the prices on the resale market, which frequently sink to under $10 per ticket.
I want to believe Islanders’ fans are the best fans in the world. I love going on Twitter after a win, and I’ll even laugh a little bit after a loss. We throw beer onto the ice after big wins and the Blue and Orange Army reminds me of European soccer fans. We’re hard-nosed — we’ll rip on our team if they stink — but we’re behind this team through thick and thin.
So here’s my charge to Islanders’ fans. Please help season ticket holders. Go to games. Buy cheap tickets. We don’t want to rip you off since it won’t help either of us. But we invested a lot of money in this team, and we could use some help in shouldering the burden. Frankly, we invested in Islanders’ fans, and we’ve been disappointed.
I know about the kinks at UBS Arena. Food is expensive and parking is still dreadful. But the Islanders are now the 10th most valuable NHL franchise in large part due to UBS Arena. Long Island is going to have an All-Star game or host an NHL Draft soon.
I know how much fans miss Nassau Coliseum, but it was never sustainable. We — as a fanbase — need to move on.
UBS Arena is home, and if we love this team, we need to learn to love our new building. I know the product on the ice has been bad so far, but spending an evening at UBS Arena is fun — win or lose. I swear on my byline that I mean that.
We’re launching an initiative here at Drive4Five called The Drive4Five Ticket Market to help season ticket holders sell tickets and to help Islanders fans support their team. We want to be your ticket broker because we want UBS Arena to be full of Islanders’ fans every single home game. We’ll give you a fair price, almost always below face value. There is no reason 17,255 people shouldn’t be inside UBS Arena for the remaining 31 home games.
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Don’t do it for me. Do it for the team you love that has given you so much to cheer for these last few seasons. Even if you can no longer say that you believe in this team making the playoffs, there’s no reason you can’t scream “Let’s go Islanders” at UBS Arena.
Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.
