NFL teams are in the news almost as much for what goes on off the field as their play on it.
The league is quickly taking the lead in this major public fight.
And one NFL team picked a legal fight they quickly regretted.
This past week, the New Orleans Saints announced fans needed to show vaccine passports to enter the SuperDome on game day.
“We’ve received all necessary local and state approvals to host a full stadium of fans and with that in mind, we are not offering a refund or opt out option this season. We remain optimistic that, with our community’s help and as vaccination rates increase, these restrictions will no longer be necessary as the season progresses. However, if you don’t plan on attending games this season, we’d recommend that you resell your individual game tickets on SeatGeek, which has a strong secondary market for Saints tickets,” Saints Senior Vice President of Communications Greg Bensel announced.
This announcement did not sit well with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
Landry called on all his fellow New Orleans Bond Commission members to reject all financing requests by the Saints until the team reversed the policy.
“Completely unacceptable, @Saints! Taxpayers should not continue to fund your projects with policies like this. I call on @LATreasury and my fellow Bond Commission members to oppose any request for the Dome until these ticket holders are refunded or given ability to opt out,” Landry wrote on social media.
If there is one thing NFL owners hate, it’s spending their own money on stadium improvement projects.
The Bond Commission denying the Saints access to public financing is a significant pressure point.
The Saints are not the first team to require vaccine passports as a condition of entry.
Recently, the Las Vegas Raiders also announced a Jim Crow-like policy, segregating the unvaccinated from attending games.
The league is trying to force vaccination on players and coaches by making their lives miserable if they do not submit to getting the shot.
Now, teams are getting into the act and helping create a biomedical apartheid state by denying unvaccinated fans access to Saints games.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
