81-year-old Dodgers fan shut out by smartphone-only season tickets

[midian182]

A hot potato: It might be difficult for some people to believe, but not everyone owns a smartphone. Those who can't or won't use a handset often find today's digital society difficult to navigate. Just ask the 81-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers fan who can't get a season ticket because the team no longer prints paper versions.

Errol Segal has been a LA Dodgers season ticket holder for over 50 years, but that run has come to an end as the team transitions to all-digital for season tickets.

Segal, who runs a recycling center in south LA, is one of around 23 million adults living in the US who don't own a smartphone. CBS LA reports that his beloved Dodgers has always printed his season ticket, but he was recently informed by the team that it had gone fully digital, bringing an end to physical ticketing options.

Segal says he simply does not know how to use a computer. Smartphones are another area where he's not comfortable; instead, he uses an old flip phone, which obviously isn't going to do the job.

It appears that the digital rule applies only to season tickets. In an experiment, Segal went to Dodger Stadium and bought four printed tickets. He says this proves that the team can print season tickets – it just doesn't want to.

Segal also said that the Dodgers have been mostly digital for the past 12 seasons, and he previously paid an additional $600 to have his tickets printed. But this is the first year where printing them has not been an option.

The situation has brought the debate about forced technology use, especially amongst older people and the less tech-savvy, into the spotlight once again.

Some point out that not everyone is able to use a smartphone or computer to perform essential tasks that used to be done in-person or over the phone. As such, there should always be non-digital options available.

On the flip side, the less sympathetic argue that this is the world we now live in, and everyone needs to learn at least the basics. What do you think about the Segal's case? Let us know in the comments below.

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81-year-old Dodgers fan shut out by smartphone-only season tickets

 

[amghwk]

I hate it that everything and I mean everything needs our phone to do the things nowadays. Some airlines only have mobile check-in. Banks want us to use our phones to do most bank works. I don't like it that we're forced to using our phones for everything.

Funneling down to a single device for your important and secure work is never a good idea.

And a phone can be easily stolen. And I don't really believe our phones are really that secure. For face recognition, thugs can get hold of you and force the phone on your face. Same goes for fingerprints.

 

[RudyBob]

If he can't navigate this through friends then he has fewer friends than I do. It is his choice to not own a phone. It is the Dodgers choice to sell tickets as they see fit.

 

[J95qRP7]

If he can't navigate this through friends then he has fewer friends than I do. It is his choice to not own a phone. It is the Dodgers choice to sell tickets as they see fit.

It's also the fans choice to not own a smart phone. The fact they can print individual games as paper, but not season tickets as paper, shows this is an arbitrary rule. More choices for consumers is always best. When a business limits options, it only benefits the business.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

He runs a recycling center but doesn't know how to use a computer? I call BS on that.

I can understand him not owning a computer, there are still people out there that do not.
I can understand him not needing a smartphone if a flip gets done for him what he needs out of it. Smartphones are not smart and even after having one for the past 15+ I'm not a fan of the integration that so many businesses are doing to try and get everything done on your phone.

I don't understand why the Dodgers are only stopping seasons tickets from printing for someone that is willing to foot the extra charge to cover the cost of having them printed. I know they can easily support anyone that wants printed tickets and I'm sure that this old gent isn't the only one that's miffed about this. Having a print company do small batches (even if one) is doable and they should accommodate their customers that are willing to pay the extra service fee to cover the cost of printed tickets. This sounds like bad PR for the team...I doubt anything will come from it, but you never know.

 

[OortCloud]

In this day and age it feels like everybody should have a smart phone. I feel sorry for the guy but surely he can ask somebody to help him/do it for him etc?

 

[tuskenraider]

Smart phones suck. They've destroyed socialization and made everything else more complicated than it ever needed to be. The fact I have to use one just to get into my gym pisses me off to no end. I don't want to carry it to every piece of equipment along with my water bottle and towel, have it get in the way if it's in my pocket, and then have to buy a lock to put my phone in a locker. I don't even want to go into the locker room. And the stupid coupon apps for grocery stores are insufferable........Everyone who checked out of life around 2004, lived the best life.

 

[Tyler Dur Den]

The increasing reliance of modern society on smartphone is unfortunate. This man's problem is just one small example. However to have your daily life ruled by the stupid pocket computer is a cancer that most people cannot see. These devices are part of the larger house of cards of modern society and that is a bad thing. At some point where will be a massive global outage, or series of outages, that will remind most people how flimsy modern life is.

 

[redgarl]

Ticketmaster is doing the same thing... and I am PISSED OFF! Before, you could just print the PDF of your ticket... but hoho... NOT anymore! You need to either have the apps or log on WHEN you are at the box office...

I am NOT using data on my phone! Fun time EVERY time...

 

[Theinsanegamer]

In this day and age it feels like everybody should have a smart phone. I feel sorry for the guy but surely he can ask somebody to help him/do it for him etc?

So when the guy is holding up the line for half an hour trying to troubleshoot a technology he doesn't understand, are you going to happily sit there and think this, or would you be getting pissed?

Just let people print the ticket. It's not that difficult...

 

[RudyBob]

It's also the fans choice to not own a smart phone. The fact they can print individual games as paper, but not season tickets as paper, shows this is an arbitrary rule. More choices for consumers is always best. When a business limits options, it only benefits the business.

They don't need consumers. For 2025 #1 in MLB
Dodgers 81 Home Games 2025 Total Attendance 4,012,470 per game 49,536

Next time you hear ANY organization say or write "they care" you will know it's a meme

 

[Vixiy]

I think digitization is fine as long as it isn't locked down to android or ios apps. Some of us don't want our lives held hostage behind Apple or Google's EULA.

If you told me I had to use one of those old telephones with the dial to buy a ticket, I would need to ask for help. Those revolutionized people's lives back in the day, but you still had to learn to use it if you never used one before. And now we have digital technology that's a huge leap up, you just need to learn how to use it.

Maybe the problem is a lack of acess to information on how to use a computer or Smartphone? TBH, I found Android confusing and unintuitive at first when I got my first Android device and a manual would have been nice.

 

[acrossthestars]

Everyone saying "just get with the times" is fundamentally missing the point. The "times", as it were, represent a total consolidation of your entire existence―your communications, your habits, your interests, your places of enjoyment, etc.―into one device, a single point of failure. A lot of people today have no issues with this and, in fact, find it confusing that someone doesn't "get it", because in their minds, "convenience is king". They value ease of access and availiability above all else, a total absence of friction.

But guess what? When you lack friction, then there's no resistance. To what, you may ask? Anything. Without difficulty, effort becomes worthless. If your only desire is to simply get to the end of it all, then, fine "convenience your life to death". You don't value struggle, you value results. But, we should not be denigrating people for wanting options, we should encourage it. Conformity kills creativity and creates convergence. Everything becomes the same.

 

[J95qRP7]

Next time you hear ANY organization say or write "they care" you will know it's a meme

Come on man. They do care. They care about finding a way to extract the most money they can from you.

 

[RudyBob]

Come on man. They do care. They care about finding a way to extract the most money they can from you.

Yes they do which is why sports is off my list. I used to be able to sit in the outfield at Tiger Stadium for a couple of bucks buy a program and get a dog or two and it was fun. If any team thinks I am going to spend money on them in any fashion they are wrong. I can go online after the fact, see the highlights AND I don't have to listen to the announcers who no longer have any personality. They do what they must and I do what I must that's how it works.

 

[Axiarus]

Ticketmaster is doing the same thing... and I am PISSED OFF! Before, you could just print the PDF of your ticket... but hoho... NOT anymore! You need to either have the apps or log on WHEN you are at the box office...

I am NOT using data on my phone! Fun time EVERY time...

I lol'ed

 

[Skully]

I can see both sides of the argument. While progress marches on, that doesn't necessarily mean older technologies/methods should be retired.
I'd have no problem with some company emailing me tickets, confirmations or similar (they'd get my "junk mail" address). But what I do have an issue with is companies requiring you to use their apps. For example, my brother and sister-in-law got internet at their new place and used the internet provider's modem/router. I went there to change a couple things on the router but you can ONLY access the router through an app on your phone. And reading their privacy policy where it said it can look through and collect your contacts (and other ridiculous things) I said a big F.U. and put a consumer router in there.

 

[Win7user]

Yeah, this has been going on for a while now. I, don't own a Smartphone, I use a flip phone. I don't need a Smartphone, and I don't want one! Most of the time, I'm answering voicemail calls because I don't usually bring my phone with me, unless I'm going some distance and won't be home overnight of for few days. Besides, I have a good life, I do NOT live for that damn phone!

 

[bviktor]

Pressing the button twice for your ticket in the wallet isn't rocket science, whether you're 81 or not.

Asking staff to press the button for you is even less of a rocket science.

He also happens to run a recycling center, but then he complains he's unable to press buttons. Yeah right. And that recycling center doesn't use computers. At all. Or he has an assistant for everything? Then maybe ask the assistant to download the ticket for him.

He refuses to use a smart phone, that's all there is to it. Good for him. And the stadium refuses to allow entry without one. That's life.

 

[dznmdrwutmynamiz]

I sincerely hope the "tough luck old timer!" crowd in these comments get to live long enough to find themselves in this gentleman's position and get told to get with the times or go suck an egg.

 

[Axiarus]

I sincerely hope the "tough luck old timer!" crowd in these comments get to live long enough to find themselves in this gentleman's position and get told to get with the times or go suck an egg.

Most of us here grew up with technology and are keeping up with it. We dug in file systems and had to fix our computers after infecting them with Limewire. I think we will be fine. However, ill go suck an egg right now. I love eggs.