# Only smart phone tickets are allowed for NFL games? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 16, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-smart-phone-tickets-are-allowed-for-nfl-games/838757 "2019-08-16T18:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-smart-phone-tickets-are-allowed-for-nfl-games/838757/1 "2019-08-16T18:03:02Z")
It seems the NFL (and some other places) have gone to only allowing smart phone tickets to enter games. There are pretty much no other choices. As I don’t go to too many games, this was quite a surprise to me. Apparently it started last season? But is 100% mandatory this year. It’s supposed to cut down on fraud (commendable), make it easier to get tickets to your party (maybe) easier to sell (maybe) and most importantly, “[build a relationship with them or personalize their experience](https://sports.cbslocal.com/2018/06/18/nfl-stadiums-ticketmaster-fully-digital-ticket-systems-2018-season/),” (that is, send them unwanted ads on their phone). What do you all think of this? To me it seems more another step in forcing everyone to have smart phones. Submit! Resistance is futile! And of course, another way into your phone for targeted ads and data mining. And it takes away the memento ticket. But you can “amass a digital collection in much the same way [you’ve] done with physical tickets”. But they’re still “working on it.” Who has used this, and what is your experience with them? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-smart-phone-tickets-are-allowed-for-nfl-games/838757/2 "2019-08-16T18:23:13Z")
Note that that article is a year old; I’m assuming that it was, indeed, implemented as planned. Also, note that the article also states: > [@](#): > > There is also a “paper” option for users concerned they may run into those all-encompassing “phone issues.” I’m a Packer season ticket holder, though I rarely ever see my tickets – my father, who still lives in Green Bay, handles them for me (and mostly, he sells them). I haven’t actually been to a Packer game in a few years, so I can’t talk to how the experience specifically is now at NFL games, but Ticketmaster and Live Nation have been pushing e-tickets for a while now for concerts and other events, and I’ve not seen an issue with them. There’s a non-zero chance of issues with technological glitches (crashed phones, etc.), of course, but I imagine that they have work-around for those. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-smart-phone-tickets-are-allowed-for-nfl-games/838757/3 "2019-08-16T18:43:22Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Note that that article is a year old; I’m assuming that it was, indeed, implemented as planned. I think so, because I saw a reference to this season, but this article is indeed a year old. But it seemed to outline it well. I think that paper ticket stays with the venue. If it works (and is easy to get) that helps with the “I don’t have a smartphone” problem. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-smart-phone-tickets-are-allowed-for-nfl-games/838757/4 "2019-08-16T20:01:06Z")
I haven’t been to a professional sports event in years but I never get paper tickets when I go to a movie theater. I always have an electronic ticket they can scan. I buy the ticket at home so that when I get to the theater I can just walk in.