After being "deluged" by telephone calls from angry fans
over an announcement that Avalanche season-ticket waiting list
members could guarantee themselves tickets for the '97-98 season
by purchasing full Nuggets season tickets, Ascent Sports
President Ellen Robinson admitted to "mishandling" the situation,
according to Curtis Eichelberger of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS.
Robinson: "This is a classic case not of what we're doing, but
how we've done it. The hysteria was based on the perception that
people would be penalized if they didn't fork over money for the
Nuggets tickets. That's not the case. But we didn't communicate
that very well." Ascent expects about 300 people to take
advantage of the plan, which could potentially increase the
company's bottom line by about $300,000. Robinson: "Anybody
sitting in this chair, looking at a significant operating loss,
is going to have to make this decision. Would I rather not have
to do this? Absolutely" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 10/27).
MORE REACTION: Mike Monroe of the DENVER POST reports
members of the Nuggets are "tight-jawed and visibly upset" by the
ticket tie-in because they view it as a "slap in the face"
(DENVER POST, 10/25). In Denver, Bob Kravitz of the ROCKY
MOUNTAIN NEWS calls the ticket arrangement a "scam" and "the
latest outrage from the deep thinkers who run two of our local
sports teams." Kravitz: "Once again, Ascent is doing wrong by
its fans" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 10/27).
