49ers fans and ticket brokers who bought PSLs have found them "tough to move as the 49ers have tanked" since going 12-4 in '13, their final season at Candlestick Park, according to Henry Schulman of the S.F. CHRONICLE, who wrote under the header, "49ers' On-Field Losses Turning Into Big Financial Losses For Fans." PSLs at Levi's Stadium cost $2,000-80,000 apiece depending on seat location, and there is "ample evidence of buyer's remorse among fans." Independent resale site PSL Source Managing Partner Greg Paul said that the values of the 49ers' PSLs have "declined with the team's fortunes." The PSLs are now selling at 40% below face value "for a simple economic reason." Paul's site lists 1,300 49ers PSLs for sale, and he said, "Supply on the market has definitely gone way up." Schulman reported the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, the government entity that sold the PSLs, has "reported an increase in the default rate among those who financed their licenses, as opposed to paying all the money up front." The authority said that the default rate has risen from 2% in '15 to 6% in '16. Meanwhile, the 49ers "tell a much different story," as they "maintain an official site for reselling" PSLs that as of last Wednesday had 1,099 listings for 2,784 seats. The 49ers said that 80% of the PSLs that were sold on their site since '14 "went for a price that allowed the owners to recoup their investments, principal and interest, or make a profit," while the other 20% "sold below face value." 49ers President Al Guido: "Do they let us know when they’re not happy with the team’s performance? Yes. But we’re not seeing it manifest itself in some mass walkaway from the franchise" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/27).
HOWDY NEIGHBOR: In S.F., Ann Killion reported the Santa Clara City Council voted last week to "find the 49ers in violation of the stadium agreement that was approved by voters" in '10, continuing the team’s "nasty feud with the city" over Levi's Stadium. The council "gave the team 30 days to produce documents that will show exactly how much money the stadium makes and how that money is being spent." The 49ers are "proving to be not only a bad football team, but also bad neighbors." The team "started its relationship in its new city by irritating soccer families and now seems to have angered much of Santa Clara." The situation in Santa Clara also "isn’t likely to improve anytime soon." Killion: "It is shocking how badly things have gone in less than three seasons at Levi’s, both on and off the field" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/25).
