81yo Dodgers fan can no longer get tickets because he doesn't have a smartphone
by josephcsible on 4/6/2026, 4:15:41 PM
https://twitter.com/Suzierizzo1/status/2040864617467924865
Comments
by: crazygringo
From my quick research online, it seems they've gone digital-only for season tickets because they don't want people just reselling them to turn a profit. They want actual season-long fans, so now if you transfer too many games they can track it and ban you. This is essentially anti-scalping. There's a legit justification.<p>You can still buy paper tickets at the stadium for a single game. But not for season passes anymore.<p>Apparently they've been making exceptions for him in years past where he was able to pay hundreds of dollars to have them custom printed for him. And this year they've decided to no longer provide that exception.<p>Honestly, this doesn't seem unreasonable to me. At some point, you have to cut off previous technologies because virtually everyone's moved to something better. You also can't buy tickets any more by snail mail with an enclosed check.<p>If this guy has the money for a season pass (!) he has the money for a smartphone. It seems like he just likes the nostalgia of paper tickets. But that's not a reason to add a separate ticketing flow just for him any more, like they had been up till now.<p><a href="https://www.aol.com/articles/81-old-lifelong-dodgers-fan-012606057.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.aol.com/articles/81-old-lifelong-dodgers-fan-012...</a><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Dodgers/comments/1s5fkni/la_dodgers_tell_82yearold_50year_season_ticket/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/Dodgers/comments/1s5fkni/la_dodgers...</a>
4/6/2026, 4:51:11 PM
by: MandieD
My 75-year-old, retired construction worker dad’s fingers are nearly useless on capacitive screens; half a century of handling cement apparently has that effect. His deep East Texas accent was still only semi comprehensible to Siri the last time I had him try with my phone.<p>He recently missed several notifications from his truck’s dealership that the part they ordered was in and ready for installation, because they sent text messages that he didn’t read, instead of ever calling and leaving a message when no one responded to the texts. I’m terrified that there’s going to be a doctor’s office sometime that does the same, with more serious consequences.<p>He’s fine flying as long as one of us can buy the ticket for him and he just needs his ID at the airport; I dread the day airlines start requiring their stupid apps.
4/6/2026, 5:11:42 PM
by: elevation
We need to extend the ADA to protect people who are not technologically-abled.
4/6/2026, 4:39:35 PM
by: ggoo
I wish people would stop posting twitter links, they're a coin toss if they're even viewable
4/6/2026, 4:29:16 PM
by: sdeframond
My late mom couldn't receive the verification SMS from her bank. After investigation, it appeared it was actually an MMS that required a smartphone.<p>She could still go to her bank counter but service there degraded considerably for everyday things, and she was always told to do things online.<p>In the end the bank rep was kind enough to give her an old smartphone. But, for her, it sucked because it was much more complicated, had to be charged constantly and so on...<p>As a technologist, it is eye opening to do the tech support of loved ones...
4/6/2026, 5:13:30 PM
by: afarah1
In Brazil you already can't access some government services without a smartphone, such as paying for municipal parking in various cities. So if you own a car but not a smartphone, you get a fine. Sadly the least of the country's problems.
4/6/2026, 4:44:29 PM
by: delichon
I hope the old Trolley Dodgers are still around when it's time to switch the last holdouts to neural jacks.
4/6/2026, 5:40:51 PM
by: bradley13
Parking in my town can now only be paid via smartphone. Yes, almost everyone has one, but: there are still people who do not.
4/6/2026, 4:40:11 PM
by: jedberg
The Dodgers could have so easily turned this into a huge win. After 50 years they could have just awarded him a paper lifetime pass. Scan this and get in for any game! It would have been so easy.<p>Or if they really wanted him to go digital, just buy him a smart phone and install the app for him!
4/6/2026, 5:28:12 PM
by: recursive
Can't read the twit because I don't have an account.
4/6/2026, 4:24:22 PM
by: mlinhares
I'm sure someone somewhere though this was expected friction and wouldn't be a problem.
4/6/2026, 4:37:16 PM
by: fffernan
Can't imagine Boston or New York doing this. In Boston the'd end up giving the fan lifetime Dunkin Donuts or something on TV and just let him walk into the park since all of the ushers probably know him already. Dodgers are really missing the point here.
4/6/2026, 5:19:16 PM
by: ChrisArchitect
Alternate link or source instead of rando Twitter user:<p><a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/news/local/why-longtime-dodger-fan-is-upset-about-team-going-full-digital/3871218/" rel="nofollow">https://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/news/local/why-longtime-...</a><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/arozier/reel/DWsHAvDjxeL/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/arozier/reel/DWsHAvDjxeL/</a>
4/6/2026, 4:47:38 PM
by: kmoser
I noticed the barcodes on the reporter's printed tickets in that video. I hope a nefarious actor doesn't freeze-frame it and reprint them.
4/6/2026, 4:37:15 PM
by: mzajc
For reference, this is the application: <a href="https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.bamnetworks.mobile.android.ballpark/latest/" rel="nofollow">https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.bamnetw...</a><p>8 trackers, 49 permissions. Whatever reason they gave for requiring the application, evidently they couldn't resist selling out their users in the end. Disgusting.
4/6/2026, 5:03:00 PM
by: jayd16
If you think this is bad you should see the absolute cluster that is Intuit Dome's system.
4/6/2026, 4:38:39 PM
by: jimt1234
My concern here is not that a simple transaction like purchasing a ticket to a baseball game requires a smartphone, but that the purchase now binds the customer to a personal and irreversible relationship to multiple entities (MLB, the Dodgers, the ticket agency, etc.) that (1) is not necessary, and (2) adds no benefit to the customer.
4/6/2026, 5:28:53 PM
by: shevy-java
It's like having a chip implanted. That is, the addiction to requiring a smartphone.<p>Next step is to re-use the body parts, just as in Soylent Green.
4/6/2026, 5:22:27 PM
by: kjkjadksj
Stuff like this should always have an analog failsafe like a printable ticket. I can’t be the only one who has a phone actually die out and about. Especially as this device gets a little old, battery drops maybe 1% every 2 min of screen on use. Even worse in crowded cell service situations like baseball games.
4/6/2026, 4:28:34 PM
by: threethirtytwo
sad, but thats life.
4/6/2026, 4:25:23 PM
by: polski-g
Well he has no responsibilities. His entire calendar is free, for the past two decades. They came out 17 years ago. He can go get one and learn how to use it.
4/6/2026, 4:35:56 PM