For the first 90 minutes of the match, the stadium lacked active vuvuzelas and fans not beating their large bass drums until the very end of the match to show their hatred for what they believe to be outrageous prices for the average fan.
The cheapest ticket will cost $560 a boost of $200 since the 2017 inaugural season. This was the team’s second match since the increase was announced. This was the first time they protested the season-ticket price increase.
“This is nothing but detrimental to our community,” Kyle Hamm, who describes himself as head of gulch communications and lead capo. “All I see is members on members on members dropping their tickets for next year and deciding not to attend next year’s games. All I care about is not myself, but the community and what the community needs is frozen season ticket prices.”
Atlanta United defeated Columbus 2-1. It was the team’s second home win in its past 10 matches. Its struggles this season are partly why Hamm and others are upset about the increased ticket prices.
Some players said they didn’t notice that the crowd was less engaged.
“Yeah, it was little bit different,” Stian Gregersen said. “It didn’t get loud after we scored the first goal. When they’re enjoying the game, it gives us a lot of energy.”
An Atlanta United spokesman said the franchise had no comment on the protest.
Hamm explained the measures that he and others have taken in their form of protest. He even donned a T-shirt that read “Don’t Price Myself.”
“So what we’re doing during the game, in terms of not orchestrating, is showing United exactly what our community is headed for if they price us out,” he said. “All of us are unified in terms of blockchain. We feel that how we’ve been treated from the front office and how we’ve been treated as a community is not worth that.”
Austin Hegwood, a friend of Hamm, also protested.
“The fact that the front office wants to raise our prices 56% over the last eight years points to a lackluster product,” he said. “Why are we here when you’re trying to raise the prices and pretty much force us out?”
The protest seemed to end after Gregersen scored his second goal in the 76th minute.
The deadline for fans to decide whether to pay next year’s ticket prices is August 15, which is existing accounts will begin being charged. Supporters have less than a month to decide to renew.
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