Eagles: no refunds for Tues. game; massive shoveling effort planned
The Eagles will not offer refunds for the Sunday game that has been moved to Tuesday night. Concern about fans traveling during the peak of the storm led to the game's delay.
Eagles: no refunds for Tues. game; massive shoveling effort planned
Jonathan Tamari
The Eagles will not offer refunds for the Sunday game that has now been moved to Tuesday night, team Chief Operating Officer Don Smolenski said Sunday.
"Our fans are supportive. They're used to changes of game times, whether that’s football, baseball, hockey, game times change and the fans adjust," Smolenski said. "Everybody who was planning to be here Sunday I think they’ll make plans to be here Tuesday and they’ll be loud and it’ll make for a unique fun event on a Tuesday night in Philadelphia."
The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, but moved to prime time, where the Eagles have drawn huge ratings.
The worst of the storm, though, is expected to hit around the new game time, making travel to and from the stadium a concern, Smolenski said.
The Vikings offered refunds when their Week 14 game against the Giants was moved, but there was far more than a date change involved then. The game was shipped roughly 700 miles away to Detroit after the Metrodome's roof collapsed.
Smolenski said the decision to postpone Sunday's Eagles-Vikings game was ultimately up to the league, though the two teams were involved in discussions with the NFL. Smolenski said there was concern that this snowfall would be at its peak as fans traveled to and from the games, as opposed to other recent storms. A 23-inch storm before a game last year and a 16-inch one before the 2004 NFC championship game both ended the night before game day.
"The blizzard conditions, the white outs, bitter cold temperatures, all of that weighed into whether or not it would be safe for people to be out on the roads, because our fans are so supportive they’ll come through anything for them to be out," Smolenski said. "For them to be out both traveling, to during, and then while they’re sitting here and their cars are getting buried under several inches of snow, and then having to drive home in it, I think that’s what really factored into the decision."
He also cited the state of emergency declared by Mayor Nutter, who has endorsed the league's decision.
Smolenski said the team would use machines to keep the field and big public areas of Lincoln Financial Field clear through the night, and then use some 800 workers to help clear seats and aisles Monday.
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I'm sure the Eagles will donate any extra revenue to the Philly school system.— andrewfrombrooklyn
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