"Sox balk at plan for 'scalp-free zone,'" by Cosmo Macero, Jr., Boston Globe (April 15, 1999):

(Article is accessible via Lexis-Nexis.)

The Red Sox are holding up a Cellucci administration proposal to let fans unload extra tickets outside Fenway Park -free of any risk they might be arrested under state anti-scalping laws, sources say.

The plan calls for the creation of a "safe zone" on game day, where ticketholders could legally sell extra ducats at or below face value, sources said.

Officials in the Office of Consumer Affairs confirmed the plan is under consideration, but refused to offer details or to comment on the team's response.

But sources familiar with the ticket plan - now circulating among key policymakers in Gov. Paul Cellucci's Office of Consumer Affairs - say Sox legal advisers in the last week raised roadblocks to the plan, designed to help fans in a jam.

Sources say the front office doesn't relish the prospect of competing for game-day walk-up sales with fans hoping to dump tickets the team has already sold them.

Moreover, implementing such a plan presents new complexities, including how such a program would be monitored and by whom. And at a time when the Sox have just made peace following a public spat with street vendors, a sidewalk ticket "booth" or other sales mechanism could create a host of new licensing questions and other hassles.

"I just don't think they could find any space for this," said one source.

A spokeswoman for the Red Sox said yesterday that the team is "happy to review any idea or proposal that will be beneficial to our fans."

Spokeswoman Kathryn Murray St. John denied top Sox officials had put the brakes on the plan, claiming they had not even seen it.

As it stands now, only licensed brokers can resell tickets to ballgames and other public events. Under state law, ticketholders who simply want to dish off extra seats - even at less than face value - are lumped in with scalpers who gouge fans with big markups.

"Not only could you not sell a ticket to your uncle at face value or half price, under the law you can't even give him the ticket," said Assistant Attorney General Henry Eaton. "It's kind of absurd."

Following a 1994 sting against licensed ticket brokers who were gouging customers, lawyers in the attorney general's office suggested changing the scalping laws to allow a flat-rate markup on resale of tickets by anyone holding them. But the Legislature never acted on it.

Some of those familiar with the proposal say the idea came from a similar program at the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards.

The plan for Fenway would almost certainly require full cooperation from the Sox. And for that reason, the team is considered the barometer for whether the plan will move forward and be crafted into a bill for consideration by the Legislature.

Sources say that as the concept is refined, policymakers are expected to get input from other sports teams like the Patriots and Bruins, as well as from managers of arenas like the FleetCenter and smaller venues.

Supporters of the ticket resale proposal say by controlling the environment in a "scalp-free zone" outside Fenway, the state and the Sox could fight illicit commerce at several stages.

"When they have that extra ticket, a lot of fans just wind up selling it to scalpers anyway," said one source.

Indeed, those trolling outside the ballpark asking passers-by for extra tickets on game day often aren't fans simply looking for a way in. More likely, they're street scalpers looking to buy cheap and turn a quick profit on somebody who wants to see the game.

Moreover, some prey on fans with little knowledge of the ballpark's layout, squeezing big dollars for mismatched tickets or a faraway view on the premise that the customer is actually getting choice seats.

"There are a lot of different ways you could develop a procedure to make this work," said one source. "Once you go into the (resale) booth, there would have to be a process to make sure you don't just go and sell it. You'd have to go right into the park."

Still, the burden to provide control over a legal resale plan - most likely a police officer on paid detail - would likely rest with the Sox, sources say. And that's another concern the team has raised through legal channels.

"The way (state officials) are looking at it, this could be at the option of the sports team or venue. If they desire to set it up for their fans, the could," said one source. "It's a good idea at Camden Yards. The question is whether it would work in Massachusetts."