The New York Giants has revised its long-standing ticketing policy after a mother was almost forced to pay $800 (£657/€725) for her three-month-old baby.
Sarah Zadoyko-Bartee, whose family are club seat season-ticket holders, was stopped entering the Club section during the pre-season game against the Chicago Bears and was asked to produce a ticket for her 14-week-old son.
The member of staff allowed the pair to enter as a “one-time courtesy,” though the NFL franchise has since announced it would be changing its policy to align with MetLife Stadium’s.
The mother’s Facebook post about the issue went viral. It said: “I am so beyond disappointed in the NY Giants. There is no such thing as a lap seat ticket so we are expected to purchase a full price seat. A seat that he is physically incapable of sitting in and for a club that he cannot enjoy the food in.
“I am a breastfeeding mother and live about an hour and a half from the stadium, on an average game day I am away from home for eight hours not including any pregame or postgame activities.
“This policy is discriminatory against mothers with babies that are exclusively breastfed and dependent on them for nourishment.”
The 82,500-capacity New Jersey stadium’s policy is that children up to 34 inches tall can enter free.
Its policy continues: “For all other events including New York Jets football games, children up to 34 inches in height may enter MetLife Stadium free of charge but must share a seat with an accompanying ticketed adult. Occasionally, for some non-NFL events, another policy will be in place.”
The former Giants policy is that all guests must have a ticket to enter the stadium, regardless of size.
The Giants have now officially changed their policy to match that of MetLife Stadium. They also released a statement in an effort to make breastfeeding mothers aware that there are privacy booths for their convenience at the stadium.
The team said in a statement: “We were not made aware of this particular situation until after the fact. We have attempted to reach out to the mother to discuss what occurred that evening, but have not yet made contact. In addition, we are in the process of revising our long-standing policy to bring it more in line with the policy of MetLife Stadium.
“Also, please note there is a nursing suite behind section 142 on the Plaza level. This suite can accommodate two people simultaneously and has comfortable chairs, a pull curtain for privacy and televisions. There is also a location where the Stadium will store milk for mothers that choose to pump.”
Image: Anthony Quintano