John Oliver calls out Yankees for ‘elitist’ ticket policy
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Last Week Tonight host John Oliver used a segment of his show Sunday to call out the New York Yankees for what he believes is an “elitist” new ticket policy that the team instituted this season.
Discussing the decision by the Yankees front office to ban fans from printing tickets at home, Oliver used audio from a radio interview with Lonn Trust, Yankees chief operating officer, in an effort to show that the team holds an exclusionary view towards its less wealthy fans.
“Quite frankly... the fan you know may be someone who has never sat in premium location. So that’s a frustration to our existing fan base,” Trust said while discussing the ticket policy.
Oliver opened the four-minute segment by bashing the team’s management.
“There is only one thing we can be absolutely sure of this season, and that is the Yankees will continue finding ways to be the biggest elitist a**holes in all of sports.”
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGwt4206Y_U]
In response to the new ticket policy, Oliver purchased two seats for the first three home games in the Legends Club section and offered them to fans for just 25 cents. In order to win the tickets, the fans had to tweet images of themselves wearing clothing that would normally not belong in the premium section of a sporting event, and promise to wear those outfits to the game.
In a statement, New York team president Randy Levine said, "Everyone is welcome at Yankee Stadium. And I thank John Oliver for buying Yankees tickets."
The Yankees open the season against the Houston Astros on Tuesday after Monday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather.
