But I Bought A Ticket!!

Last night, the NBA Finals came to a close with the Golden State Warriors bringing home the title. While I was watching the coverage, they kept showing shots of the crowd (many times looking rather downtrodden due to the fact the game was in Cleveland) and I got to thinking about the rights that a ticket holder has.

Many people think that buying a ticket guarantees them entry into a game, concert, or other event… but that’s not true. All a ticket gives you is a “license” to enter the property for the event. A license usually means that someone has a right to do something (e.g. a driver’s license, medical license, liquor license, etc.) but in regards to property, a license means that the person can come on the land as long as the owner says they can. In other words, the owner or operator of the land can “revoke the license” (or make the person leave) at any time that they want.

Now, if you’ve paid money for the ticket, hotel, flight, taxi, etc. in order to get to the event in reliance on your ticket, you likely have a claim for damages under a breach of contract (in which case you should email me directly) but you do NOT have a right to enter the land. I bet that after watching Golden State celebrate on the court in Cleveland, more than a few of those Cavaliers fans wish that their license had been revoked so they could have at least gotten their money back.

God Bless,

Geoff