The Philadelphia Eagles somehow managed to create news on Tuesday that simultaneously is both a well-thought gesture and should anger the team’s passionate fan base.
Per ESPN’s Tim McManus, the Eagles only plan to open one training camp practice to the public this year, down from two last year, and they’ll charge for tickets costing $10. The practice will take place at Lincoln Financial Field.
On the plus side, all the money earned will go to the Eagles Autism Challenge, which raises funds for autism research.
The Eagles as an organization, led by owner Jeffrey Lurie, have done a fabulous job raising money for autism research. It is a great initiative.
But the Eagles choosing to almost completely shut off training camp practice from the public is a baffling decision.
Perhaps more than any fan base, the Eagles fans in Philadelphia (and elsewhere) not only are willing to show up for a late-July practice in the blazing heat and humidity, but would likely pay for it too.
The Eagles practice for the rest of training camp at the team’s facility, NovaCare Complex, and none of those practices is open to the general public. Because of the limited space at NovaCare, fans are only welcome on invite-only and the crowd generally is filled up with corporate sponsors and some season ticket holders.
Per McManus, the decision to cut back to only one practice was debated inside the building because “these free sessions are often to the benefit of lower-income families who want to connect with the team but can’t afford game tickets”. But ultimately the decision to reduce it to one practice, and to charge for the tickets, came down anyway.
Access to training camp has been cutting back for many teams across the league over the years, though according to ESPN, the Eagles and Seahawks are the only team that don’t offer any free access to even a single training camp practice.
When the Eagles used to relocate to Lehigh University for training camp, the Eagles had upwards of 18 open practices for the 17 years it was held in that area, per ESPN, but that number went down to five when training camp was moved back to Philadelphia in 2013.
Now, it’s down to one.
And that’s a shame.
Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZackBlatt. Find NJ.com on Facebook.