PHOENIX — The new season has brought a new way to get into State Farm Stadium to watch your Arizona Cardinals play. The team has officially gone digital.
Season ticket holders received cards instead of hard copy tickets for the 2019 NFL season in an effort to reduce ticket fraud. All other tickets will be issued in the digital format as well.
The idea is for fans to have authentic tickets to each and every game, but if they want to pass on a particular game, they'll need to transfer or sell the tickets through the team's app.
Some fans like Duane Woods and his son Brian are skeptical about the digital approach.
"I don't quite know how that card thing is going to work if there's somebody that's selling -- hey, I got three games this year I'm not going to be able to go to," Duane Woods said.
The two have been to several Cardinals games but will likely to stick to ticketing websites like Stubhub and SeatGeek instead of buying from a season ticket holder.
"Do I take their card? Am I going to be swiping their card with my I.D.? Is that going to work out like that? That would be my concern," he added.
Representatives for the Cardinals say fans should not worry, there's an easy way to transfer or sell tickets through the app. Plus, it should prevent the sale of phony or photocopied tickets.
"I don't know if counterfeiting has been an issue, but if it is that will cut down on it," Woods said.
Longtime season-ticket holder Jason Brody says digital cards are cool and convenient, but technology issues could cause them to be more burdensome.
"Phones die, service doesn't work in stadiums sometimes, you lose your phone, you leave it at home, someone steals their phone. There's a lot of technical stuff as well," he said.
The team's website and a pamphlet that comes with the cards, lanyards and parking passes has quick and easy ways to send or sell your tickets, whether it's to friends and family or simply fans who want to rise up with the Red Sea.