An Evening at Gillette Stadium
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by Rawbeezeitz
I just got hired by a company that does a the customer service stuff at Gillette Stadium. You know, ushers, ticket takers, people in parking lots with little orange flags, that kind of stuff. Actually, the company is owned by Bob Kraft (who owns the Patriots, by the by), and also does the same sort of customer service stuff at other sports arenas, like Boston College. I think that’s wicked smart. Instead of paying some other company to do your customer service crap, why not make your own company then contract its services it to other arenas? There’s a reason why Bob Kraft is rich.
I had my orientation last night in the suite level of Gillette Stadium. The job descriptions seemed fairly obvious and simple. Basically, I’ll be getting paid to check people’s tickets, while I watch the Patriots play. Is there a better job? Perhaps, but not in Foxborough on a Sunday.
SSReporters will appreciate this. The LA Galaxy are coming to Foxborough to play the Revolution on Sunday. Throughout the evening of power point presentations, this upcoming game was referred to as “the Beckham game” or simply “Beckham.” Example: “We’re expecting over 32,000 fans for the Beckham game on Sunday.” Or “We need a lot of people to work in the parking lot for Beckham.” And of course, Beckscum might not even play in the game. The orientation lasted for about two hours, and never once did I hear any of the following words: “Los,” “Angeles,” or “Galaxy.”
As I said, this all took place in one of the clubhouse suites in the Stadium. There’s an amazing view of the field from up there. A soccer game was being played on the field. The Revolution were playing the Harrisburg City Islanders in front of a crowd of about 800. These were the friends and families of the players, as well as the sparse number of ultras waving their flags (including the historic and obscure New England flag, which I thought was cool). Anyway, the match was a quarterfinal for the US Open Cup, America’s version of the FA Cup, open to most professional teams in the country. Actually, I guess it’s kind of like the League Cup. Harrisburg advanced to play New England after beating DC United 1-0. These games are not taken all that seriously, by fans or players.
I just felt like the evening demonstrated the state of soccer in America. An upcoming Revolution game referred to only as “Beckham.” A game attended by under 1,000 people in a competition that even I (a soccer fan) had never heard of before. But still, money to be made, and a few hardcore fans supporting the game.
Anyway, my first task is to be an usher for the August 17th pre-season Patriots game. I’ve only been to one Patriots game before, and now I’m going to be paid to go to ten or more this year. And yes, I will write throughout the season about my new life as a Gillette Stadium usher.
