Loyalty Milestone Changes

Friday is the deadline for Wizards season ticket holders to renew their season tickets for the 2018-2019 NBA season. If you are coming up on a multiple of five years as a season ticket holder, I'm sure you are looking forward to your anniversary milestone, just like I am with my 20th next year. Buuuuut...you might want to check that your milestone rewards are still what you thought they were. They've changed from when I wrote about these and ranked them two years ago. Most are better. But some...well, read on.

Way back in the first half of the aughts, the Wizards invented an anniversary rewards program which rewarded season ticket holders for every five years of buying season tickets. The program got instituted right before my fifth year as a season ticket holder and since then I've enjoyed the program with emotions ranging from complete indifference to genuinely feeling appreciated. I wrote about what I consider the best reward in my 15th season when I got to treat a bunch of my friends to a catered game in a Verizon Center suite for free. That was pretty awesome.

So what's changed? Take a look. I'll list each of the new rewards with the old reward below it for the same milestone and then some of my as always super valuable commentary.

5 Years: Private Reception with Wizards Management and Special Guests

Former Reward: Exactly the Same Thing

So nothing's changed at the five year milestone. You get a reception of sorts I assume somewhere in the Capital One Arena (ours was in what is now the PwC Club) with probably Ernie Grunfeld, maybe Tommy Sheppard and at least one player. I know Kelly Oubre, Jr. was there this season because I know someone who is celebrating her five year milestone this year and I got a picture of Kelly hugging her texted to me during a game. Our special guest was Gilbert Arenas. But Gilbert never showed, alleging a flat tire. So I got some snacks in the arena on an off night for my five year reward. Cool.

10 Years: Trip to Philadelphia for 76ers vs. Wizards Away Game

Former Reward: Member's Name Displayed on the Wizards Wall of Fame

In my ranking of rewards two years ago, I rated the 10 year reward, which at that time was your name on a wall, as having absolutely no value whatsoever. The Wizards must have figured that out too because they ditched it for a trip to Philly to see the Wiz take on the 76ers. This is a huge upgrade. This trip used to be the 20 year milestone reward so moving this thing up 10 years and losing the name-on-the-wall thing is definitely the right thing to do. Only problem is...we'll get to it.

15 Years: Lexus Level Suite for Wizards Game

Former Reward: Exactly the Same Thing

If you are anywhere close to your 15 year anniversary as a Wizards season ticket holder, please don't cancel. This experience was and I'm sure still is fantastic. I devoted a whole blog post to it three years ago that's linked above. Do this and then quit if you can't afford tickets any more.

20 Years: Roundtrip Car Service to Wizards Game and Dinner Pre-Game

Fomer Reward: Trip to an Eastern Conference Away Game

I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to my 20 year milestone. My friend Mike and I were pretty pumped about getting on a Wizards party bus and heading up to the City of Brotherly Love for a game at Wells Fargo. We've even talked about the importance of making it to 20 so we could cash in on this reward.

And then they moved the trip to the 10 year mark, an anniversary for which I received my name on a wall which now comes just for free. It's replaced by roundtrip car service to a home game (I'm assuming the game's not in Philly but that would be even better than a bus trip) and dinner pre-game. Are you kidding me? I get cheated on my five year anniversary by an Arenas no show, now I feel I got cheated on my 10 year anniversary and I'm now looking forward to something less enthusiastically for my 20 year reward? I'm furious about this. Can't tell you how disappointed I am. The Wizards should let people in my class (and similar) get both this reward and get on the bus to Pennsylvania when we hit 20.

Just a note here: the former 20 year reward was a trip to an Eastern Conference away game, but I know the most frequent destination was Philadelphia so I'm considering the former 20 year reward as the 10 year reward. I still can't believe this is happening.
 

25 Years: DC12 Club Wine Club Subscription

Former Reward: Participate in the Pre-Game Captain's Meeting at a Pre-Selected Home Game

Finally, someone saw the light of day and the absolute absurdity in rewarding 25 years as a season ticket holder by having your photo taken at half court in an experience that lasts about maybe a minute. 25 years and thousands upon thousands of dollars for a quick pic with Marcin Gortat and whomever the other team sends to center court? No thanks. The new reward (and who knew there was such a thing) is a DC12 Club Wine Club Subscription. I'm assuming this is valuable and not just a couple of $10 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc from Safeway or Trader Joe's. Maybe I'll find out someday.

As an aside here, my friend Mike offered the opinion that the former reward was better. It's not but he doesn't drink wine. If it were a year's worth of Bud Light, he'd feel the way I feel about this. I hope I'm not too optimistic. Again, maybe I'll find out someday.

Just in case I offended anyone, I get wine at Safeway and Trader Joe's all the time. I'll take it. Just hoping for something different is all.

30 Years: Dinner Reception with Members of Coaching Staff

Former Reward: Two Tickets to the Owner's Suite for a Pre-Selected Wizards Game

Honestly, I'd rather have the old reward, although there might be a problem since there's not really an owners' suite anymore because Ted and Co. sit downstairs courtside while Abe Pollin (who instituted the rewards program) had a box at the top of Section 101 with a private elevator to the garage below. The only thing that could make the new reward comparable to the former anniversary milestone would be if the dinner was private (i.e. just you). If it's in a group, isn't it the same as the five year reward but without players?

If they wanted to make this really special, they'd give two of the Owner's Seats courtside to the folks sticking it out for 30 years. Just saying. I've done about everything I've wanted to do as a Wizards fan short of watching the team succeed more except sit courtside. It's just way too expensive.

The view of the court for our 15 year suite game; of course the Wizards lost to Brooklyn.

35 Years: Roundtrip Limo to Wizards Game and Lexus Level Suite

Former Reward: Exactly the Same Thing

This reward stuck and for good reason. If it's cool to get a suite for you and your friends, it's even cooler to get a limo ride there and back. I'm never making this one, but I want this.

40 Years: Overnight Trip to a Pre-Selected Wizards Away Game

Former Reward: Exactly the Same Thing

Two rewards in a row are the same as they used to be. I guess when you get this high up on the season ticket holder tree, there's only so much you can hand out. I'd do this. Heck, I do it almost every year on my own. This is worth something, especially if you've never taken a road trip. Hopefully, it's not a trip to Philly.

Vegas, baby!!

45 Years: Two-Night Trip to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League

Former Reward: On-Court Recognition and Choice of Overnight Trip to an Away Game or Trip to an Eastern Conference Away Game

Who doesn't love Vegas? I'd head to the desert for a couple of days of Summer League on the Wizards' dime, even if it's way way more crowded than it was when I started going there in 2007.  I'm hoping the team puts you in a nice hotel and not at the Excalibur where we pretty much always stay. This reward (which used to be the 50 year reward) is an enormous upgrade over the former reward, which was essentially the former unappreciative 25 year reward combined with the 40 year reward. Or in other words, you'd get pretty much the exact same thing for 40 and 45 years.

50 Years: Overnight Trip to Choice of Wizards Road Game 

Former Reward: Trip to Las Vegas for Summer League

If you make it to 50 years, they should take you to EVERY road game or as many as you want. Heck you have to be retired at this point, right, so fitting every road game into your schedule shouldn't be difficult. I assume you get to pick. I'd probably go somewhere expensive to get to, like Sacramento or something. Maybe Sacto's a bit sleepy but after 50 years as a Wizards season ticket holder you probably need sleepy. As an aside here, there are no current 50 year season ticket holders. According to the names on the court at Capital One Arena, the earliest season ticket holders date from 1970.

So that's the scoop! Coming up on 10 or 25 years? You ought to be thrilled. If you are near the 20 year mark, I'll meet you at the Budweiser Brewhouse before a game some time and commiserate over a beer or two. Ask Roxy at the back bar to point you in my direction. I can talk for a good 10 to 20 minutes on that subject. I'd love for the Wizards to take me up on my suggestion and offer the 10 year reward on a grandfathered basis in addition to the new 20 year reward. Consider it, Wizards. Please!

DC12 Club Loyalty Milestones

Before we get to the meat of this post, let me say I'm just confused by this Wizards team so far. We are inconsistent (nothing new there); don't seem to try very hard at times (nothing new there either); lose to teams we should beat (again...nothing new) and yet have shown flashes. This is clearly at times not your Randy Wittman coached Wizards team. And yet here we are at 4-9 and fighting for 11th place in the conference. Or maybe we will stay tied for 12th. I'm trying to be patient. We just aren't supposed to be rebuilding that's all. Enough said on that. Let's get to the post.

About a dozen or so years ago, the Washington Wizards introduced an anniversary milestones rewards program for season ticket holders as a way to recognize continued support of the team at the season ticket holder level. It started modestly, rewarding members for every five years of commitment up to (if I'm remembering correctly and it doesn't necessarily matter if I'm wrong here) 25 years. Since that time, the program has expanded to start at five years and end at 50 (!!!) years of membership.

So while it's worth acknowledging that this benefit is better than the nothing that existed before it, I think it's probably also worth looking at the relative value of the rewards against each other. To that end I've done some quick math on the cost of each of the ten milestones. To me, it appears there are some rewards for years and years of paying for Wizards basketball that are less valuable than some of the predecessor awards. As I approach 20 years as a season ticket holder, I'd love to see the team adjust some of these rewards so they make more sense.

My list is below. The descriptions are directly from the Wizards DC12 Club Membership Benefits Webpage and I've clipped the rewards listing from that page and pasted it at the top of this post. Let's start with the least valuable and end up at the most valuable.

1. 10 Years

Member's Name Displayed on the Wizards Wall of Fame (Primary Account Holder's Name Only)

You could argue that some of the rewards on this list have value without having a monetary equivalent. You certainly could make that case here with the 10 Year award. After all, there's no way to (legally) get your name on the wall of Verizon Center without actually buying Wizards season tickets for 10 years. I can agree one can make that argument, but I'm not buying it here. I like that my name is on a list of 10+ year season ticket holders at VC but it's not really worth anything to me.

Value: $0.

2. 25 Years

Participate in the Pre-Game Captain's Meeting at a Pre-Selected Home Game (One Person Per Account)

I'm shocked that the reward for 25 years of sitting in Verizon Center watching Wizards games comes out as the second least valuable on this list but I can't see it any other way. Now I haven't been through this reward yet so there could be some ancillary stuff beyond the description of the reward like access to VIP areas or something else. But going on the surface of things and having seen these folks out at center court before most every game, it appears to me this is about a five minute photo opportunity and that's it. Let's say you get a nicely framed photograph of the occasion to hang on your wall. That's what I've assumed in calculating this experience's value.

Now, you could argue again that this is not something you can just opt to do on your own (like some of the later rewards) and so therefore this is a special event afforded only to 25 year season ticket holders. I mean it's not like you can just stride out to center court and hang out with Marcin Gortat, Tomas Satoransky and whomever the opponent sends out there, right? All that is true and I'd be on board if this same experience weren't available at auction on the Monumental Rewards website. Save your points and bid wisely and you can get the exact same thing as someones who's poured 25 years of cost into the team. The Wizards have to change this, don't they? They make it worse by only allowing one person per account to participate. Ouch!

Value: $50.

3. 5 Years

Private Reception with Wizards Management and Special Guests

The first rewards milestone season ticket holders will receive is at five years. I think if I'm remembering things right the team rolled this out right when I reached the five year mark. My reward? A reception in the (then) Acela Club with free food and beer with Ernie Grunfeld. Gilbert Arenas was supposed to be there but allegedly had a flat tire and couldn't attend. So our "special guests" ended up being nobody. I'm not assigning any value to the special guests part of this event, even though some of these things can offer unique insights into the NBA. I still remember an awesome conversation we had with Josh Howard about diet and fitness a number of years ago at a similar event.

The five year reward is worth it. We got some free food and booze for two people plus a basketball signed by Gilbert Arenas (which I still have). I've calculated the theoretical value here assuming you chow down and you get two spots. Also, I've figured Verizon Center beer prices which might actually make the number low depending on how much you can drink. It doesn't take much to get to a $50 alcohol bill at VC.

Value: $100.

4. 30 Years

Two Tickets to the Owner's Suite for a Pre-Selected Wizards Game

The 30 Year reward is two tickets to a game that you have tickets for anyway. The Owner's Suite (I'm assuming) is the one right around Section 101 with the elevator to allow former owner Abe Pollin to get to his suite without crossing paths with fans. Considering the success of the team, maybe a smart move. I guess the real value of this experience depends on if the owner shows up. Ted usually sits courtside and honestly those seats are probably way more desirable.

I'm assuming a suite ticket on the 100 level costs about $150? Just a guess. Maybe there's some food an a can of beer or two thrown in there which might add $50-75 per person. Sounds good to me.

Value: $450.

5. 20 Years

Trip to an Eastern Conference Away Game (Two Guests Per Account)

The 20 Year reward is the first of three regular season road trips Wizards season ticket holders can cash in on. I'm assuming this particular reward is a trip to Philadelphia because (a) there's no mention of any overnight accommodations so that sort of limits the distance and (b) I know that's where the team has taken folks before. And yes, just like the Pre-Game Captains' Meeting reward, they've had made this item available on the Monumental Rewards site before.

I might actually have this and the 30 Year reward switched. The value is awfully similar. I know the Wizards have in the past bought suites at Wells Fargo Center so let's say tickets are $100 per person. Let's assume they also spring for some food and booze just like we assumed at VC at 30 Years which adds $50-75 per person. Throw in bus fare worth about $30 each way and I get a little more than the 30 Year reward.

Value: $470.

6. 40 Years

Overnight Trip to a Pre-Selected Wizards Away Game, Including Airfare, Hotel, and Game Tickets (Two Guests Per Account)

OK so now we are talking: a real road trip! After 40 years (I mean can you even imagine?) of paying for Wizards games on a season ticket basis, you are off on a real trip with the team. I've done this several times so far as a fan on my own. I'd love for the team to take me away for an overnight trip to watch the Wiz play.

So this one includes airfare (let's ballpark that at $400 figuring it's not a California trip) for two; a hotel room for a night (say $250?) and tickets to the game ($150 each?). Assume there are some incidentals or other sorts of perks in there at maybe $100 per person and you are talking some serious money laid out by the team.

Value: $1,550.

7. 45 Years

On-Court Recognition and Your Choice of Either an Overnight Trip to an Away Game or a Trip to an Eastern Conference Away Game (Two Guests Per Account)

So 45 years in you get either the exact same thing you got at 40 years or the exact same thing you got at 20 years. Let's go glass half full here and say it's another overnight roadie where you get to fly somewhere. I'm going to use the same budget for this reward but since there's an on court acknowledgement which may be similar the much maligned (at least in this post) pre-game captains' meeting, I'll throw in the cost of that also.

Value: $1,600.

8. 15 Years

Complimentary Lexus Level Suite for a Game with Stadium Food for a Group of 18 (One Per Account)

Of all the things I've done as a Wizards fan interacting with this team, being handed an entire Lexus Level suite for a game a couple of years ago was the best. This is a seriously valuable perk. I loved this experience. I wish I could do it again. I especially wish I could od it again for free. And I got to bring 18 of my closest friends. Seriously generous on the part of the franchise.

And this is not a cheap item. I haven't verified the cost this year but I think when I checked last year these started at about $1,200 per game. And that's for the cheapest game on the slowest night. We got a Friday night game against the (then almost good) Brooklyn Nets. And it came with free food, a swag bag for every guest and a couple of six packs of beer (which alone are worth about $35 each and yes that's actually cheaper at $6 or so a beer than elsewhere in Verizon Center). Let's spitball the cost of a suite at about $1,400 and throw in about $200 worth of food and beer and swag. Yes, it's technically tied with the 45 Year reward when you add all that up but since you get it a quarter of a century earlier, I'm ranking it higher.

Value: $1,600.

9. 35 Years

Limo Transportation for You and a Guest to and from a Pre-Selected Wizards Home Game, Plus a Fully Catered Lexus Level Suite for up to 18 Guests

I really want another suite to myself but I have to tell you I can't imagine I'm (a) waiting another 20 years before I do that again or (b) going to be a Wizards season ticket holder when I'm 71. Let's say the limo adds $150 to the cost of this experience and the "Fully Catered" suite costs about $400 more than the "Stadium Food." Good reward. Not sure if I would be more or less fun after 70 than before 50.

Value: $2,150.

10. 50 Years

Trip to Las Vegas to Watch the Wizards Summer League Team in Action (Two Guests Per Account)

I love Summer League. Like genuinely absolutely LOVE it. Gambling, great food, open carry laws (for alcohol that is) and hoops. How can a trip to Vegas get much better than that?

Before this past summer, I'd been to seven consecutive Summer Leagues. My typical stay was just three nights (as much as I love Vegas it seems three nights at a time is about all I can handle) although I took in all five Wizards games in 2010 right after we drafted John Wall. The value of this reward is going to be dependent on the length of the stay of course. Let's give the Wizards some huge credit and assume it's a three night trip. I could be and likely am way off on this one.

I think you can get to Vegas and back for $500 per person. Let's say they put you up somewhere nice (not at Excalibur where I usually stay) that costs $250 per night. Finally let's say they spring for courtside tickets at $100 per seat per person for three days of action. Again, I may be reaching with the perks on this one but you've been a season ticket holder for 50 years. There has to be some big spending going on here. In fact, you know what? Let's just round the whole thing up to the nearest $500.

Value: $2,500. And yes, that may be way off.

Go ahead and nitpick the value of each reward if you want. This is just my semi-informed opinion. And no, I didn't do a whole lot of detailed research. The point of this post is not to get the value of the rewards right to the dollar or penny but to point out that in my opinion the value does not increase with tenure. If I've got the dollar value wrong on any of these (and I'm sure I've actually got it wrong depending on your point of view on ALL of them) so be it; I don't believe I'm far enough off to have one reward swap places with another on the list with the possible exception of 4/5 and 7/8. And I'm OK swapping those. Of all the rewards, I'd be most concerned about the relative lack of value you get after 25 years. It's certainly way less than the 15 and 20 year rewards and you can get it with Monumental Rewards points.

My next reward is 20 years but honestly, I'd rather have the 15 year reward all over again. I think the Wizards should take a look at this list and consider a re-shuffle. It might keep me as a season ticket holder longer. I'm in for 20 because I do want the trip to Philly, even though I've already been there. But I'm not motivated to stay for 25 because of the pre-game captains' meeting. And unless the team's performance improves, the competitiveness ain't going to keep me either.

15 Years

Put this post in the "better late than never" category. This one is way overdue. I should have thanked the Wizards for this months ago.

The 2014-2015 NBA season was my 15th as a Washington Wizards season ticket holder. If you had told me back in the fall of 2000 (when I bought into my first year as a STH) that I would still have season tickets now, I can't say that I'd be surprised. But if you told me then that being a Wizards fan would permeate almost every month, week and day of my year, I think I might have been shocked. Back then, I couldn't contemplate attending even half the home games in a season. Now, I not only shoot for all 41 regular season home games each year, but I also want to make it to Summer League, a couple of Wizards road games and maybe a D-League game or two. How times have changed me.

A few years into my season ticket holder journey, the Wizards instituted a longevity rewards program to thank fans for their continued support over the years. The plan works on a five year milestone anniversary basis and happened to get implemented right before my fifth season as a full season ticket holder. The five year anniversary gift was (and still is) a private (meaning not open to the public) reception with Wizards management and special guests. The special guest at our reception was supposed to be Gilbert Arenas but he ended up a no show due to an (alleged) flat tire so all we really got was some food in the Acela Club that day plus an autographed basketball and the apology note at the top of this post. Oh well.

Five years later, I passed the ten year milestone which got me (yawn!) my name on the Wizards Wall of Fame, a backlit plexiglass sign on the 100 Level of Verizon Center. The display was originally a little more deluxe in (as I remember it) the form of a series of plastic circles in a display case with whatever writing I chose to put on there. There was a character limit so I chose to abbreviate my name and my friend Mike's name and they ended up getting it wrong since they didn't understand I was abbreviating. The mistake was made that much worse by the Wizards mailing me a glass paperweight engraved with the same mistake. I threw that away. Oh well.

So after a couple of swings and misses in the anniversary milestone rewards program, I finally got to the 15 year mark and hoped the Wizards would pay off in spades. The 15 year gift is a Lexus Level suite for a game all to ourselves. That's right, an entire suite for me and whomever I choose to bring (well, up to 18 people total anyway) for a whole game. I'd been looking forward to this gift for years and the experience did not disappoint. There's no doubt this was totally worth the wait.

Now I've never been much of a suite guy. I'd attended one game in a suite once before way back in 2005. In fact, it was the playoff game vs. Chicago when the Wizards clinched the franchise's first playoff series win since 1979 and the then Bullets team was the proud owner of a brand new championship trophy. I hated it. The suite, not the 1978 championship. It was me, my friend Mike and one other guy from work on a freebee to see if our company might be interested in investing in some Wizards suite tickets (we declined) along with some other folks doing the exact same thing. It was a hugely important game and we were totally disconnected from the suffering fan base we had been sitting with game after game for the first five years of my season ticket holding tenure. It sucked! I wish I had been in my seats in Section 402, Row G for that game instead of sitting in that suite.

But having a suite to myself? And being able to choose who I brought along? Now this had to be a can't miss experience. And it was.

Inside the suite.

Our view of the court during pre-game introductions. This is about as good as it got.

Early last season I received an email notification from the Wizards that the choice of suites for the anniversary gift was posted online and available for selection. I had set myself up for a Tuesday night game against Milwaukee or a Wednesday contest vs. Toronto so my expectations were pretty low here but hey, it's free, right? Right. Only the choice was not limited a series of unsellable games on weekdays early in the week. We actually selected and were granted a Friday night game in January against Brooklyn, who despite their below expectations record at the time were still somehow a popular team (go figure; two years in Brooklyn and wildly popular). Now I was a little more excited. Friday night games are actually desirable and the chances folks might beg off because of having work the next morning went way down.

This experience all around was truly fantastic. Not only did it include 18 free tickets, there were also two guest passes (which get you in the suite but not the building) and two parking passes. I have never parked at Verizon Center in my life. I mean I generally try not to drive anywhere I don't have to and living pretty much right on top of a Metro line means I don't have to like ever. But doing it once for this event was just awesome. We got there about an hour and 15 minutes before scheduled tip time and were allowed after a quick wanding by security to take the elevator straight up to the suite level. If I had enough money to be driven around all the time, I suppose I'd want to do this for every home game.

When we got to the suite, the place was outfitted with food (way more than I expected), beer (about what I expected and not enough for the crowd I was bringing), congratulatory decorations, and a swag bag for each person with a Bradley Beal bobblehead as the main attraction. So not only am I essentially hosting my own party in a space that I don't have to clean up, but there's live hoops at basically the world's highest level (OK, maybe not that night; the Wiz managed to lose by 22 behind 26 each from Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez for the Nets) on the floor below us. I could get used to this sort of treatment, although honestly, I'd still rather spend time surrounded by other fans in my regular seats for the other 40 games in the year.

Swag bag!

The Wizards are by no means obligated to do this for fans (although they actually sort of are now since they put it in writing on their website) and it goes a long way to making me as a season ticket holder feel appreciated. I can't imagine there are too many other teams who hand out suites to their season ticket holders after 15 years. I mean this experience is worth some serious bucks. Likely way more than the 20 year reward (trip to an Eastern Conference away game; I'm guessing bus trip to Philly here) and certainly more than the 25 year reward (participate in the pre-game captains' meeting) which is essentially worth very little, unless I'm missing something major about the experience. If I had an option, I would way rather do this again than get my scheduled 20 or 25 year reward.

Other than the on court performance, there was nothing about this night that was not just incredible. And honestly that didn't matter that much because I spent most of the time that night celebrating the fact that I had reached this milestone with good friends and family, including my friend Mike who has been on this journey with me for the last 13 of the 15 years. I think most of them honestly saw this as an effort in perseverance and refusal to give up on my part and were glad to see me get something back.

I'd love to do this every year, although honestly it's probably not worth springing for a suite every year. I guess I have to wait another 20 years to get another one of these based on the schedule published on the Wizards' website. That's a long time. I may just have to spring for one of these things before then. I'm not sure I can wait that long to have a suite to myself again. Maybe at 20 years? 

Thank you, Washington Wizards, for making my 15th year truly memorable on and off the court. It's not often you get a reward like this plus the best record for the franchise in three and a half decades. I'm never going to stop being a fan of this team.

Two of my favorite people in the world.

15 years!!! We made it!!!