Beantown Bronco
10-28-2008, 10:59 AM
Meet Mr. Jet.
Diehard fan David Findel paid the record $400,000 for the rights to the two best seats at the new Meadowlands stadium, and he says they're worth every penny.
"It's a function of wanting the best, both as a lifelong fan and as a business investment," the 43-year-old owner of mortgage-lending firm Financial Resources told The Post.
But the Colts Neck, NJ, resident says he may never sit in the 50-yard- line seats when the stadium opens in 2010.
"I purchased them for my son, Brandon, 11, and my daughter, Brooke, 7. I will probably continue to sit in my current seats."
Findel outbid an offensive line's worth of New York jet setters at the Oct. 16 auction, including Nobu owner Drew Nieporent and Gary Vaynerchuk, owner of winelibrary.com.
The frenzied bidding turned into a silent auction when Findel raised the stakes from $140,000 to a staggering $200,000 for each of the two personal seat licenses.
He will still need to plunk down another $7,000 each annually for the season tickets themselves, which come with a private VIP entrance, parking, a full spread of food and drink at a swanky restaurant and access to the field during the game.
Although the rights to the next-best seats in the 82,000-seat stadium sold for roughly a third what Findel paid, the bragging rights of having the best seats in the house come with a premium, said Findel, who contends, if anything, he underpaid.
"I am amazed in the interest since I purchased them - how many people want to buy them for more than I purchased them for," he said.
The current economic climate may have been hard on his industry, but Findel said that was all the more reason to buy the seats now, he said.
"Although part of the mortgage business is in turmoil, this is an opportunity to invest in my business - and to further demonstrate our loyalty to the New York Jets," he said.
A Brooklyn native, Findel said when he first started going to Jets games at Shea Stadium, he could afford only the nosebleed seats.
"It is always easy to be a fan of a Super Bowl-winning team," he said. "But a real fan cheers for his team even when they haven't made it to the Super Bowl in 40 years."
jeremy.olshan@nypost.com
Diehard fan David Findel paid the record $400,000 for the rights to the two best seats at the new Meadowlands stadium, and he says they're worth every penny.
"It's a function of wanting the best, both as a lifelong fan and as a business investment," the 43-year-old owner of mortgage-lending firm Financial Resources told The Post.
But the Colts Neck, NJ, resident says he may never sit in the 50-yard- line seats when the stadium opens in 2010.
"I purchased them for my son, Brandon, 11, and my daughter, Brooke, 7. I will probably continue to sit in my current seats."
Findel outbid an offensive line's worth of New York jet setters at the Oct. 16 auction, including Nobu owner Drew Nieporent and Gary Vaynerchuk, owner of winelibrary.com.
The frenzied bidding turned into a silent auction when Findel raised the stakes from $140,000 to a staggering $200,000 for each of the two personal seat licenses.
He will still need to plunk down another $7,000 each annually for the season tickets themselves, which come with a private VIP entrance, parking, a full spread of food and drink at a swanky restaurant and access to the field during the game.
Although the rights to the next-best seats in the 82,000-seat stadium sold for roughly a third what Findel paid, the bragging rights of having the best seats in the house come with a premium, said Findel, who contends, if anything, he underpaid.
"I am amazed in the interest since I purchased them - how many people want to buy them for more than I purchased them for," he said.
The current economic climate may have been hard on his industry, but Findel said that was all the more reason to buy the seats now, he said.
"Although part of the mortgage business is in turmoil, this is an opportunity to invest in my business - and to further demonstrate our loyalty to the New York Jets," he said.
A Brooklyn native, Findel said when he first started going to Jets games at Shea Stadium, he could afford only the nosebleed seats.
"It is always easy to be a fan of a Super Bowl-winning team," he said. "But a real fan cheers for his team even when they haven't made it to the Super Bowl in 40 years."
jeremy.olshan@nypost.com