Local LA news conducting proper journalism in an effort to stand up for 81-year-old Dodgers fan

The Dodgers, for the most part, do a good job of taking care of their fans.

Andrew Friedman frequently cites wanting to "reward the fanbase" as the motivation behind his team's spending. The team offers some of the best giveaways of anyone in the league, and in huge quantities to make sure that the vast majority of fans in attendance walk away with any one highly-coveted item. They give back to their community; they host resource drives at Dodger Stadium when the city is in turmoil.

But they're not perfect.

Local NBC LA reporter Alex Rozier profiled 81-year-old Dodgers fan Errol Segal, who has been a season ticket holder for 50 years.

The Dodgers had printed Segal's tickets every year up until now. "This year, I received a notice that no longer will I be able to get printed tickets," Segal said. He does not know how to use a computer and only owns a flip phone.

Before you tell an old man to get with the times, Segal said he went to Dodger Stadium and bought tickets at a counter. He received physical copies.

"It makes me feel terrible," he said. "50 years I've had these tickets, and they threw me under the bus."

Lifelong Dodgers fan Errol Segal lodges complaint with team after refusal to provide physical tickets

According to Bianca Heyward of the New York Post, Segal even offered to pay extra for physical tickets, but was still refused. The Dodgers have yet to comment publicly on this issue. They have cited scalping concerns when explaining the move to fully digital ticketing, but do we really think that an 81-year-old fan who's been coming to games for 50 years is interested in scalping?

A number of replies insisting that if Segal has enough money to afford Dodgers season tickets, he can also afford a smartphone, are being willfully callous. Senior citizens are frequently uncomfortable with newer technology.

Besides, why are we siding with the organization that's worth many millions of dollars and not the 81-year-old fan who has been coming to see his team for the majority of their years in LA? The Dodgers clearly have the capability to provide physical tickets, and Segal was even willing to pay more for them.

We hope that the Dodgers actually acknowledge Segal's complaint, if not make an exception not only for Segal but for other longtime fans who might be having the same issue.