Usually I would not care about the season ticket holder gift and I'd write about the game; however, we stink. So instead of breaking down the game (spoiler alert - we lost).. let's break down the long anticipated season ticket gift.
Apparently in previous years there has been some consternation about the season ticket gift. It seems that in some recent years there has been no gift at all. So when I received an email from my rep about picking up this year's gift, my ears perked up. Not that I am thinking the gift will be all that exciting... but here we go.
1. DC United t-shirts
Made of polyester... not bad. The shirt is a step above similar cotton shirts sold in the club shop. I don't have much to complain about here. The championship years on the sleeve is a classy touch. I think overall this is a nice free-bee. Probably will wear it around the house or playing pick-up, but that's about it... not much versatility in it, which slightly lowers its score. Overall, I'd say 7/10. A free shirt is always nice.
2. Tin Box
Where the t-shirt lacked in versatility, the tin box shines. From the outside, the tin box is just that... a tin box. If we judge a book by its cover, there could be a lot to like here. My kitchen island drawer is a complete mess with all sorts of mail, pens, etc. This could go a long way in organizing that.. OR maybe we can use it to store cookies or bread or something. This item is good for general/obscure storage. Where this item lacks is its artwork on the cover. Three of the featured players no longer play for DC United, but hey-ho. 3/10 gift... mostly for the versatility factor. I also lowered the score because DCU actually advertised this tin box as its own gift. I've never heard of a tin box advertised as a gift.. usually it just stores the gift.
3. DC United Pins
Once we open the tin box, we come to our first interior gift. As somebody who wears a suit nearly everyday, I appreciate this gift. According to ties.com, lapel pins are "undeniably stylish"... and I agree. I do appreciate the DC skyline and flag portrayed in the "vamos united" pin. I guess some people put them on hats... maybe those folks can chime in here. Not much of an opinion on these pins... and I think that's probably a mark in their favor. 3/10 gift, because, well, they're pins. The extremely low usage hurts this score.
4. Season Ticket Cards and Lanyards
Remove and pins from the tin box and you get to the lanyards and season ticket pass. DCU really going for the "let's fly" moniker in this gift set. The lanyards are light and seemingly durable. Feel pretty good on the neck... or maybe tucked under the collar depending on your style. The card is... a card. Not really sure what to do with it if I'm being honest. Back in the day you would use these for 10% off merchandise or concessions, but that's all done through your mobile ticket now. Or are these even meant to be worn at all? As first year season ticket holders I can see it being sort of cool to showcase - after that, I don't know what to do with it. I give it a 3/10 because of its ambiguous usage, although it is nice for the first time season ticket holder.
5. Metal Plate
Lying underneath the lanyards is a mysterious item in bubblewrap. "Must be something fragile", I thought. Within the bubblewrap came a light weight piece of metal, embroidered with the above markings. First, I looked at the front... then I turned it to the back... then looked at all sides. Through a 3 minute examination, I've determined that I don't know what this is. I understand that it must be a display... but where do you put it? It's a little hard to see in the daylight, and its definitely not big enough to hang on the wall. It's about the size of a big chocolate bar. In fact, it fits perfectly into the tin box... like two pees in a pod - metal on metal. It seems like the best place to put it is in the tin box, in my drawer. 1/10 score because its the thought that counts.
6. Bonus Review: Bag (no photo)
All of the above gifts came in a see-through bag, which you can take into the stadium. I think every season ticket holder knows these bags. This year the handle is black instead of red. They're pretty good, and you can use them everywhere. Now that most areas in the DMV stopped giving plastic bags at grocery stores... this item is dual use! I don't actually think this is considered a gift from the club... but it's honestly way better than some of the other items. 5/10 bag because you can bring them everywhere, including other DC sports events.
So there you have it. There's the review of the CF Montreal game... and our beloved season ticket gifts.
I thought those scores were were fair. Then I read this tweet....
The dichotomy is almost laugh out loud funny.
Again, a gift is a gift... so thank you DC United, we're going to love it.
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