The New England Patriots did not have enough bottled water to keep up with the demand of fans during Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, but that did not stop the team from continuing to turn a profit on H2O.
Temperatures in Foxboro reached a high of 86 degrees, which is extremely warm for a late-September game. The Boston Globe reports that the Patriots tried to prepare for the heat by doubling their supply of bottled water , but the concession stands at Gillette Stadium still ran out. So how did fans stay hydrated? By shelling out in the range of $4.50 to $5 for a cup of tap water.
Some outraged fans who were being charged for tap water took to Twitter during the game:
#GilletteStadium is HOT! @Patriots not so much. Ran out of water. $5 for Foxboro tap!?!? pic.twitter.com/cZeMTHVxff
— Dana Caron (@DanaCaron1) September 24, 2017
@Patriots so, hottest game I've been to and you run out of water, but, charging $4.50 for tap water? Shame on you….
— Joy Garon (@joygaron) September 24, 2017
@Patriots — Loved spending $45 on tap water today… how could you run out of bottles in the 2nd qr? #bestdayever
— jim kappos (@jimkappos) September 24, 2017
On Sunday night, the Patriots apologized.
“We apologize. That should not have happened,” team spokesman Stacey James said, via CBS Boston. “It is the first time that I have ever heard that complaint here. We are looking into the matter to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
It’s hard to say what’s worse — running out of bottled water halfway through a game or charging fans for tap water. The Patriots won’t be able to offer refunds, but they have to find some way to remedy the situation.
