... some teams (including the Pats) are using COVID as a (bullshit) excuse to save money on making and shipping out tickets.

It's absolute horseshit, of course, because it was "touchless" even with physical tickets. The gatespeople just scanned your ticket while you held it in front of the scanner, or held the lanyard the ticket was in in front of the scanner. Now we're just doing the exact same thing .. but with our phones. But now lines are about 10x as long because no one can fucking figure out the mobile apps/tickets, didn't plan ahead, or their phone died, or they're not getting service, or whateverthefuck.

So yea. It's a scam. And I am livid about it cuz I'm one of those people you mentioned in the OP who keeps the physical tickets for everything: sporting events, concerts, festivals, whatever.

It's so annoying.