A closer look

That plastic clasp on the back of your exclusive access badge isn't there because the manufacturer ran out of continuous fabric. It is a strictly mandated safety feature designed to snap open under pressure. Without it, wearing a tough nylon cord around your neck in a chaotic, densely packed crowd is basically inviting accidental strangulation if it catches on a railing. Organizers provide the breakaway clasp purely to avoid massive wrongful death settlements.