As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers try to snap a nine-game losing streak that started last December with a defeat at Charlotte, the supposedly sold out Raymond James Stadium includes plenty of empty seats disguised as fans.
Per our Tampa media moles, there appear to be roughly 10,000 to 15,000 empty seats.
The prevailing rumor is that the team is ensuring that all tickets are sold, even if they aren’t used. As a result, no Tampa home games have been blacked out locally.
The Bucs have only seven home games this year, since one of the eight games will be played next weekend in London.
The Buccaneers currently lead the Panthers, 7-0.
UPDATE: The guys at JoeBucsFan.com report that the upper deck is empty and that 20,000 seats are empty, citing Justin Pawlowski of WDAE radio.