Comments on: NFL attendance expected to fall to lowest level since 1998

By: Raiders757

Raiders757 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:15:43 +0000

# joetoronto says: September 1, 2010 9:11 PM
Or blame it on how awesome and affordable HDTVs have become.
******************** ******************** ****************
I think that’s the #1 reason right there.
—————————————————
All be it part of te reason, I don’t think it’s the #1 reason. The #1 reason is the cost of going to the games, period. I don’t live in my favorite team’s market, so I can’t go. I do have an HDTV, but I can’t get my team’s games because the NFL is greddy and won’t offer up an ala-carte pay-per-view package. Even if they did, it would probably still costs too much.
The #1 reason is greed. Plain and simple.

By: texasPHINSfan

texasPHINSfan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:10:41 +0000

Meanwhile Major League Soccer’s attendance has been going up the last 3-4 years.
I think this points largely to recession & prices. MLS matches are significantly cheaper, and you still get the big stadium experience.
The added bonus is most of the players make wages similar to what we make, so they’re like the Everyman playing out on the field; easier to identify with than the NFL millionaires.

By: 1of40000

1of40000 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:17:54 +0000

Hmmm, interesting. Tickets sales down in the rest of the NFL but up in Jacksonville (14,000 new season ticket sales). The Jags had a lot available which certainly makes it easier but its notable when a supposedly struggling franchise is out performing the market. Maybe we should start saying LA Bucs

By: The Briggadier

The Briggadier — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:07:53 +0000

Florio!
You took a pass on me when I applied for the reporter position two years ago. I feel like Menalaus from the movie “Troy” when he says to Helen (about Paris), “This is what you left me for!”
No offense to your boy Rosenthal, but every article he writes has significant typos in it. I would have done better. He doesn’t even have good information, just loosely knit theories.

By: County K 66ers

County K 66ers — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:59:45 +0000

Goodell.

By: Marty

Marty — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:05:18 +0000

Jacksonville has sold a lot more tickets this year than last year. They have added 14,000 new season ticket holders. Jacksonville sold 62,000 tickets for the first preseason game. Tampa sold 42,000 for their first preseason game. Jacksonville has sold enough tickets to lift the blackouts for the first 5 regular season games.
Jacksonville is not the problem.

By: Geetee52

Geetee52 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:46:46 +0000

It’s Bush’s fault. Now Obama will have to bail them out.

By: Big mike

Big mike — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:14:06 +0000

This whole ticket thing is a big f’in shake down. Ticketmaster sold out of jacksonville jaguars tickets in a matter of 3 mintues on august 28th 2010. But yet there in danger of being blacked out every week. Ticketmaster gives its codes or whatever to stub hub and the rest of these f’in companies that sell tickets online and they buy ALL the damn tickets before they go on sale. So these companies jack up the prices on the tickets. I looked at jags tickets and 50 yard like was around 300 per ticket. Who the hell wants to pay that much to watch the jags play first off, second who wants to pay that in this economy????????????? Its all bullsh*t. And the best part is they wanna advertise “buy tickets other wise the games are gonna be blacked out. Come on fans!!!” 9:03 jags tickets were sold out. and they went on sale at 9! Its all a money making scheme. because face value is way less then what they charge. There never gonna get people in those seats when basketball, baseball, and hockey tickets are much cheaper. Especially when those sports LOWER ticket costs alot when there teams are not doing well. Football is gonna loose alot attendance

By: seanx

seanx — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:58:50 +0000

“All will come in time for the jags.”
But it will be in San Antonio, not Jacksonville.

By: Laxer37

Laxer37 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:49:47 +0000

JoeSixPack nailed it.
The league leaks these reports of gloom and doom, everyone buys into it, and the players lose some leverage.
Every ticket dollar they lose will just get tacked on to the next TV contract they sign. More empty seats means more TV viewers, which means the TV package is more valuable. TV networks will be willing to pay more because they can charge their advertisers more to reach the increased audience.
(Of course the advertisers then pass their increased cost on to the consumers, so were all paying regardless).

By: KevinKolb4SB

KevinKolb4SB — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:51:15 +0000

It’s the economy. 2 years ago I could have sold my tickets at a decent profit. This year, I had to sell half and had to take lesser games and sold them at a slight loss to do it. Companies don’t have extra spending money.

By: NinerNation

NinerNation — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:51:11 +0000

If you have NFL Sunday Ticket(like I do) then it is PPV.

By: Tinbender

Tinbender — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:27:31 +0000

To add to my rant, growing up in Oakland in the sixties I made enough on my newpaper route to buy tickets to Raiders games. The sheer greed of the owners and players has ruined the game for all but the rich.

By: JSpicoli

JSpicoli — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:01:46 +0000

I’ve been saying for two years, here comes contraction. The alternative is worse. This league is about to screw itself out of pole position in USA sports.

By: MitchAlbom'sEars

MitchAlbom'sEars — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:55 +0000

Reasons not to go to a NFL game:
PSL
Ticket Prices
Fat Mouthly Slob in front of your seat
Parking
Concession Prices
HDTV
My biggest peeve is this situation:
First drive of game results in Touchdown.
After PAT we get 3-5 minutes commercial.
Then KickOff followed by 3-5 minutes of commercials.
It is a slow death at a stadium.
I’d rather be home and make a sandwich or grab a drink or better yet switch to a game that is on.
College Football is way better game day experience and much more affordable. (Less slobs and more co-ed’s)

By: JoeSixPack

JoeSixPack — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:23:59 +0000

more posturing fodder for the CBA negotiations
setting the players up for some givebacks
hopefully a lockout can be averted

By: harloeisdead

harloeisdead — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:23:30 +0000

wukong- my hope that you are joking about the “disaster of epic proportions even in a good economy” is completely sincere, sir. if not, i’m going to be forced to have to proceed filing you under “tard”.

By: dan073eb

dan073eb — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:20:22 +0000

@ Wukong “Then there’s Jacksonville, which is a disaster of epic proportions even in a good economy. And it’s not a market size issue, either.”
It’s not a market size issue? Really? Last I checked Jacksonville was a small market team.
“New Orleans has a waiting list 60k deep despite being one of the smaller markets. Green Bay, the smallest market, has a list of over 80k.”
Let’s take a look at when these teams were founded…
New Orleans- 1967
Green Bay- 1919
(Jacksonville 1995)
So that gives New Orleans a 28 year head start and the packers a 76 year head start on the jags as far as creating a huge fanbase and waiting list for tickets. Plus I’m sure winning both teams winning superbowls doesn’t hurt either. All will come in time for the jags.

By: bofarr

bofarr — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:19:31 +0000

I would much rather sit at home with my 47″ LCD, $15 twelve pack of craft brew, reasonably priced home made food, store bought snacks for less than 10 bucks and enjoy the games with friends than get raped for convenience fees, parking fees, PSLs, then pay $12 for cheap watery beer, $10 for a crappy pizza made the night before and of course at least 50 bucks for a decent seat next to a drunk a-hole.

By: joe6606

joe6606 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:14:43 +0000

I go to several NFL games per year, and the fact is…
the viewing experience at home is enormously better than even the very best seat at the stadium.
there’s just no way around the fact that watching football live at the stadium, is a very frustrating experience. You cannot visualize what is going on or where the ball is nearly as well as you can while watching it on tv,
Plus, you get replays, instant feedback on injuries and substitutions which you simply dont get at the game.
Of course, you also have to deal with traffic, high tix prices, outrageous concession costs, etc, etc that you completely avoid at home.

By: toe-to-toe bird law

toe-to-toe bird law — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:13:52 +0000

To borrow a line from the lawyer in Jurassic Park, “What, we’ll have, uh, a coupon day or something.”

By: jebdamone

jebdamone — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:13:47 +0000

the thing about it is not only has the recession made it difficult but inflation has been a heavy burden. i make a very good living and i have a tough time going to games because unless you are sitting in a very good seat i would rather watch the games on my 65 inch tv. good seats are running in the 200 range for my vikes, and coupled with the price of gas, parking, beer and dogs at the game it is really difficult to pony that up over the comforts of my home.

By: dafish

dafish — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:10:18 +0000

NOwillrepeat says:
September 1, 2010 9:51 PM
I know the Superdome wont have any problems fillin up on Sundays…
——————————-
FEMA money is a wonderful thing.
Wukong says:
September 1, 2010 10:18 PM
It has way more to do with the economy than anything else. Do a search on season ticket waiting lists and see how things shape up for places like Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit. It’s pathetic. Then there’s Jacksonville, which is a disaster of epic proportions even in a good economy. And it’s not a market size issue, either. New Orleans has a waiting list 60k deep despite being one of the smaller markets. Green Bay, the smallest market, has a list of over 80k.
The really bad markets are dragging down the league as a whole in terms of attendance.
——————————
Speaking of search and research, you sound like an intelligent enough person, how can you use 1 year as the overall barometer of the Jaguars? To me, you’re simply parroting the national media’s take that Jacksonville is not an NFL calibur city, even though there were 20 total blackouts and the Raiders had the same exact number of blackouts as did the Jags. You cannot seriously compare the Packers and the Jags, there’s about 4 generations of fans difference.
Look, the NFL sustained due to parity, you know, the whole “any given Sunday” mantra. The league is only as strong as the weakest teams. Flash back to 2008 when the Jaguars were the sexy pick to win it all that offseason. We had a waiting list. But, we had a perfect storm of about 20,000 people who did not renew tickets a sluggish economy and a team who did nothing at all with the local community.
Anyway, my point is, don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.

By: dafish

dafish — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:09:27 +0000

By: CanadianVikingFan

CanadianVikingFan — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:19:22 +0000

Stop jacking up the prices of shitty food at the concessions.

By: Wukong

Wukong — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:18:33 +0000

It has way more to do with the economy than anything else. Do a search on season ticket waiting lists and see how things shape up for places like Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit. It’s pathetic. Then there’s Jacksonville, which is a disaster of epic proportions even in a good economy. And it’s not a market size issue, either. New Orleans has a waiting list 60k deep despite being one of the smaller markets. Green Bay, the smallest market, has a list of over 80k.
The really bad markets are dragging down the league as a whole in terms of attendance.

By: INTENSEG

INTENSEG — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:14:07 +0000

If you are in any kind of business you must be willing to be flexible and evolve with your customers. The blackout rule should not be a punishment to fans who love their team but can’t afford to go to the games. Will half the league need to blackout before the NFL realizes this rule needs to be lifted. They are playing chicken with the fans and they are going to lose. REMEMBER IF WE DON’T COME TO GAMES OR WATCH IT ON TV, YOU LOSE. So if we cant make it to the games or you refuse to make the tickets afforable a family (not just one fan) at least allow fans to watch it on TV. Get rid of the blackout rule.

By: Chadman

Chadman — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:12:19 +0000

Nope still making a good living just don’t feel like sitting in the cold and spending that kind of money to watch the crap ass team they put on the field in Chicago. You want to sell tickets clean house and start winning!!!

By: aj

aj — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:09:56 +0000

Sounds like a good time for a lockout.
Texans sold a record 64,355 season tickets this year btw.

By: RexR#1

RexR#1 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:08:47 +0000

Start and end the list with the PSL scam that is the final straw. Greedball sons of money now own and run these teams NOT their grandfathers/fathers who built the league from scratch.