At at time when NFL owners are considering allowing some teams to cover up seats in order to reduce the number of tickets that need to be sold in order to guarantee a blackout, one of the teams currently having the hardest time selling tickets is acknowledging that it’s not just about the economy, but that it’s also about the improvements in home viewing technologies.
Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer, in a rare radio interview with Steve Duemig of WDAE, explained that the challenge comes from persuading the people to leave the comfort of their man caves.
“We have to make the in-game experience more fun than the home experience,” Glazer said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “At home, you are just steps from the refrigerator. In-stadium, there is no way to match that experience. But it is a challenge. It’s a challenge for all teams, not just football.”
So how will the NFL meet that challenge, short of physically shrinking the size of the stadiums?
“We are talking about some things that I can’t mention now but we know it’s a challenge,” Glazer said. “People can stay home, they can go to the beach, they can go to the movies. We have to get people to come to the game. A game situation has to be fun. This is a good market. Look at the Lightning and what they have done. The Rays too. This may be the most exciting 12 months for Tampa Bay sports. Fans will enjoy themselves at games and have a good time.”
We’d love to know what the NFL plans to do, other than covering seats with tent and awning materials. Whatever the ideas, the league needs to give the paying customers something more than the ability to witness the game in person. Because paying for the privilege to witness the game in person, with food and drink at a premium, gradually has become far less attractive for many people than watching the game(s) at home, where there’s no line for the icebox or the pissbowl.