richNjoisy Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5581180 As the NFL continues to show signs of having trouble marketing itself, the prospect of a team moving from an established fanbase diminishes. Note in the article how the Oakland Raiders' home opener against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday will be blacked out too. California is not showing stellar interest in NFL game attendance that's for sure. I am sure, a 2011 Lockout will help matters Edited September 17, 2010 by richNjoisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Maybe this thread should be merged with the Kenny thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 move both sd and oak to la! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hplarrm Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5581180 As the NFL continues to show signs of having trouble marketing itself, the prospect of a team moving from an established fanbase diminishes. Note in the article how the Oakland Raiders' home opener against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday will be blacked out too. California is not showing stellar interest in NFL game attendance that's for sure. I am sure, a 2011 Lockout will help matters I saw a report on ESPN that last weekend set a record for NFL TV viewers. These results are in line with the draft also setting a record for TV viewership. The main rule with the NFL owners seems to be follow the money and it is quite clear that the money is found today in the large % of revenues provided by TV and per your mention the declining #s of folks actually attending games. Look for the nail in the coffin of the importance of attendance to be when the NFL essentially does away with the blackout rules as they realize anything that cuts the TV audience hurts their cash cow and ultimately simply means less advertising of their product and fewer dollars. This is a mixed bag for the Bills as attendance and fan fervor even with a loser team is quite high (though season tix #s for the Bills took a hit in this economy with a bad team). However, the good news is that it does not matter a ton which town a team is in as the customers are anywhere with a TV. The rabid Bills fan base (even if all games are not sold out as in previous years Elvis is always there for the TV cameras) and dramatic shots of Niagara Falls provide a good narrative for the NFL to sell its product to the customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I saw a report on ESPN that last weekend set a record for NFL TV viewers. These results are in line with the draft also setting a record for TV viewership. The main rule with the NFL owners seems to be follow the money and it is quite clear that the money is found today in the large % of revenues provided by TV and per your mention the declining #s of folks actually attending games. Look for the nail in the coffin of the importance of attendance to be when the NFL essentially does away with the blackout rules as they realize anything that cuts the TV audience hurts their cash cow and ultimately simply means less advertising of their product and fewer dollars. This is a mixed bag for the Bills as attendance and fan fervor even with a loser team is quite high (though season tix #s for the Bills took a hit in this economy with a bad team). However, the good news is that it does not matter a ton which town a team is in as the customers are anywhere with a TV. The rabid Bills fan base (even if all games are not sold out as in previous years Elvis is always there for the TV cameras) and dramatic shots of Niagara Falls provide a good narrative for the NFL to sell its product to the customers. Plus every league needs a punching bag. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Is this trend due to the economy, teams raising ticket prices or changing demographics where people are staying home more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRH Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Ironic that there is still talk of putting a franchise in LA... a city that BOTH the Chargers and Raiders left. The Big One can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Is this trend due to the economy, teams raising ticket prices or changing demographics where people are staying home more? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conch Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 move both sd and oak to la! A good earthquake could do that for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meark Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Ironic that there is still talk of putting a franchise in LA... a city that BOTH the Chargers and Raiders left. The Big One can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned. Wow.. I love it when fellow Americans root for the death and destruction of other American cities.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koufax Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 A good earthquake could do that for them. We had a decent shake on Tuesday night, but nothing significant enough to wake up with a relocated franchise. I can't speak for Oakland (who is also a terrible team), but remember in San Diego we are still in the summertime mode, distracted by the beach, etc. Even the pennant race Padres can't get past a half empty ballpark. And remember that there is some regular-season disease here where interest remains somewhat low until December because the city kind of expects to be there. And the economy. All of these excuses are not mine. I have never been to a Chargers game and have only seen NFL games at the Ralph (okay, technically I have only been to Rich Stadium), so I am part of the local problem and not part of the solution! Go Bills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I think the bottom line for the NFL is that it's too much fun to watch a game at home compared to at the stadium. That's not true for other sports, but the NFL is just a natural TV sport, and it owes its late-20th century growth to that. And it will still grow on TV, but the owners will realize soon that they've peaked as a live event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Is this trend due to the economy, teams raising ticket prices or changing demographics where people are staying home more? It is do to HD and cheap flat screens, plain ans simple. Lets face it, except for the best 20% of seats in a stadium, your living room is a better viewing experience, plus Red Zone channel, plus lots cheaper, plus three hour commitment vs 9 hour going to the stadium. I for one love the stadium experience, but that is just not the case any more for 9 out of 10 fans. They would rather stay home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I for one love the stadium experience, but that is just not the case any more for 9 out of 10 fans. They would rather stay home I am one of the 9, but I do miss tailgating. If the NFL is more or less getting rid of that now, then I truly will have no reason to go to the stadium (except kids day for a few more years). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Is this trend due to the economy, teams raising ticket prices or changing demographics where people are staying home more? Good point, ticket prices are very high, $30 bucks to park your car, $8 beers, long lines, who needs the aggravation, I'll watch the game at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Yeah, cost is also huge. Getting four people to one game, given the costs of parking, snacks, etc, will basically get you to a year's Sunday Ticket price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lv-Bills Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) I love all this crap that is all of a sudden surfacing. A TV is better than a live game? Yeah OK. There is NOTHING better than being at the game live. Nothing. You don't get the atmosphere on your flat screen TV. Anyone knows that. It's laughable to even suggest it. This isn't hard. The NFL is pricing fans out of their stadiums, period. In big cities, it's $75 just to park. $150-$200 to sit in high demand areas. If you don't care where you sit, it's still $90 to sit somewhere else. Concession prices are also a joke. It's the pricing of the cost to attend games live. Nothing more, nothing less. If a team starts to suck, becomes stale, or has sucked for a long time, stadiums will not fill up anymore simply because it's too expensive to go support something that is more aggravating than entertaining. Our beloved Bills will be in the position also. Most likely starting with the Jax game. It won't sellout, and we'll join the list of growing teams that will be blacked out. It's too expensive in a down economy to keep supporting the NFL, in stadium, nowadays. There is no other reason than that as to why some teams are getting their first blackouts ever. The Jets aren't in danger of being blacked out because people want to stay home and watch their TV's. They are in jeopardy because of the greed of their owner and his new ticket pricing. All of the "cheap" $100 upper deck tickets sold immediately in both Dallas and New York. That just shows it has nothing to do with a TV vs. Stadium experience, because there is no comparison. TV is better nowadays, but it doesn't stand a chance to replicate being there in a live setting. Bring pricing back down to where real fans can afford to go and take their family, and every stadium in the league would have a waiting list. It's amazing that colleges, with affordable pricing and MORE people don't have the same problems.....yet. Edited September 17, 2010 by Lv-Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I love all this crap that is all of a sudden surfacing. A TV is better than a live game? Yeah OK. There is NOTHING better than being at the game live. Nothing. You don't get the atmosphere on your flat screen TV. Anyone knows that. It's laughable to even suggest it. For you that is obviously true. But if you read some of the other threads, the "atmosphere" is keeping some people away as well (more specifically the people who are a little over-atmosphered). Just because you prefer to be in the stadium screaming your brains out doesn't make it laughable that some would prefer to watch the game without all that. To each his own. I agree completely with your high cost points though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB27 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I think the bottom line for the NFL is that it's too much fun to watch a game at home compared to at the stadium. That's not true for other sports, but the NFL is just a natural TV sport, and it owes its late-20th century growth to that. And it will still grow on TV, but the owners will realize soon that they've peaked as a live event. Personally, I don't think it's fun anymore to watch the Bills anywhere. We just plain stink. Unless I'm watching DVD's of the Jim Kelly years. I would love to be able to watch every game from when Kelly came onboard until he retired. Would be great to live those years again. Actually, I think I should start doing that every Sunday. When talking football at work on Monday I can talk about the game I saw...........This actually is a really good idea....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hplarrm Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 For you that is obviously true. But if you read some of the other threads, the "atmosphere" is keeping some people away as well (more specifically the people who are a little over-atmosphered). Just because you prefer to be in the stadium screaming your brains out doesn't make it laughable that some would prefer to watch the game without all that. To each his own. I agree completely with your high cost points though. The trend in sports arenas seems to be going away from massive attendance places like the old Rich Stadium to smaller venues where the stadium owners can charge even more $ for the experience of going to the game. Ironically, the Bills played their role in this movement with the reduction in attendance moving from 80,000 + often soldout seats back when the Bills offered a consistently quality product to the current smaller Ralph where bigger seats (to accomodate the reality of bigger butts of fans) and heated premium seats. The Bills did this for mercenary reasons regarding the CBA as premium seats were mot part of the designated gross in the CBA and owners did not share this with players (who simply took note and the new CBA cap is based on total revenue. The trend continues though as attendees are critical to the ambience for the real cash cow audience which is TV, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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