So, Bills won't buy remaining seats at 66% off

[Shoto]

Anybody see the Miami game it was less full, I aggree with your assessment.

 

 

anyone see the Cincinnati game at all? It was about 70% full. COntending team vs an inner-state rival.

 

NFL isnt quite as plush as they make everyone believe.

[CodeMonkey]

As most know, the blackout rule is there just so that people don't avoid going to the game because they could otherwise watch it for free on TV.

That is an interesting way to put it Doc. "Avoid going to the game". There are plenty of reasons to avoid going to the game which have been discussed ad nauseum in other threads.

 

In my opinion however, the blackout rule is there to put more money into the fat wallets of the NFL owners and that is all.

What I don't quite understand though is how the NFL gets away with it. At least for now, the people in the blackout area pay for the stadiums and services provided to the teams. And if that isn't enough, people who pay for the sunday ticket get blacked out when a portion (a big one I suspect) of the money they pay goes to the NFL.

 

But I digress. Back to the topic at hand. There is no reason for Mr. Wilson to pay for any remaining tickets. That makes him no money, in fact its costs him some. If anyone should buy the tickets it is the die hard fans who believe non-sellouts pushes the Bills further to relocation, and the TV stations in the blacked out areas that might find it easier to sell commercial time during a Bills game than Heidi.

[T master]

I think its even more pathetic that western ny as a whole with a population of roughly 2.5 million complains that the bills wont buy the remaining tickets...i want to watch the bills, so ill be at the game. I just find it hard to believe that our "fan base" had such a pessimistic view even at 5-2 that no one bought tickets to these games earlier in the year

 

Wait until the team is gone then you'll here some in !! Your gonna miss me when i'm gone i think is the way the song goes !!

[Gordio]

Yeah, I can see how fatiguing it is to win the AFC four years in a row. Not like now.

 

This is how deluded we have become. We tell ourselves what great fans we are but we stopped selling out home playoff games after we lost the 2nd Super Bowl. Oh but I'm sure we had good reason not to go.

 

PTR

 

That is really not true Promo. The 3rd Super Bowl run we did not sellout the Houston game however the actual attendance was over 70K that day(the stadium used to hold over 80K). We got drilled by Houston the week before, fans did not even know if we were going to be playing that next Sunday(if we won we would of won the division & had a bye) + Kelly was out, Bennett was out & the Bills suddenly & unexpectadly had to move about 30K seats in the matter of 4 days to meet the blackout deadline. That would be a tough task to do for any team unless you are one of those few select teams that have sellouts just by season ticket holders.

 

The next year we did sellout & lift the blackout for the raiders game although there were about 15K no shows due to the temperature being in the single digits & the wind chill minus 25 degrees. We also soldout & lifted the blackout for the chiefs game the following week. So your statement clearly does not work that year.

 

Saddly enough the last playoff game did not sellout against Jville however once again there was over 70K people there. Once again there was extreme circunstances. The bills did not know they would even be in the playoffs going into the final week let alone hosting a game. They needed to beat KC in which they did that final week. Jacksonville backed in also as Mort Anderson missed a chip shot fg to get Jville in @ 9-7 as the last wild card team. So you had a 10-6 team going against a basically new expansion franchise that barely got in the playoffs & once again had to move probably 30K + tickets in a matter of actually 3 days(game was on a Saturday). The weather was very nice that day(per WNY standards) - 50s partly cloudy but even still very tall order for any small market team to move that amount of inventory in such a short period of time.

 

My point, I never bought the theory that the Bills fans are the best fans in the league but we are certainly not the worst or even in the bottom half & certainly should never be in discussion for losing our team. We have supported this mostly horrible product for the better part of 40 + years & a couple blackouts in what amounts to another meaningless December is not going to change that fact.

[Gordio]

I will add one more thing. The way technology has been upgraded & the hassle & cost of going to the stadium I think makes the choice easier for alot of people to stay at home. I was just at Sam's Club this weekend & they had a 60 inch LED Flat Screen for $1,299. That price is incredible. You put a surround sound down in the basement, mount another tv behind the bar, talk Direct TV into giving you the NFL Ticket for virtually free(like so many of us have done on this board the last few year) & why in god's name would you want to freeze your a** off in December, pay for parking, pay $8 for a lousy draft beer, put up with the drunks, risk getting a dwi on your way home to watch a watch a game that probably is not going to have any implications on this years playoff race? If you break it down like that it really does not make any sense to go to the game.

[CodeMonkey]

Here is an expression of a common viewpoint.

Nothing exactly earth shattering, but I thought this line was cute.

 

Stevie Johnson is working on the moves for his next touchdown celebration.

 

Also I can't imagine there is any hope of a sellout to the remaining home games.

Just on stubhub there are 2210 tickets for the Titans, 3006 for the fish, and 4166 for Tebow all selling at far below face.

Only an idiot would pay full price for a ticket now.

 

Looks like its low res internet viewing on the TV for me.

Edited November 30, 2011 by CodeMonkey

[Coach Tuesday]

I will add one more thing. The way technology has been upgraded & the hassle & cost of going to the stadium I think makes the choice easier for alot of people to stay at home. I was just at Sam's Club this weekend & they had a 60 inch LED Flat Screen for $1,299. That price is incredible. You put a surround sound down in the basement, mount another tv behind the bar, talk Direct TV into giving you the NFL Ticket for virtually free(like so many of us have done on this board the last few year) & why in god's name would you want to freeze your a** off in December, pay for parking, pay $8 for a lousy draft beer, put up with the drunks, risk getting a dwi on your way home to watch a watch a game that probably is not going to have any implications on this years playoff race? If you break it down like that it really does not make any sense to go to the game.

 

Man, this sums it up.

[CodeMonkey]

I will add one more thing. The way technology has been upgraded & the hassle & cost of going to the stadium I think makes the choice easier for alot of people to stay at home. I was just at Sam's Club this weekend & they had a 60 inch LED Flat Screen for $1,299. That price is incredible. You put a surround sound down in the basement, mount another tv behind the bar, talk Direct TV into giving you the NFL Ticket for virtually free(like so many of us have done on this board the last few year) & why in god's name would you want to freeze your a** off in December, pay for parking, pay $8 for a lousy draft beer, put up with the drunks, risk getting a dwi on your way home to watch a watch a game that probably is not going to have any implications on this years playoff race? If you break it down like that it really does not make any sense to go to the game.

 

 

Man, this sums it up.

Sure does.

[billsfreak]

This doesn't affect the 'outoftowners' like me, but what do you locals think?

 

How does Brandon's statement strike you?

 

 

Isn't this the real reason?

 

 

link

Ralph won't spend the money on the tickets. How can this possible surprise anyone?

[benderbender]

I think its even more pathetic that western ny as a whole with a population of roughly 2.5 million complains that the bills wont buy the remaining tickets...i want to watch the bills, so ill be at the game. I just find it hard to believe that our "fan base" had such a pessimistic view even at 5-2 that no one bought tickets to these games earlier in the year

 

Amazing foresight.

[papazoid]

weather for sunday....cloudy, temp 45F

[billsfreak]

I think its even more pathetic that western ny as a whole with a population of roughly 2.5 million complains that the bills wont buy the remaining tickets...i want to watch the bills, so ill be at the game. I just find it hard to believe that our "fan base" had such a pessimistic view even at 5-2 that no one bought tickets to these games earlier in the year

Do you keep shopping at a store that continually sells you way below average goods? I don't. And as far as people not buying the tickets when the Bills were 5-2, most of those people remember 2008. My guess is you were one of those that bought tickets and are regretting it now and trying to take it out on others that were smart enough not to buy them.

[weehawk]

OMG! Sir, please.

 

The population of what is considered to be "Western NY," is more like 1.1 million. Sounds like you're including an area that just stops short of Syracuse. Why not include Toronto in those figures?

 

Dont even get me started on why fans did not buy tix for late-season games. You must have been sleeping in a cave the last ten years. Folks on this board and most avid Bills fans remember a few years back when the team went 5-0 and then missed the playoffs. Mid-level and casual fans will no longer pay to watch a non-playoff team in 20 degree weather.

 

 

 

I think its even more pathetic that western ny as a whole with a population of roughly 2.5 million complains that the bills wont buy the remaining tickets...i want to watch the bills, so ill be at the game. I just find it hard to believe that our "fan base" had such a pessimistic view even at 5-2 that no one bought tickets to these games earlier in the year

[Bills14]

OMG! Sir, please.

 

The population of what is considered to be "Western NY," is more like 1.1 million. Sounds like you're including an area that just stops short of Syracuse. Why not include Toronto in those figures?

 

Dont even get me started on why fans did not buy tix for late-season games. You must have been sleeping in a cave the last ten years. Folks on this board and most avid Bills fans remember a few years back when the team went 5-0 and then missed the playoffs. Mid-level and casual fans will no longer pay to watch a non-playoff team in 20 degree weather.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_New_York

 

as of 2010 census, and im pretty sure since im about the furthest away from buffalo in jamestown that puts the entire population within an hour of the stadium

 

and also the bills didn't start 5-0.....................it was 4-0 kind of pointless at this point i mean it was 3 years ago but if it stuck in your memory so well seems like you would remember

[billsfreak]

That is really not true Promo. The 3rd Super Bowl run we did not sellout the Houston game however the actual attendance was over 70K that day(the stadium used to hold over 80K). We got drilled by Houston the week before, fans did not even know if we were going to be playing that next Sunday(if we won we would of won the division & had a bye) + Kelly was out, Bennett was out & the Bills suddenly & unexpectadly had to move about 30K seats in the matter of 4 days to meet the blackout deadline. That would be a tough task to do for any team unless you are one of those few select teams that have sellouts just by season ticket holders.

 

The next year we did sellout & lift the blackout for the raiders game although there were about 15K no shows due to the temperature being in the single digits & the wind chill minus 25 degrees. We also soldout & lifted the blackout for the chiefs game the following week. So your statement clearly does not work that year.

 

Saddly enough the last playoff game did not sellout against Jville however once again there was over 70K people there. Once again there was extreme circunstances. The bills did not know they would even be in the playoffs going into the final week let alone hosting a game. They needed to beat KC in which they did that final week. Jacksonville backed in also as Mort Anderson missed a chip shot fg to get Jville in @ 9-7 as the last wild card team. So you had a 10-6 team going against a basically new expansion franchise that barely got in the playoffs & once again had to move probably 30K + tickets in a matter of actually 3 days(game was on a Saturday). The weather was very nice that day(per WNY standards) - 50s partly cloudy but even still very tall order for any small market team to move that amount of inventory in such a short period of time.

 

My point, I never bought the theory that the Bills fans are the best fans in the league but we are certainly not the worst or even in the bottom half & certainly should never be in discussion for losing our team. We have supported this mostly horrible product for the better part of 40 + years & a couple blackouts in what amounts to another meaningless December is not going to change that fact.

As far as the Oiler Wildcard game that didn't sell out, I don't buy that there wasn't enough time to sell the tickets. In fact, that game proves more then ever that if you wanna sell tickets put a winning product on the field, and the truth of the matter is that most people didn't think the Bills had much of a chance to win that game-period. Like you said they were playing without Kelly and Biscuit, and they just got their asses handed to them 6 days earlier by the same Oilers. That team back then was a winner, but even for just one week that the outcome looked bleak, the fans didn't respond. Ralph-put a winner on the field for a damn change and you won't have to worry about games not selling out.

[Buftex]

I will add one more thing. The way technology has been upgraded & the hassle & cost of going to the stadium I think makes the choice easier for alot of people to stay at home. I was just at Sam's Club this weekend & they had a 60 inch LED Flat Screen for $1,299. That price is incredible. You put a surround sound down in the basement, mount another tv behind the bar, talk Direct TV into giving you the NFL Ticket for virtually free(like so many of us have done on this board the last few year) & why in god's name would you want to freeze your a** off in December, pay for parking, pay $8 for a lousy draft beer, put up with the drunks, risk getting a dwi on your way home to watch a watch a game that probably is not going to have any implications on this years playoff race? If you break it down like that it really does not make any sense to go to the game.

 

 

While I completely understand your sentiment...correct me if I am wrong. I don't live in WNY any more (season tickets 1978-1987, my impeccable sense of timing!), and I don't have Direct TV. If you live in WNY, and a game does not sell out in time to lift the blackout, you can't watch it on Direct TV, correct?

 

btw- I normally go to one Bills game, in Buffalo, per year...it is always the home game closest to Christmas. Got tickets for $20 each, last year, for the dreadful home season finale against the Patriots. Still had a blast...even though the game sucked, and it was the coldest I think I have been in nearly 25 years! Got tickets for the Broncos game on Christmas Eve. Sure, like everyone, I would prefer to go to games that are more meaningful in the NFL bigger picture...but any Bills game, to me, is huge...such a big part of my life, for as long as I can remember.

 

Ralph won't spend the money on the tickets. How can this possible surprise anyone?

 

I am firmly in the "Ralph is cheap" camp, but, in all fairness, he has purchased tickets before...

[billsfreak]

While I completely understand your sentiment...correct me if I am wrong. I don't live in WNY any more (season tickets 1978-1987, my impeccable sense of timing!), and I don't have Direct TV. If you live in WNY, and a game does not sell out in time to lift the blackout, you can't watch it on Direct TV, correct?

 

btw- I normally go to one Bills game, in Buffalo, per year...it is always the home game closest to Christmas. Got tickets for $20 each, last year, for the dreadful home season finale against the Patriots. Still had a blast...even though the game sucked, and it was the coldest I think I have been in nearly 25 years! Got tickets for the Broncos game on Christmas Eve. Sure, like everyone, I would prefer to go to games that are more meaningful in the NFL bigger picture...but any Bills game, to me, is huge...such a big part of my life, for as long as I can remember.

 

 

 

I am firmly in the "Ralph is cheap" camp, but, in all fairness, he has purchased tickets before...

To answer your question, if you have Sunday Ticket on Directv and the game in your market is blacked out, you cannot watch it on Directv either.

[CodeMonkey]

To answer your question, if you have Sunday Ticket on Directv and the game in your market is blacked out, you cannot watch it on Directv either.

That's the thing that I find incredible. Paying (to DTV and NFL) to see all the games and being blacked out seems outrageous.

[Gordio]

That's the thing that I find incredible. Paying (to DTV and NFL) to see all the games and being blacked out seems outrageous.

 

 

You know what was weird & never seen anyone post about it last year. I probably should of said something at the time on this board. But the first 2 games that were blacked out last year(one was definately jacksonville, the other one was the detroit game I believe)I actually got the games on one of the channells that they use for the ticket. It was not on my regular CBS channel but the games were on one of the channels in the 700s. I live about 15 minutes from the stadium. Anyone else experience that

[Zulu Cthulhu]

I guess the bottom line is this: No one is forcing any local in the blackout area to buy a ticket to these games. The Buffalo Bills and Ralph Wilson aren't telling any of you complainers how to spend your money. Yet some of you feel obliged to tell the team how to spend theirs - they should buy out the unsold tickets so you can watch the game in comfort, but they're cheap so they won't and let's complain about something else.

 

Never mind the only reason some of you want the ticket buyout is because you're cheap (won't buy a ticket yourself, even at a discounted price from a ticket broker), or lazy (don't want to make the trip to the stadium), or afraid the weather might be less than comfortable for you.