Attendance Issues in Cali and how it relates to us

[Dorkington]

I think it was like 90 degrees in LA last weekend. Who wants to go sit in that sweltering heat. Maybe attendance will improve when it cools off a bit?

This is a big thing for me and outdoors sporting events. I pass on baseball games in DC during the summer all the time, because I just can't do it. And those are free tickets. Who wants to pay for an NFL ticket, and bake in the sun/heat all day?

[fridge]

You guys don't really understand. People just don't like to go down there. It's South Central LA. I live here. Your average Joe just doesn't want to go deal with the crappy stadium in one of the worst parts of town. I dont know one person that likes that stadium or likes going there. Outside of diehard USC alums and there are a lot of them. Hundreds of thousands.

 

The actual danger you are in is non existent. But no one likes to go down there.

 

I agree 100%. You live right near me, btw.

[Kelly the Dog]

 

I agree 100%. You live right near me, btw.

I live in Sherman Oaks. Do you go to Busby's?

[fridge]

I live in Sherman Oaks. Do you go to Busby's?

 

Yep. I was there today. I'm east a bit east of you though (echo park).

[Kelly the Dog]

 

Yep. I was there today. I'm east a bit east of you though (echo park).

Cool. I'm there every week. In the middle room by the bar. We'll have to say hi next week.

[fridge]

Cool. I'm there every week. In the middle room by the bar. We'll have to say hi next week.

 

I'll be in Buffalo next week but I'll buy you a beer the next time I'm there.

[Kelly the Dog]

 

I'll be in Buffalo next week but I'll buy you a beer the next time I'm there.

Awesome. We'll figure it out in two weeks. Have fun in Bufftown.

[reddogblitz]

Yup. It is a dump of a stadium. Been to USC games and the Bills game last year, just a horrible stadium to watch football in.

 

What exactly is so bad about it?

[bbb]

Chargers and Rams struggle to fill stadiums in Los Angeles

 

I was surprised that the Chargers would have so many empty seats in such a small stadium.

 

But not only LA, but there seemed to be tons of empty seats at the Bills game and the game in Baltimore that I caught a little of.

Edited September 18, 2017 by bbb

[YoloinOhio]

Chargers also charging 100 for parking

[Gordio]

Oh come on! Really? Having lived in both places....again, really?

 

 

Yeah really. Obviously the ocean is the ocean & the scenery is beautiful but as far as water activities go Lake Erie is much more swimmer friendly than the Pacific Ocean. You don't have to wear a wet suit to keep your body temperature in check & there is no chance of getting attacked by a 18 ft Great White Shark in Lake Erie. Most of California & in particular LA is a sh*thole. Yeah sure there are nice parts & obviously you can't beat the weather but ....if you make a million dollars a year you can enjoy those nice parts. But for the 95% of the populations, chances are you live like a bunch of animals. I will take my average salary & live a very nice life in WNY.

[SoTier]

To be fair, if I lived in some beach community south of LA I wouldn't be wasting a Sunday on either of these teams either.

 

I watched parts of both games. Even if they lost, both teams were far more entertaining -- and showed much more promise -- than the Bills have shown. I think the Bills are going to set a league record for punts in a season.

 

Chargers and Rams struggle to fill stadiums in Los Angeles

 

I was surprised that the Chargers would have so many empty seats in such a small stadium.

 

But not only LA, but there seemed to be tons of empty seats at the Bills game and the game in Baltimore that I caught a little of.

 

This is what I've seen, too, and I think it's something that's going to come back to bite the NFL in the arse sooner than later. That there were empty seats at the Bills home opener on a sunny day versus division rival Jests simply underscores the attendance problems all around the league. From what I've heard, the Jests have been having attendance issues at their new stadium ... primarily because they've priced out the ordinary fans who were the backbone of the Jests fanbase. The newer Jest fans flush enough to shell out for PSLs want to see better than what they've gotten ... and older Jests fans aren't traveling to B-lo to see their team stink, either.

 

The Bills aren't nearly as immune as some fans think. According to a news story back before the start of the season, the Bills season tickets are down at least 5,000 from last season. I believe that there are individual game tix available for most games, too. It's been seventeen years since the Bills fielded a team that recorded double-digit wins and made the post season. That's a whole generation of potential fans who have never had the experience of regularly seeing the Bills win. There's almost two generations of fans who have never experienced expecting to see the Bills crush opponents game in and game out. Most fans who actually remember "the Glory Years" are staring grandparenthood and retirement in the face ... or are already there. Old folks don't attend football games nearly as often as younger people, and teams that never win -- or win sporadically -- aren't going to attract new fans.

Edited September 18, 2017 by SoTier

[bobobonators]

 

 

Yeah really. Obviously the ocean is the ocean & the scenery is beautiful but as far as water activities go Lake Erie is much more swimmer friendly than the Pacific Ocean. You don't have to wear a wet suit to keep your body temperature in check & there is no chance of getting attacked by a 18 ft Great White Shark in Lake Erie. Most of California & in particular LA is a sh*thole. Yeah sure there are nice parts & obviously you can't beat the weather but ....if you make a million dollars a year you can enjoy those nice parts. But for the 95% of the populations, chances are you live like a bunch of animals. I will take my average salary & live a very nice life in WNY.

Hahaha. I dont know why i found your comment so funny. Maybe the animals part.

[Gordio]

Hahaha. I dont know why i found your comment so funny. Maybe the animals part.

 

 

Glad I could amuse you. That is what I am here for.

[Rocky Landing]

 

 

Yeah really. Obviously the ocean is the ocean & the scenery is beautiful but as far as water activities go Lake Erie is much more swimmer friendly than the Pacific Ocean. You don't have to wear a wet suit to keep your body temperature in check & there is no chance of getting attacked by a 18 ft Great White Shark in Lake Erie. Most of California & in particular LA is a sh*thole. Yeah sure there are nice parts & obviously you can't beat the weather but ....if you make a million dollars a year you can enjoy those nice parts. But for the 95% of the populations, chances are you live like a bunch of animals. I will take my average salary & live a very nice life in WNY.

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Living like a bunch of animals??? You're a loon.

[North Buffalo]

The old Chargers staduim..qualcom park??? was easier to get in and out of... San Diego has a nice dowtown... in fact it has a downtown... that people actually visit... LA is just spralling concrete with no real central local except the Hollywood warehouses..., can see why folks are not interested in going... the location of the stadium makes it worse... cant see the NFL keeping 2 teams there for very long... If they were smart, putting a staduim near Long Beach along the water would make more sense.

Edited September 18, 2017 by North Buffalo

[Royale with Cheese]

I lived in LA for 4 years about 10 years ago.

 

When I was there, the only thing they cared about were the Dodgers and Lakers. Most of the people I hung out with didn't care whether or not they had an NFL team. The Trojans satisfied them.

 

I figured if they brought another NFL team there...it would fail. Looks like it's heading that way.

[Gordio]

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Living like a bunch of animals??? You're a loon.

 

 

I love it on this board. Whenever someone criticizes WNY or living here that is fine, but when someone says something negative about other parts of the country they have no idea what they are talking about. I have been to LA a bunch of times. it is dirty, there is no greenery, it is a desert in a valley. It looks like it is cloudy every morning because the smog is so bad. My friend bought a house & paid $650K for & had to make a game room out of his garage because the house is so small. It takes 2 hours to get to anywhere because the traffic is so bad. I don't think it is a nice place to live. That is just my opinion.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Gordio

[Royale with Cheese]

 

 

I love it on this board. Whenever someone criticizes WNY or living here that is fine, but when someone says something negative about other parts of the country they have no idea what they are talking about. I have been to LA a bunch of times. it is dirty, there is no greenery, it is a desert in a valley. It looks like it is cloudy every morning because the smog is so bad. My friend bought a house & paid $650K for & had to make a game room out of his garage because the house is so small. It takes 2 hours to get to anywhere because the traffic is so bad. I don't think it is a nice place to live. That is just my opinion.

 

I agree with you to a point. I don't think it's 95% bad but it's still pretty high. When I first moved there, I was disappointed by it.

Many parts by the water is dirty...including the water, most of the valley is dirty and hot, downtown is dirty (but I heard they are urbanizing) and the crime is insane. I lived next door to an LAPD officer and told me that LA isn't #1 as far as crime index because many people never report crimes. I had my car broken into 3 times, never called the police to report it because there wasn't a point. My neighbor told me just to leave my car unlocked so they don't break a window or bend the corner of your door. If they want in your car, they'll get in your car.

 

Traffic is bad, even on the weekends and everything is way too expensive. To move into an apartment, it's generally first months rent, last months rent and a security deposit. The first apartment I moved into in 2006, it cost me something like $3,000 just to move in.

As soon as I had a chance to take a transfer out of there...I took it.

[yungmack]

For the Coliseum is in a bad neighborhood so attendance is hurt crowd, are you watching SC and Texas? Same stadium Rams play in; same neighborhood, after dark too. It isn't the neighborhood that's the real issue: the real issue is the Rams and NFL competing with many other things to do.

SC/Texas was a sellout. BTW, the area alomg Fig, from Eagle Rock right down to the Colosseum is one of the fastest developing in the country.

The upgrading of downtown LA along that corridor includes plenty of upscale hotels,condos and apartments, Staples Center, booked out Convention Center, restaurants and bars, not to mention the huge expansion of USC into surrounding areas. However dangerous the neighborhoods around the Colosseum were in, say, the Raider days (it was actually more dangerous inside the stadium), they are much safer now. The whole area is similar to the area of Buffalo where there is talk of building a new stadium: a little rundown, a little edgy, but definitely on the up swing

You can get tickets for $39 each way to Vegas. In theory, you could fly in the morning , watch the game and fly home after the game.

Loads of Bay Area fans did that all the years they were in LA. Fly in in the AM, fly out in the evening.

[Mark Vader]

That's my plan if/when the Bills play the Raiders in LV

If the NFL decides to keep the current schedule rotation, which is up in a couple of years, the Bills will play the Raiders in Las Vegas in 2020.

[yungmack]

I lived in LA for 4 years about 10 years ago.

 

When I was there, the only thing they cared about were the Dodgers and Lakers. Most of the people I hung out with didn't care whether or not they had an NFL team. The Trojans satisfied them.

 

I figured if they brought another NFL team there...it would fail. Looks like it's heading that way.

Dead on accurate. And I've been here since the 60s. It was ever the same. Only thing I'd add is that UCLA traditionally outdraws SC. Now that's weird.

I lived in LA for 4 years about 10 years ago.

 

When I was there, the only thing they cared about were the Dodgers and Lakers. Most of the people I hung out with didn't care whether or not they had an NFL team. The Trojans satisfied them.

 

I figured if they brought another NFL team there...it would fail. Looks like it's heading that way.

Dead on accurate. And I've been here since the 60s. It was ever the same. Only thing I'd add is that UCLA traditionally outdraws SC. Now that's weird.

I love it on this board. Whenever someone criticizes WNY or living here that is fine, but when someone says something negative about other parts of the country they have no idea what they are talking about. I have been to LA a bunch of times. it is dirty, there is no greenery, it is a desert in a valley. It looks like it is cloudy every morning because the smog is so bad. My friend bought a house & paid $650K for & had to make a game room out of his garage because the house is so small. It takes 2 hours to get to anywhere because the traffic is so bad. I don't think it is a nice place to live. That is just my opinion.

 

Sounds like you accidentally went to Niagara Falls or Lackawanna. Except for the house price.

[26CornerBlitz]

@theMMQB

The NFL played two games in Los Angeles on Sunday for the first time since 1995, but someone forgot to tell the fans

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/18/nfl-week-2-roundup-los-angeles-chargers-rams-combined-crowd-attendance-usc-the-mmqb-morning-huddle

 

The NFL may want to look into the cost of Hollywood extras. The league played two games in Los Angeles on Sunday for the first time since 1995, but someone forgot to tell the fans. The Chargers failed to sell out their 27,000-seat StubHub Center. Across town, the Rams didn’t fare much better. Official attendance at the Coliseum was 56,612. Worst of all: the teams combined to attract fewer fans than USC did the night before for its Coliseum showdown with Texas (84,714).

 

So far the NFL’s script is playing out like a comedy of errors.

 

[Wayne Cubed]

What exactly is so bad about it?

Where to even start, the sight lines are bad. The stadium was designed for the olympics not a football game. If you are on the 50 yard line, you aren't sitting halfway in the stadium if you get my drift. That means instead of your seat being straight on, it's angled a bit.

 

It's a really bad conversion to a football stadium. You feel far away from the game, no matter where you sit.

 

The concourse is tiny, so it's hard to get around.

 

The bathrooms are a mess.

 

The concessions are bad.

 

The location is bad, I realize that isn't the stadiums fault but it's a bad area around the stadium.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Wayne Cubed

[DirtDart]

I'm not sticking up for the crappy attendance at the Rams game Sunday but the stadium blows and is in the worst part of town. The Chargers don't even play in a football stadium. When they move into their new stadium, the Rams and the Chargers will sell out every game for a few years. Then and only then will we know if the city will support the teams.

The stadium is terrible, not suited for an NFL game. It is much better than when they had the Rams, and Angels sharing a stadium before they left L.A. last time.

[cba fan]

The writer of this article is a buffoon, and is completely out of touch with how the NFL is run these days.

 

The city officials of San Francisco have nobody to blame but themselves for losing the 49'ers to Santa Clara/San Jose. They had many opportunities to build a new stadium in San Francisco, and they could never get anything done about it.

 

As for the traffic, yes I'm sure it's a hassle, but if everyone is taking US-101 to and from Levi's Stadium, then that shows me that you know nothing about the freeways around here. Instead of taking US-101, you should be taking I-280. It may not be as direct, but it's a lot faster, not to mention more scenic. Also, I went to my share of games at Candlestick Park, and the traffic was no better. If you ever went to Candlestick Park for a game, you know what I am talking about. I also tend to wonder how many "real fans" travel from San Francisco to Levi's Stadium to watch the team that they love so much. I'm sure it's a very very low number. Aside from Banjo Man, I cannot imagine many fans from up there making the journey. Which is not surprising since a great majority of 49'ers fans live in San Jose and the surrounding south bay.

 

The writer talks about how much cheaper the tickets were at Candlestick Park, and they were cheaper. My dad has been a 49'ers season ticket holder for over 30 years, and tickets were cheaper. However, this is where the writer is not grounded in reality. As time has gone by, and the popularity of the NFL has grown, ticket prices have skyrocketed. This has affected every NFL fan. Even Candlestick Park's ticket prices were becoming more outrageous towards the end of it's days.

 

Now there is the heat issue at Levi's Stadium, and this is a lame point. Yes, it's hotter in San Jose, but let's be real about this. It'll be hot for a little while in September, and after that the weather will be spectacular. It's not going to be 90-100 degrees at every game. Yes, it sucks that the Sun is constantly on one side of the stadium, and it would be great if they could do something about it. Again, it's not roasting weather all of the time.

 

I'm not saying that there can't be improvements made to Levi's Stadium for the fan experience, but the notion that the stadium and where it's located is the problem, and not the fact that the 49'ers suck is the problem, is ridiculous.

Looks like we will not be seeing any neutral 49er fans showing up Sunday in New Era Field as it will be too hot for them.

[corta765]

I guess I will input a few thoughts. The NFL is a business first and sport second. That has been proven with how they have monetizied anything they can and managed to make football a 365 news cycle despite only having a season from late August to the end of Jan. The NFL can pat itself on the back for figuring out that fans care about stuff as simple as the NFL combine. The demarcation point to me is the lack of understanding the fans vibe/leagues best interest and that fall on the commissioner. Paul Tagliabue managed the NFL during its greatest growth and expansion where it went from being a popular sport to the dominant America past time. Tagliabue however was very good at what was in the leagues best intentions. Remember even when Cleveland & Houston moved he managed the storm by keeping teams there and knew LA was not the market it seemed. Tagliabue was also excellent at managing the news headlines and keep stuff like the Elliot suspension out of the lime light. To a lesser extent the passing of owners like Ralph & Al Davis who were football fans hurt in keeping an eye on managing markets.

 

Once Goodell took over that has changed and he has become a pawn for solely the owners interest at the time with no vision to the future. I do believe the Rams will gain a market and be OK given how they were received last year and overall it just seems like LA is fine with them. But Goodell failed to fine a better solution for San Diego/Oakland. He missed that at some point you can lose your fans and despite how strong a TV contract is, having stadiums half empty is a mess for any sports league. Goodell missed that while the owners maximized their revenue you still had to appease your fan base along the way. The league would've been stronger with a team still in San Diego & Oakland where fans truely carred. Moving teams only crystallizes that money is all that matters and fans have seen this. It's impossible not to be jaded because of it.

 

At this point the probable best case scenario for the Chargers is the team flounders in LA, is sold by Spanos, and a new commissioner helps to bring them back with a new owner to San Diego. I just cannot see it working in LA even with a new stadium. Oakland will succeed in Vegas just because as a Bills fan I would go there to see them and want to.

[vorpma]

During the mid 1980's I watched the Rams play in LA with Eric Dickerson at his peak! Despite running for well over 150 yards the stadium was half full and the fans were bored. Sorry, LA is not an NFL town and for those who dispute, there is a reason the city went without a team for such a long time. In addition, the NFL needs to get smart real quick and get politics out of the game; it is chasing fans away!

 

I watched parts of both games. Even if they lost, both teams were far more entertaining -- and showed much more promise -- than the Bills have shown. I think the Bills are going to set a league record for punts in a season.

 

 

This is what I've seen, too, and I think it's something that's going to come back to bite the NFL in the arse sooner than later. That there were empty seats at the Bills home opener on a sunny day versus division rival Jests simply underscores the attendance problems all around the league. From what I've heard, the Jests have been having attendance issues at their new stadium ... primarily because they've priced out the ordinary fans who were the backbone of the Jests fanbase. The newer Jest fans flush enough to shell out for PSLs want to see better than what they've gotten ... and older Jests fans aren't traveling to B-lo to see their team stink, either.

 

The Bills aren't nearly as immune as some fans think. According to a news story back before the start of the season, the Bills season tickets are down at least 5,000 from last season. I believe that there are individual game tix available for most games, too. It's been seventeen years since the Bills fielded a team that recorded double-digit wins and made the post season. That's a whole generation of potential fans who have never had the experience of regularly seeing the Bills win. There's almost two generations of fans who have never experienced expecting to see the Bills crush opponents game in and game out. Most fans who actually remember "the Glory Years" are staring grandparenthood and retirement in the face ... or are already there. Old folks don't attend football games nearly as often as younger people, and teams that never win -- or win sporadically -- aren't going to attract new fans.

Good post; I am one of the older fans who use to return to Buffalo once a year to attend a game; I came from a family that owned seasons tickets from 1960 until the early 1990's. I am not a fan of the new commissioner and believe he needs to get politics out of the game fast; players have first amendment rights on there own time and have a right to make a stand on any issue. The bottom line is many in flyover country are getting tired of this injection into the game and it is not only showing on cable sports channels but at the NFL gate. The Bills as an organization have been horrible for 17 years, that has worn many of the loyal base down; this and next year will determine where the team is heading and if it can recapture the passion the team had during the glory years.

[bbb]

I guess I will input a few thoughts. The NFL is a business first and sport second. That has been proven with how they have monetizied anything they can and managed to make football a 365 news cycle despite only having a season from late August to the end of Jan. The NFL can pat itself on the back for figuring out that fans care about stuff as simple as the NFL combine. The demarcation point to me is the lack of understanding the fans vibe/leagues best interest and that fall on the commissioner. Paul Tagliabue managed the NFL during its greatest growth and expansion where it went from being a popular sport to the dominant America past time. Tagliabue however was very good at what was in the leagues best intentions. Remember even when Cleveland & Houston moved he managed the storm by keeping teams there and knew LA was not the market it seemed. Tagliabue was also excellent at managing the news headlines and keep stuff like the Elliot suspension out of the lime light. To a lesser extent the passing of owners like Ralph & Al Davis who were football fans hurt in keeping an eye on managing markets.

 

Once Goodell took over that has changed and he has become a pawn for solely the owners interest at the time with no vision to the future. I do believe the Rams will gain a market and be OK given how they were received last year and overall it just seems like LA is fine with them. But Goodell failed to fine a better solution for San Diego/Oakland. He missed that at some point you can lose your fans and despite how strong a TV contract is, having stadiums half empty is a mess for any sports league. Goodell missed that while the owners maximized their revenue you still had to appease your fan base along the way. The league would've been stronger with a team still in San Diego & Oakland where fans truely carred. Moving teams only crystallizes that money is all that matters and fans have seen this. It's impossible not to be jaded because of it.

 

At this point the probable best case scenario for the Chargers is the team flounders in LA, is sold by Spanos, and a new commissioner helps to bring them back with a new owner to San Diego. I just cannot see it working in LA even with a new stadium. Oakland will succeed in Vegas just because as a Bills fan I would go there to see them and want to.

 

Instead the Chargers should move to Buffalo. WE'LL have the two teams - one can play in Orchard Park and one at the new downtown stadium.

 

One of them will end the drought eventually!

 

[LABILLBACKER]

There are lawns in Los Angeles?

Not anymore. Drought city. Yellow lawns everywhere.