Bills vs. Jets Tickets Selling as low as $8

[dave mcbride]

14 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

It's that simple.

 

It was this way in the 90's when they were winning as well...........and that was WITH blackouts in place to force people to attend if they wanted to see it.

 

Those tickets you see online only represent a fraction of the available ones too..........most ST holders just give them away or eat em' if they aren't going or don't have a familiar buyer.

 

The way it works out........the extra season tickets we own get sold in September and October and after that if the weather is inclement it is all give-aways and if we didn't have a great party and food we couldn't even give them away.

 

Note the attendance. I remember this game; the weather was absolutely brutal and the Bills benched their starters. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199512240buf.htm. Those are some dismal attendance numbers for a division winner 23 months removed from a SB appearance.  It must have been down to 15,000 by the beginning of the fourth quarter.

[Ross Murdock]

It's amazing how little about the NFL market the Bills fans understand. Number one, the Bills record 50,000 season tickets sold is the absolute worst in the NFL, especially since the Raiders LEFT Oakland. 85% of NFL teams (29 teams) sell out ALL of their available season tickets, and have less than 2,000 game day tickets available as mandated by league. The Bills are the ONLY team that has to sell almost 20,000 additional tickets for each game to be a sellout. Which means the Bills have additional marketing costs to keep selling game day tickets that virtually NO OTHER NFL team has! The Bills have the lowest league income from luxury and corporate boxes, and it's not even close. That is where the REAL NFL money is made, and the Bills are DEAD LAST by a mile. There's not ONE fortune 500 company in Buffalo. The Pegulas would be nuts to spend an additional $500K for a dome, when the Bills don't and will NEVER have the ability to fill the luxury/corporate boxes needed to help defray the extra cost for a dome. You people clamoring for a dome have no idea understanding how lucky we are to still have a person still considering the Buffalo market for the NFL. The Pegulas are virtually only billionaires on the planet who would be trying to keep the team here, because frankly they could make tens of millions more playing anywhere, and I mean anywhere else. Bills fans have ZERO leverage, by threatening to not attend games because it's cold outside. A Dome will NEVER make economical sense for Buffalo, and we better cross our fingers and toes that the state ponies up the nearly $1 Billion needed to keep the Bills with a beautiful new outdoor stadium here. The odds are probably 50%/50% the team stays. And even less if the Bills can't sell out a home playoff game because it's cold outside! NO other NFL city with cold weather has fans stating they won't go to playoff game because it's cold outside. Green Bay could probably sell 200,000 tickets to a Packers home game in January, when the Bills will struggle to sell 67,000. Why stay here?                     

[BADOLBILZ]

5 hours ago, WotAGuy said:

I just don’t think the Bills care about this issue of late season game attendance; they probably have a plan to make it more tolerable, like heated areas to have a drink and watch the game. 
 

The Bills are a multi-billion corporation. They know the market. They will be focused on selling licenses and season tickets. They won’t be depending on people buying/using tickets to late season games because the tickets will already be sold. 

I can see why you and others that buy extra season tickets as an investment (either financially or as a business-related “gift” for customers) are concerned about being able to dump your late season tickets.  But the Bills already have your money and they don’t care. 

 

 

 

The extra tickets aren't an investment.........getting season tickets next to each other in the middle of the field is difficult so we buy them in the event we EVER need to add full time ST holders to our groups.   In September and October the demand for those tickets at face value is several times over what we have available.....regardless of the quality of the team.    In November, December and January regular season we can only give them away.........and that's only if they are winning.    

 

The reality is very clear..........season ticket sales are inflated by the tickets being the cheapest or nearly-so in the league(due mainly to paid-off facilities).........and ACTUAL attendance is VERY climate driven. 

 

[Jrb1979]

3 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

The extra tickets aren't an investment.........getting season tickets next to each other in the middle of the field is difficult so we buy them in the event we EVER need to add full time ST holders to our groups.   In September and October the demand for those tickets at face value is several times over what we have available.....regardless of the quality of the team.    In November, December and January regular season we can only give them away.........and that's only if they are winning.    

 

The reality is very clear..........season ticket sales are inflated by the tickets being the cheapest or nearly-so in the league(due mainly to paid-off facilities).........and ACTUAL attendance is VERY climate driven. 

 

What's going to happen when they price goes up when the new stadium comes? 

[Albany,n.y.]

15 hours ago, ToBillsFan said:

I got killed this year on season tickets. Heck I can barely give tickets away and I’m in 100 level endzone. I’m even considering not getting playoff tickets because i feel like those won’t sell either 

Here's a novel idea: Go to the games you bought tickets to.  When I had season tickets I only sold 1 or 2 games ever in 20 years & I ended up going to the games in another seat.  

[BADOLBILZ]

5 minutes ago, Ross Murdock said:

It's amazing how little about the NFL market the Bills fans understand. Number one, the Bills record 50,000 season tickets sold is the absolute worst in the NFL, especially since the Raiders LEFT Oakland. 85% of NFL teams (29 teams) sell out ALL of their available season tickets, and have less than 2,000 game day tickets available as mandated by league. The Bills are the ONLY team that has to sell almost 20,000 additional tickets for each game to be a sellout. Which means the Bills have additional marketing costs to keep selling game day tickets that virtually NO OTHER NFL team has! The Bills have the lowest league income from luxury and corporate boxes, and it's not even close. That is where the REAL NFL money is made, and the Bills are DEAD LAST by a mile. There's not ONE fortune 500 company in Buffalo. The Pegulas would be nuts to spend an additional $500K for a dome, when the Bills don't and will NEVER have the ability to fill the luxury/corporate boxes needed to help defray the extra cost for a dome. You people clamoring for a dome have no idea understanding how lucky we are to still have a person still considering the Buffalo market for the NFL. The Pegulas are virtually only billionaires on the planet who would be trying to keep the team here, because frankly they could make tens of millions more playing anywhere, and I mean anywhere else. Bills fans have ZERO leverage, by threatening to not attend games because it's cold outside. A Dome will NEVER make economical sense for Buffalo, and we better cross our fingers and toes that the state ponies up the nearly $1 Billion needed to keep the Bills with a beautiful new outdoor stadium here. The odds are probably 50%/50% the team stays. And even less if the Bills can't sell out a home playoff game because it's cold outside! NO other NFL city with cold weather has fans stating they won't go to playoff game because it's cold outside. Green Bay could probably sell 200,000 tickets to a Packers home game in January, when the Bills will struggle to sell 67,000. Why stay here?                     

 

 

Is it really a threat when they just DON'T attend?    Never have and never will.   Get out of your shell and open your eyes.

 

And each generation is less likely to pay to sit out in that weather than the one prior.

 

As far as the "$500K" to enclose the stadium..........it's more like $250M-$300M there Mr. "economicAL sense".

 

Which will be the cost of a 3 year contract for a good QB in 2030.

 

[Son of a K-Gun]

I have (somehow) avoided the dedicated stadium/dome thread(s), but have seen the same number mentioned in here a couple of times now…is it really only an extra $500K for a dome?  Hell if that’s the case I could sell my house and move in, Baker style.  I’m working from home and the kids’ school is remote these days so why not??

[Mat68]

This is why the next stadium is going to be smaller.  Tampa vs Buffalo average ticket 250.  Buffalo vs New England 50

[BADOLBILZ]

10 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

What's going to happen when they price goes up when the new stadium comes? 

 

We will keep most of the tickets we actually use every week.  

 

So about half of them.

 

Very similar situation in all the highest demand season ticket areas.     Tons of people with extra tickets who could still afford the new ones but will have a hard time justifying carrying extra seats when that total starts looking like the cost of their annual dues/food minimum for the golf course they live on seasonally in Florida etc..

[Nextmanup]

17 minutes ago, Ross Murdock said:

It's amazing how little about the NFL market the Bills fans understand. Number one, the Bills record 50,000 season tickets sold is the absolute worst in the NFL, especially since the Raiders LEFT Oakland. 85% of NFL teams (29 teams) sell out ALL of their available season tickets, and have less than 2,000 game day tickets available as mandated by league. The Bills are the ONLY team that has to sell almost 20,000 additional tickets for each game to be a sellout. Which means the Bills have additional marketing costs to keep selling game day tickets that virtually NO OTHER NFL team has! The Bills have the lowest league income from luxury and corporate boxes, and it's not even close. That is where the REAL NFL money is made, and the Bills are DEAD LAST by a mile. There's not ONE fortune 500 company in Buffalo. The Pegulas would be nuts to spend an additional $500K for a dome, when the Bills don't and will NEVER have the ability to fill the luxury/corporate boxes needed to help defray the extra cost for a dome. You people clamoring for a dome have no idea understanding how lucky we are to still have a person still considering the Buffalo market for the NFL. The Pegulas are virtually only billionaires on the planet who would be trying to keep the team here, because frankly they could make tens of millions more playing anywhere, and I mean anywhere else. Bills fans have ZERO leverage, by threatening to not attend games because it's cold outside. A Dome will NEVER make economical sense for Buffalo, and we better cross our fingers and toes that the state ponies up the nearly $1 Billion needed to keep the Bills with a beautiful new outdoor stadium here. The odds are probably 50%/50% the team stays. And even less if the Bills can't sell out a home playoff game because it's cold outside! NO other NFL city with cold weather has fans stating they won't go to playoff game because it's cold outside. Green Bay could probably sell 200,000 tickets to a Packers home game in January, when the Bills will struggle to sell 67,000. Why stay here?                     

I like a lot of what you are writing here, and it's mostly all dead-on.

 

However, I disagree on 2 main points.

 

First, the Bills are not 50/50 likely to stay or go pending new stadium.  They will remain in WNY.

 

Second, Pegula is not the only rich guy who would like to keep the team in WNY for sentimental reasons.

Guys like Pegula always seem to come out of the woodwork with ties to WNY.

 

Who knew about Terry Pegula before he came out of nowhere and bought the team?

 

There is some other no name out there right now waiting to buy the team from Terry, and keep it in WNY as well.

 

Also, don't forget, there is revenue sharing in the NFL.

 

Terry Pegula is making obscene money year to year owning the team--and that's not where these guys make their money anyway.

The real money is made on the appreciated value of the franchise over time.

 

Buffalo might be one of the lower end values, but it's still obscenely high, and its value has already gone up like $400 million since Pegula bought it.

 

As Bud Fox asked Gordon Gecko in Wall Street: "How many yachts can you water ski behind?"

 

 

 

 

[Albany,n.y.]

41 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I like a lot of what you are writing here, and it's mostly all dead-on.

 

However, I disagree on 2 main points.

 

First, the Bills are not 50/50 likely to stay or go pending new stadium.  They will remain in WNY.

 

Second, Pegula is not the only rich guy who would like to keep the team in WNY for sentimental reasons.

Guys like Pegula always seem to come out of the woodwork with ties to WNY.

 

Who knew about Terry Pegula before he came out of nowhere and bought the team?

 

There is some other no name out there right now waiting to buy the team from Terry, and keep it in WNY as well.

 

Also, don't forget, there is revenue sharing in the NFL.

 

Terry Pegula is making obscene money year to year owning the team--and that's not where these guys make their money anyway.

The real money is made on the appreciated value of the franchise over time.

 

Buffalo might be one of the lower end values, but it's still obscenely high, and its value has already gone up like $400 million since Pegula bought it.

 

As Bud Fox asked Gordon Gecko in Wall Street: "How many yachts can you water ski behind?"

 

 

 

 

You are not making money on something you don't plan on selling when it is appreciating.  I can sell my house for more than I paid for it, but I'm not making any money on it because I'm not selling it.  

[Ross Murdock]

36 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

like a lot of what you are writing here, and it's mostly all dead-on.

 

However, I disagree on 2 main points.

 

First, the Bills are not 50/50 likely to stay or go pending new stadium.  They will remain in WNY.

 

Second, Pegula is not the only rich guy who would like to keep the team in WNY for sentimental reasons.

Guys like Pegula always seem to come out of the woodwork with ties to WNY.

 

Who knew about Terry Pegula before he came out of nowhere and bought the team?

 

There is some other no name out there right now waiting to buy the team from Terry, and keep it in WNY as well.

 

Also, don't forget, there is revenue sharing in the NFL.

 

Terry Pegula is making obscene money year to year owning the team--and that's not where these guys make their money anyway.

The real money is made on the appreciated value of the franchise over time.

 

Buffalo might be one of the lower end values, but it's still obscenely high, and its value has already gone up like $400 million since Pegula bought it.

 

As Bud Fox asked Gordon Gecko in Wall Street: "How many yachts can you water ski behind?"

 

 

Your points are also valid, but I'm not sure there are many, if any other local or otherwise billionaires who would fight to keep the Bills here in Buffalo. Funny thing is that the Bills are wildly popular around the country, and world BECAUSE Buffalo is seen as a hard scrabble, underdog town where fans brave the cold to attend snow games that are becoming a rarity in the NFL. I have family in England who note the Bills are a favorite for these very reasons... Bills build a dome, and their just the Atlanta Falcons, playing in another non-descript dome where you hear the heating and air conditioning roaring between plays.. It's insidious football.  Luckily the Bills will not have a dome. Maybe it's 75%/25% they stay, but I don't think it's a done deal yet.       

[Nextmanup]

Just now, Ross Murdock said:

Your points are also valid, but I'm not sure there are many, if any other local or otherwise billionaires who would fight to keep the Bills here in Buffalo. Funny thing is that the Bills are wildly popular around the country, and world BECAUSE Buffalo is seen as a hard scrabble, underdog town where fans brave the cold to attend snow games that are becoming a rarity in the NFL. I have family in England who note the Bills are a favorite for these very reasons... Bills build a dome, and their just the Atlanta Falcons, playing in another non-descript dome where you hear the heating and air conditioning roaring between plays.. It's insidious football.  Luckily the Bills will not have a dome. Maybe it's 75%/25% they stay, but I don't think it's a done deal yet.       

Maybe it's just my own optimism, but I do think they are not at risk of going anywhere regarding this stadium deal.

 

It will get sorted out, and you're right, it won't be a dome.

 

Buffalo is the ultimate "underdog" sort of team that I would imagine would be popular around the country, for objective viewers who have no rooting interest in a game anyway.

 

Kind of how I have always approached Green Bay.  I seem to find myself cheering for them when they play someone, as long as it's not the Bills!

 

 

[purple haze]

8 hours ago, BillnutinHouston said:

 

You must not have been there.

 

The stadium holds 71,608 and there were significant chunks of the upper level unoccupied.  It was the most sparsely attended game of the year.  My guess would be the attendance was closer to 62,000.

 

 

I’m going by the attendance figure on pro football reference.

[T master]

Part of it could be because some people read the article about the guy suing the Jets & Giants for playing in Jersey & they got pissed because its not the OP Bills so they said screw it i'm staying home ...

[zow2]

Weather stinks.  The hardcore fans will be there.. the others will wait a week and go to the playoff game.

[QCity]

4 hours ago, TheFunPolice said:

I'm not a fan of this 17th game, although I thought I would be. 

 

This feels like a preseason finale. Actually, the entire Week 18 slate of games, except for a couple, is pretty pointless feeling. Not at all what the NFL intended. 

 

This seems to be the general feeling among my friends. They all believe the season should have ended last week and we should be watching playoff football this  weekend.  I wonder who gets hurt this week.

[yall]

I'd be going if it were still a 1:00 game. 

 

Vaccine mandates don't seem to have been an issue all season, doubt they are suddenly an issue for the last regular season game.

[JESSEFEFFER]

Vaccine mandate, closed and restrictive border crossing, deteriorating weather (this is a thing--the weather on days surrounding the actual gamedays has been much better) cluster of games before and after Christmas including a 9th home game that was added on in January instead of September where it should have been.  All of that shrinks demand as we approach the week 18 game.  But the lifting of the TV blackout rule in 2015 is bigger than the sum of all the other factors, imo.  The TV broadcasts are digital signals on HD, much more affordable big screen TVs and cost near nothing to watch.  The food and drink are better and cheaper and you can choose with whom you "attend."  You miss none of to very little of the other games offered before or after.  The costs in terms of time and money for in person attendance keep going up and the home viewing experience keeps getting better.

 

 

[Punching Bag]

16 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

Not sure why though. As others have said, season tickets sold out and the Pegs made their money full sale. 60k seats is only going to decrease pegs money unless he raises prices to make up for the differences. 

 

Well a 60K seat stadium should cost less than a 80K stadium to build.

[auburnbillsbacker]

19 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

Easily explained - week 18 is an abomination.

There were $7 tickets last week.

[CSBill]

The move to 4:15 doesn't help. I was considering going, but with a three hour drive after and work the next day, that start time is a deal-breaker for those that have a few hours drive.

Edited January 6, 2022 by CSBill

[Jimboismyman]

4 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Game attendance falls off but the level of fandom of those that show up also gets VERY watered down.

 

Early in the season the fans scream over me at Daboll for his play calls...........late in the season fans also scream at Daboll when the Bills give up a big play on defense. 

 

I wish I was joking about that but I'm not. 

 

A significant portion of the crowd are just a bunch of casual fans/tourists on free passes late in the season..........always gets like that when the weather gets bad. 

Funny you say that. I has someone next to me on Sunday yelling that we should challenge the holding penalty. I wish I was making this up. 

[buffaloboyinATL]

20 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

It's supposed to be a rainy, sleeting and snowy day.

Plus, we more than likely have a home play-off game coming, so this won't be the last home game of the year.  Otherwise, it would be full, regardless of the weather.  

[Nextmanup]

29 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Well a 60K seat stadium should cost less than a 80K stadium to build.

 

 

35 minutes ago, JESSEFEFFER said:

Vaccine mandate, closed and restrictive border crossing, deteriorating weather (this is a thing--the weather on days surrounding the actual gamedays has been much better) cluster of games before and after Christmas including a 9th home game that was added on in January instead of September where it should have been.  All of that shrinks demand as we approach the week 18 game.  But the lifting of the TV blackout rule in 2015 is bigger than the sum of all the other factors, imo.  The TV broadcasts are digital signals on HD, much more affordable big screen TVs and cost near nothing to watch.  The food and drink are better and cheaper and you can choose with whom you "attend."  You miss none of to very little of the other games offered before or after.  The costs in terms of time and money for in person attendance keep going up and the home viewing experience keeps getting better.

 

 

Everything you list has been prevalent for a while now (not early with nicer weather of course).

 

I think it's the weather, the fact it's the Jets and almost everyone assumes we know the outcome before the game is even played, and people are already looking toward the playoffs.

 

I hate Bills games where we beat the crap out of a lousy team, and the game is decided in the first or second quarter.

 

There's no need to go out there and brave the elements for a game like that.

 

If this was for the division and we had to win it against New England, the stadium would be full.

 

 

[BillnutinHouston]

3 hours ago, purple haze said:

I’m going by the attendance figure on pro football reference.

 

Yea that is incorrect, anyone who was actually in attendance would say the same.

[Jrb1979]

What gets me is how come fans make a big deal about the weather in why fans don't want to go. Yet Green Bay the weather is worse and they have no issue filling the seats. Once the new stadium comes and tickets are twice the price if not higher, the secondary market will dry up. 

[Nextmanup]

3 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

What gets me is how come fans make a big deal about the weather in why fans don't want to go. Yet Green Bay the weather is worse and they have no issue filling the seats. Once the new stadium comes and tickets are twice the price if not higher, the secondary market will dry up. 

Lambeau holds over 81,000 people too!

 

But you don't see that stadium at less than capacity, or so it seems, especially for playoff games when the temperature is in the NEGATIVE!

 

 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

Plus, we more than likely have a home play-off game coming, so this won't be the last home game of the year.  Otherwise, it would be full, regardless of the weather.  

 

 

What are you talking about?    The stadium wasn't even full this past Sunday against the Falcons.    

[Punching Bag]

1 hour ago, CSBill said:

The move to 4:15 doesn't help. I was considering going, but with a three drive after and work the next day, that start time is a deal-breaker for those that have a few hours drive.

 

Agree.  Sometimes I'd drive up from Virginia on Saturday, see game and drive back on Sunday but that is out with a late game.

[BADOLBILZ]

16 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Lambeau holds over 81,000 people too!

 

But you don't see that stadium at less than capacity, or so it seems, especially for playoff games when the temperature is in the NEGATIVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After they won a Super Bowl with Favre things changed greatly in Green Bay.

 

They were regularly 10K below capacity on average during the 80's when they were in the equivalent of the Bills 2000's "drought era"...........and that was when their capacity was just 60K. 

 

If the Bills win a SB that will help make them an iconic franchise and greatly help regionalize them............people love to associate themselves with winners.

 

[buffaloboyinATL]

27 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

What are you talking about?    The stadium wasn't even full this past Sunday against the Falcons.    

That is because everyone knew that would not be the last home game of the year. My point is, it is easier to skip the game if you know there will be another one, but you are more likely to attend when you know for sure it is the last game of the year.

[HOUSE]

Just say no to $8

[Augie]

22 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

It's supposed to be a rainy, sleeting and snowy day.

 

So, you’re saying a bad day for flip flops? 

 

How many different ways are there to start threads that will end up as a referendum on a domed stadium. It seems to be almost infinite! 

[JohnNord]

On 1/4/2022 at 9:24 PM, Behindenemylines said:

We should start a thread on this…

Sorry Message board monitor 

[ExiledInIllinois]

On 1/4/2022 at 8:13 PM, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

Easily explained - week 18 is an abomination.

With clinching the Division on the line?

 

 

3 hours ago, HOUSE said:

Just say no to $8

You be the boss with:

 

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

 

$8 ticket is $0.85 in 1960 when the 2nd BFLo Bills team had its inaugural season.

 

 

[SoMAn]

Summary:

Regulars burned out from weather conditions that have soured tailgating experience and made in-stadium 3+ hrs of misery.

The friends, wives, kids who were glad to accompany ticket holders early on are over it. So, ticket holders not wanting to go solo are competing against each other to sell.

Changing to the 4:25 kickoff with little warning has got to be pissing off a lot of ticket holders, especially those with flight arrangements or who drive a few hundred miles. If you have to drive home to Albany, you risk icy road conditions in the dark and not getting home before 1am, compounded by the fatigue of a long day in cold and damp.

On the other side, the option is:

70” high definition TV, cozy fire blazing, dog curled around your feet, aroma of pot roast in the slow cooker? Cheese & crackers and other snacks at arm’s length. Yeah, that beats dealing with 33 degree (and falling) wind and rain from noon until 8pm. 

In my decades of following the Bills, I can’t remember a season with so many foul weather games. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

9 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

What are you talking about?    The stadium wasn't even full this past Sunday against the Falcons.    

I think he’s saying people are electing to go to a potential home playoff game instead.  I was originally going to drive up for the jets game and gambled on the playoff game when we beat the pats 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

15 hours ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

Plus, we more than likely have a home play-off game coming, so this won't be the last home game of the year.  Otherwise, it would be full, regardless of the weather.  

Again, perpetrating the myth I spoke of earlier in this thread. No. No it wouldn’t. 

[BarleyNY]

10 minutes ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

Again, perpetrating the myth I spoke of earlier in this thread. No. No it wouldn’t. 

Agreed.  The vast majority of seats are held by season ticket holders who would have tickets to both anyway.  The only people this is impacting are the secondary market buyers.  Obviously the Jest suckitude is also playing a part since few Jest fans would want to attend this game even in good weather and clear travel.