More Blackout Vibes
September 3rd, 2009
The Bucs don’t want to talk about it. TV executives don’t want to talk about it. Fans don’t want to think about it.
But blackouts very well could be a real possibility and Vacation Man of BSPN.com is of the belief Bucs fans better get used to the idea.
Though he doesn’t cite any specific games, Vacation Man all but predicts the Bucs will have blacked out games this year.
But I think Tampa Bay is a situation to keep an eye on. The Bucs have sold out every home game since they’ve moved into Raymond James Stadium. But it might be difficult to keep that streak going. The Bucs havebecome very aggressive in promoting ticket sales in recent months as it’s become obvious that waiting list they used to be so proud of no longer exists.
Tampa can be a tough town to sell tickets in. Goodell singled out Jacksonville in his talk about blackouts and Tampa has some similarities. The economic downturn has been particularly hard on Florida and that’s reason enough for concern.
But there are a few other worrisome factors that could come into play here. There are a lot of other things to do in Florida when it’s 80 degrees on a Sunday afternoon in November or December and fans may be more tempted than usual to explore those options if the Bucs struggle, as a lot of people seem to expect.
Wait a minute? You mean in years past it wasn’t sunny and 80 on Sunday afternoons at the CITS?
It doesn’t take Kreskin to be able to figure this out. The local economy is in the tank. Many have moved. The Bucs are not expected to be very good. The available tickets are some of the most expensive in the NFL.
Oh, and here’s a little nugget few people talk about: When the Bucs were in the NFC Central, hordes of Packers, Bears, Vikings and Lions fans flocked down to Tampa to take a short vacation from the brutal winters up north. NFC South fans do not travel at all.
Many a ticket broker had multiple if not dozens of season tickets for the sole purpose of selling those seats to shivering football fans in the upper Midwest. That market vanished a few years ago.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 am
“NFC South fans do not travel at all”. How can you make that statement? There are quite a bit of Atlanta, Carolina & Saints fans at home games. I also know quite a few people who travel to all the away conference games. No, NFC South fans don’t fill the stadium the way Green Bay, NY Giants, Pittsburgh, Chicago, etc. But I think you overestimate the actual distance they’re traveling. If you consider those very same fans driving to the stadium from their Carrollwood homes as “traveling fans” then yes they travel better than NFC South supporters.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:16 am
Chris:
You sort of answered your own question.
Talk to any seasoned ticket broker about how easy it was to sell tickets when the Bucs were in the NFC South compared to now. Joe personally knows of one ticket broker who had nearly 20 season tickets and he never had trouble moving them. After the Bucs moved to the NFC South the same broker took an absolute bath on his tickets.
Ask the guys who run the Buccaneer Brew Crew tailgates what their crowds were like when the Bucs were in the NFC Central compared to the NFC South visitors. It’s night and day difference.
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 am
Joe:
Giants fan will help sell out that game…
Carolina on Oct. 18 is questionable if the Buccos fall on their faces early..
Green Bay will sell out … thank you Packer fan…..
Late in the season, if it’s going poorly, there could be blackouts but there will also be CHEAP tickets available from people sick of going….
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Never a large amount of Saints or Panther’s fans in the stadium. More Falcon fans but not a whole lot more.
Last season it seemed to me that the biggest non Buc Crowd was the Vikings…purple all over the place, with the Packers a close second.