“I Wish I Could Buy All The Tickets Myself”
September 15th, 2010
Raheem Morris gives his take on blackouts and details how he helped a family of strangers go to Sunday's game.
Nobody likes blacked out games, and the subject is clearly one that stirs passion inside the Bucs’ defensive mastermind/head coach.
Raheem Morris volunteered his thoughts on the Bucs being off local television for their home opener and playing before 20,000+ empty seats, during The Raheeem Morris Show, on WDAE-AM 620 on Monday.
Morris told a story of how he helped a local family go to the Bucs-Browns game and put blame for the blackouts on the rough local economy.
“The economy right now is rough. We understand that. And I’m very sensitive to that. I actually was in a mall this week, and ran across a young man in the mall in the Apple store and gave him and his family four tickets to the game,” Morris said. “And I was fired up about that and received a beautiful e-mail today from their family. And, you know, I wish I could do more. I wish I could buy all the tickets myself. But I can’t do that yet.”
“I don’t think it’s a lack of fan support. …You would like the NFL to change the [blackout] rule with the economy with what we got going on right now.”
Bravo to Raheem for helping a family of strangers. Classy move.
Joe despises blackouts, too. That’s why Joe runs The Blackout Tour, so fans can spend just $24.95 to travel and watch blacked out games at Lee Roy Selmon’s in Fort Myers. The thought of fans not being able to watch a home game because of financial constraints (or not wanting to break the law and watch online) was too sad for Joe to just to sit idle.
However, Joe can’t pin all of those empty seats on the economy by any means.
The sheer number of empty seats speaks to frustration with ownership and a lack of quality on the field. Fans are in “show me” mode right now, and it could take awhile to get games on TV, with or without a significant economic upswing.
September 15th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
That’s why Joe runs The Blackout Tour, so fans can spend just $24.95…..omg bro stop with that every time do you really have to bring it up….let go to the game ppl..
September 15th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
I’ve got to admit that Raheem is beginning to grow on me…if they keep winning I “might” actually begin to think that his hiring was a move in the right direction.
September 15th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Hey Jay – Joe’s Blackout Tour is a pretty good deal for the following reasons:
1. It’s a creative solution to a problem
2. It’s an opportunity to spend some time with fellow Buc’s fans
3. It’s a good value considering it includes wings and a drink
and most importantly
4. It’s Joe’s “house” so Joe gets to promote what Joe wants…
Or would you rather fork over a yearly subscription fee like another Bucs site?
September 15th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Id prefer that Rah’s only access to the stadium was with a purchased ticket……………
September 15th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Yeah, and the 20 people that fit on the bus will not make or break a sellout. I would bet that most of the people joining the bus have never been season ticket holders anyway.
I was “fired up” listening to the game on the radio. I forgot how much fun it is to listen to a Buc bias broadcast. I was standing on my porch hooting and howling for the Bucs. The keg o rater was flowing nicely as well. I still like watching the game though, and the delay makes it hard to play the radio and TV at the same time.
Joe3, keep the tour going, it is a good thing.
September 15th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
i do pay for pewter report…lol..but heres hoping to no more black outs…
September 15th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
How is the game looking for this weekend against the Panthers? Is it going to be another blackout?
September 15th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
FlVikesFan:
No clue how many tickets the Panthers are selling up there.
September 15th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
@FlVikesFan Uhh…ask them? 😛
September 15th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Glazers can buy back at 34 cents on the dollar, right?
So ~20,000 seats x ~$100/seat = 2 Million Dollars * .34 = 780,000/game.
7 games left, that’s about 5 million dollars, if the Glazers wanted to buy up all the seats. Ballpark.
By my guess we’re got at least 20 millionaires on the Bucs, right? Let’s see them each give up 250k salary back to the Glazers and solve this whole problem.
Hell, McCoy and Freeman by themselves could give back 1/10th of their guaranteed money and make this problem go away immediately.
Let’s not pretend there’s ‘no way’ to fix the problem. It just won’t happen. 🙂
September 15th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
I believe the economy has more to do with this than we give it credit! I have alot of friends in the construction industry that have been out of work for 18 months or more!! These were guys in supervision that make over a hundred grand a year normally. All of them at least occasionally went to the games. Several were season ticket holders. None of them going now. I’m sure there are lots of people still hurting thru this recession. I was luckier than most( til recently:( ) but still got forked a little. I’m sure people would love to go, but are watching their money pretty tightly right now.
September 15th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Your best marketing tool is getting people to the stadium no matter what. Between the Soldiers, Police & Fireman in the surrounding area’s; I’ll bet you could fill the stadium with people who go out and save lives every day.
September 15th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Now that’s a great idea, BucnJim. Give them to the Soldiers , Cops and Firemen for $5 each, or free! Nobody deserves them more!
September 15th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
How about sending e-mails to all the people in the Tampa area who have warrents pending saying, “Free Bucs tickets” – when they show up nab them?
September 15th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Well I am pumped, bad economy or not, I just got some Club seats + parking pass, west side 50YL for way less than face value. I am pumped bring on the steelers!
Of course I won’t be feeding my family for a week anything but tuna but…Go Bucs!
September 15th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Way to go Pete.
That’s what I’m talking about.
I’ve been eating Tuna for a while now.
Season Tickets and all.
I also add butter to my PBJ for extra flare, and Publix Brand bread is half the price of the others.
September 15th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I put tuna on my pbj’s!
September 15th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
The one doing the streaming is the law breaker there’s no penalty for watching lol ; )
September 15th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Joe said:
The sheer number of empty seats speaks to frustration with ownership and a lack of quality on the field. Fans are in “show me” mode right now, and it could take awhile to get games on TV, with or without a significant economic upswing.”
Nice red meat Joe.
September 15th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Raheem Morris is at fault.
Good thing he is coach while in a depression… We need all the help we can get to oust his sorry ass once and for all.
September 16th, 2010 at 1:49 am
Javier, just make it back from your Klan rally? In case your stupid ass didn’t notice, we are undefeated, and tied for first place. Our coach is doing fine! It’s some ass monkey fans that failures as both fans and human beings. Go burn a cross or something, you Lil puss
September 16th, 2010 at 8:37 am
This idiot thinks it’s the economy that is keeping fans from buying tickets? I gues he doesn’t have the smarts to figure that his great amateur coaching skill and 3-13 record last year had anything to do with it. Nor the fact that the 3 Glazer brats kept him as a coach when the whole world knows he isn’t a pimple on a real coach’s a$$.
@Tug Boat Timmie
Why do you always bring the race card into the game? It doesn’t matter what race the Dream is, he still an amateur playing at being a coach! But, I guess the race card is your only defense for his sorry a$$. Undefeated! Now thats one out of the “greatest jokes” book. how many yards did the Masterminds’ defense give up to those sorry Browns? I still stick to my 4-12 prediction, just because our Bucs have no professional coach! Now go back and play with your tugboat in the tub, timmie!
September 16th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Tamp2…YARDS DO NOT MATTER THE SCOE BOARD MATTERS! How many times do you have to hear it. Many Bucs games of the past were won on giving up the middle of the field (thus yards) but tightening up in from the 30 to the end zone. You really are a tool.
September 16th, 2010 at 10:05 am
OK Tampa 2…to be fare, YPG is important, mostly because it is hard to score on teams that do not give up yards, but it is not the say all and be all after one game. The Bucs were number 20 on the list this week for YPG. By your logic there are ten worse teams. Not to mention last year NE and Houston had an average of over 400 YPG on D, so I guess they sucked. On Sunday some of those teams the had a worse defense YPG than Tampa included…
Houston
New England
Detroit
KC
Washington
STL
Bengals
Panthers
Jags
Cults
Atlanta
and Oakland
September 16th, 2010 at 10:07 am
I meant 12