Cheap Seats Gone For Opening Day
August 25th, 2011
Strictly working off today’s TicketMaster.com data here, Joe’s seeing zero cheap Bucs tickets available for opening day against the Lions.
The good news is they’re sold.
The bad news is there are loads of tickets still available all over the stadium. The lowest price available that Joe could find, with service charge, is $71.25, and there are plenty in the end zone for $105.25.
Joe wishes he could envision any scenario that would have a stampede of ticket buyers jumping at these prices to meet the NFL blackout deadline for opening day, which is 14 days from today.
Even with half-price concessions for the opener, the Bucs just have too many tickets left to sell for what likely will be a blistering hot 1 o’clock kickoff.
A recent JoeBucsFan poll (with more than 1,000 respondents) revealed that 45 percent of you plan to watch the game snuggled up to a pirated Internet feed to beat the blackout. Joe wonders whether the NFL plans any kind of 11th-hour covert operation to bust up that racket.
Joe’s hardly wishing that on Bucs fans, but it’s odd to Joe that the NFL doesn’t seem to be flexing its muscle — or handing out stuffed brown envelopes — to combat the Internet feeds. Perhaps Roger Goodell is too busy exalting perverts.
UPDATE: Well, if you tinker with Ticketmaster long enough… it seems there are a few sections where $44 tickets are indeed available, about 100 altogether in sections 327, 328, 329, 342, 343 and 344.
August 25th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Wasn’t there talk about relaxing the blackout requirements as a goodwill gesture after the lockout?
August 25th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Richard, yes. They talked about tarping over some seats with ads and only counting the untarped seats toward the blackouts. Unfortunately it died and blackouts remained. Damn shame. I’m almost priced out for this season after gas from orlando, tickets, parking, and food. I’m hoping I can get to at least one game, but we’ll see. Times are tough and my wallet is pretty light these days.
August 25th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
There is no way to stop the streaming NFL feeds. I can count 20 or so sites of the top of my head that stream them. If all those get shut down, 20 or more will pop up else where. It is simply impossible to even put a damper on those feeds without indepth government regulation: Enter “Net Neutrality”.
Even with that, the only way the gov or NFL could stop the feeds would be to regulate foreign websites out of US internet. Many, if not most, of those streams are coming from overseas. There are no International copyright laws so those streaming the videos from other countries and are not bound to US laws. And there is nothing in the laws that say US citizens aren’t allowed to view the NFL games streamed from foreign sources. The only people that could be held accountable would be a bar or restaurant that makes extra profits showing the illegal games.
August 25th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
The tickets are just to high i love my bucs but to death but i cant afford it. im going to try to goto one game though…
August 25th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Too expensive for me too. I’ll never spend more than $50. I couldn’t imagine spending more than that.
It’s way too hot, drunks annoy the Najeh out of me, parking is a joke and the last 3 Bucs games I’ve been to I was so embarrassed leaving the stadium and watching opposition fans celebrating, acting the fool, mocking and taking pictures in front of our stuff…$50 is all they get.
Now Lightning on the other hand. Its indoors, drunk people get dealt with and the game is fast and exciting. That I will spend more than $50 on.
August 25th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Well that prices me out of it. $70 plus parking (honestly I’d just park at a business down the street on Dale Mabry), something to drink… water or anything. Yeah, I don’t have a Benjamin to drop for ~4 hours of entertainment.
August 25th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Joe wishes he could envision any scenario:
Fire Rah, Hire Cowher!
August 25th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
You are such an unbelievable moron Thomas. If you actually think hiring Cowher would bring more fans…..I don’t know what you are. Something beyond an idiot. Unbelievable.
August 25th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Of course firing Raheem and hiring Cowher would produce a sell out opening day and beyond. Mix in some key free agents the place would be rocking – just like the Gruden years.
August 25th, 2011 at 1:46 pm
@Eric lol like that had nothing to do with being a perennial playoff team. Nope, it was about the HC and free agents. SMH
August 25th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
I am still very plssed, and growing more so week after week, that part og the new CBA did not address the outdated ridiculous notion of blackouts.
No other league does it and the nFL makes more than any of them. Heck, the NFL makes more than the other major sports combined.
I thought it was about “the fans”?
August 25th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
@Dave Blackouts aren’t a CBA issue. They are a federal law issue. Congress would have to make the change.
August 25th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Keep the gob’ment outta sports. I think we should try Bonds and Clemens one more time for good measure. I don’t think we spent enough tax money for…nothing.
August 25th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Cowher would give players more shade to stand in and keep cool during the dog days. That chin has a 4 foot shadow!
Rah has the respect of his players. ‘Nuff said.
August 25th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
@Chris lol @ “gob’ment” Straight out of Bush’s mouth.
August 25th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Oh sorry, left out the perenial playoff team part.
August 25th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
It is true that congress moved to help create blackouts, but the NFL has argued to the FCC to keep the rule in place. Google it, they have more than once. The NFL wants the blackouts.
I agree, get the gov out of sports. The entire baseball thing killed me. At a time when the country needed a great deal of attention, they distracted the gen public with steroids and baseball. Probably a brilliant move on their part.
August 25th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Anybody know of a good internet feed for the game? I tried Illemi and justintv to no avail last week. Hell ADTV had a homeland security badge posted on its link. Any help is much appreciated.
August 25th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Hiring Cowher would work wonders for the Tampa Bay Area. His chin would take up 10 K seats alone AND it would double as a retractable roof for the Rays new Ballpark which could still be in St. Pete! In the words of “Big Stein”…HIRE THIS MAN!
August 25th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
ah I remember 1994 lower level for $20, the good ol’ days.
August 25th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Yeah ’94! A high profile coach and Free Agent! Eric and Thomas must’ve had season tickets that year.
August 25th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Nick, great point! They had the coach and FA, but not the wins…Given another year or two, he may have had the wins too.
August 25th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Yes Nick I did.
Now for those of you who don’t think that coaches matter, Real Sports on HBO did a piece on Pete Carroll and how his hiring IMMEDIATELY substantially increased ticket sales, sponsorhips etc after he was named coach. I am pretty sure it was a Bernie Goldberg piece.
Proven coaches sell tickets and sponsorships. Hiring young, inexpensive kids is cute, and sometimes works i.e. Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin (already in an established market with excellent team), but more frequently they end up like McDaniels and Rah Rah – excitable, energetic young guys who understand elements of the game but fail to have a strong, comprehensive understanding of what it takes to put it all together.
This is a market that begs for a Cowher, he injects excitement into the casual fan. He will demand greatness, not excuse poor conduct and play.
August 25th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Thomas, Seattle sells out soccer games
August 25th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Detroit is about to sell out all of their home games. What’s the name of their high profile coach and FA?
August 25th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
I am following the good man OAR’s advice, I am ignoring the “jack ass” Thomas. You should all do the same thing…maybe he will go away.
August 25th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Pete Carroll!?? Good lord 2.2. I’d rather have a local HS coach than PC. Why don’t we dust off Jerry Glanville an get him out of the UFL!?!?!
Is Buddy Ryan still alive?
August 25th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
sheep tweak……………..
August 25th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Eric, you call us sheep. But maybe we are the righteous men and you’re the evil man and Joebucsfan.com here is the shepherd protecting out righteous @sses. Or it could mean you are the righteous man and we are the shepherds. And it’s the high priced FA’s and coaches that are evil and selfish. Now I would like that. 🙂 (sorry, just had to)
August 25th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Nick…Great one! Or Maybe the Bucs are the tyranny of evil men, and will come down on other teams with great vengeance!
August 25th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Lots of other sites out there to find tkts besides Ticketmaster (who tend to be one of the highest). Got 2 tkts for $50 (including fees) for the Patriots game last week and just picked up 2 for the Detroit game for $85 as well. Both sets are upper deck but in first row. Will be happy to list alternate sites if Joe is OK with it. Otherwise, I’ll be happy to email them. Should be a great opening day.
August 25th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
i will post thomas 2.2 e-mail and phone number on a site to be named friday….enjoy loser
August 25th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Funny how easy it was to get tickets to a playoff game in Tampa when Gruden was coaching. Stop blaming ownership and the coaches for everything. If the fans only come to the games to see the coaches, then they are some stupid fans. I have never once heard of a fan saying, “I’m only going to the games if we have a big name coach.”. Then again, I don’t hang around idiots like Thomas and Eric, so maybe that’s my problem. I just can’t wait for the season to start and to shut these two clowns up.
August 25th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Marcellus Wallace would make a good nose tackle.
August 25th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
@ flboy84
Offical single game tickets are only sold via ticketmaster. Or at the walk up windows on game day.
All other tickets from secondary sources are already purchased tickets are they not? They are being sold by ticket agencies or by season ticket holders and are already counted as sold, thus have no bearing on the sellout.
this is how I understand it. Plenty of places to get tickets but not for the tickets that will count.
August 25th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
One of these days I’ll have to make it down to Florida to catch a Bucs game, or maybe when they come to Nashville this year.
August 25th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Assume you’re right about that Pete. Only concern I have is getting the best tickets at the best price though. 🙂 Simply a post for those looking at tickets that are only familiar with Ticketmaster.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:00 am
If they lower the price of tickets people will come.. If the 105 dollar ticket was 75 dollars id go and bring my girledfriend for 150 but when its 105 each and parking plus gas from orlando… Its just not worth it.. its basic economics.. opportunity gain does not out weight opportunity cost..
August 26th, 2011 at 10:09 am
@rhenry
I won’t mention the sites here…but I will say that when most of those websites were seized they popped up again under .me and .eu because they are foreign extensions htat the US Gov cannot do anything about.
So try that .me on the site you mentioned. I happen to know it works 😉