What’s Happening At The Box Office?
March 26th, 2012
So was there a resulting stampede at the box office? Were the Bucs flooded with energized fans eager to gobble up all things Bucs? Joe asked the powers at One Buc Palace and was told an answer would come at a later date.
So Joe is left to wonder as the limited numbers of $300 Bucs season tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.
Up in Buffalo, the Bills have been openly giddy, spitting out to the media that the team sold 1,650 new season tickets (cheapest are $351) in the three days following the Mario Williams signing, so reported the Buffalo News.
A few examples, from the Bills:
- More than 6,000 people have signed up to inquire about the new Mario Williams jersey marketed by Nike.
- The team’s website, BuffaloBills.com, registered almost 3 million page views March 15-16, before and after Williams’ signing.
- The Bills say they now have 453,400 followers on Facebook and Twitter (The Bucs have 495,000+)
Yes, Joe realizes unemployment is much lower around Buffalo than in the Tampa Bay area. However, per The Business Journals, the Tampa Bay market is more than double the population of greater Buffalo.
There’s a long, too long way until opening day — plenty of time for the Bucs to market tickets, add to the roster and impress in preseason. But Joe’s not expecting an end to the dreaded blackouts anytime soon.
March 26th, 2012 at 10:08 am
It never has been about the Glazers being cheap, etc. It’s been about the economy and the fact that Tampa has crappy fans. Hell, just read the posts on here daily and you’d swear it was a Falcons web site blasting the Bucs.
March 26th, 2012 at 10:08 am
Not only is unemployment lower, but the wage scale is higher. There are many retirees in the Tampa Market that either cannot afford to pay the meager price or, are not in for putting up with the drunks.
March 26th, 2012 at 10:13 am
You mean all those retirees that have made an absolute killing in the stock market over the past year?
March 26th, 2012 at 10:30 am
The Glazers have just ante’d up
the fans will too,
eventually.
But many are still hurting from having to like it or lump on the damn 10 year seat deposit scam on the new stadium. Too many fans had bitter feelings of being taken advantage of for their perspective to overnight.
This helps.
It is coming…
Patience.
March 26th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Entertaining football sells tickets. Bills have been entertaining to watch. The Bucs have not. No one on a budget is going to spend hundreds of dollars to watch something as boring as the Bucs last year.
March 26th, 2012 at 10:43 am
The Fans in Florida are transplant fans. I mean look at the Rays. They can’t sell out a playoff game. They have been playing good baseball and still ca’t seem to get the fans in the building.
I mean Tampa alone has a Baseball team, Football team , AFL football team and a Hockey team. The Fans are spread thin, not to mention the horrid product that has been on the field the last few years.
March 26th, 2012 at 10:46 am
Plenty of good bucs fans who will be jumping on board with Schiano.
Just like they did with Dungy and Jon.
Rah was a somewhat difficult sale. Ever look at his home record? Not too swift.
March 26th, 2012 at 11:01 am
The problem with Tampa is too many bandwagon jumpers that like to follow the more popular teams i.e. the cowboys or Giants. Also the tansplants from up north dosen’t help either.
March 26th, 2012 at 11:03 am
Transplants*
March 26th, 2012 at 11:05 am
All this time people were claiming they would not buy tickets because the Glazers were cheap…just shows how full of crap those people were (you know who you are).
As to the Economy in Tampa…I know it’s about to take another dive. Already, companies like Walmart are raising prices and finding reasons to fire employees or lay them off.
I don’t know if anyone has noticed…fewer and fewer elderly greeters at the doors…plastic bags over the electric wheel chair handles because Walmart does not plan to replace the batteries…to cut costs.
They tell the greeters to stand 20 feet further into the store now…and when a theft occurs they still get blamed and fired.
And this is just one example.
March 26th, 2012 at 11:10 am
Buffalo Fans have tradition going for them. If you have ever been to Buffalo, you would understand. Many people who live in Tampa are still really fans of their team back home. They support the Bucs when it is fashionable to do so, but jump of the ship as soon as we start losing again.
I go to Sports Bars, and the same people who once flew Bucs Flags and knew everything about the Bucs are now talking about the Steelers or the Patriots.
Actually, the closet Jets Fans are running their mouths lately in the Sports Bars, since they now have Tebow.
These are the SAME people who once supported the Bucs, when they were winning.
People in Detroit or Buffalo love their team, no matter what, and do not jump ship like many Tampa Fans do.
March 26th, 2012 at 11:19 am
Pete, I find myself in agreement with you a lot of the time. However, I am not sure I agree with you about the Tampa Economy taking another dive.
My roof cleaning business has literally gone through the roof lately.
We are almost too busy, and customers are having to wait for our services.
I can feel the economy starting to turn around.
BTW, my sister was fired from a job at an Ace Hardware in Tampa, because she refused to follow a shoplifter out into the parking lot!
Can’t say I blame her, a single Mom who makes 6.50 an hour does not get paid enough to risk her life stopping or reporting a shoplifter. Ace Hardware fired her because she was scared to write the shoplifters license plate number down!
What if he had a Gun, and shot my sister, then what ?
March 26th, 2012 at 11:30 am
@Apple Possibly because of tax returns?
March 26th, 2012 at 11:31 am
Relax ladies.
We just came off a ten game losing streak where the last game the team was down 42-0 after 1.5 quarters. The team was being coached be a nice-man but one who seriously would not be qualified to head coach a high school team. The entire community knew that the team was torn down and apart for cost-savings.
That is quite a hang-over for any community to get over.
We now have a real head-coach who will bring back professionalism and competition. There will be a 1/2 of a season adjustment but toward November we will all see the return of NFL caliber football – about the same time GMC will go on IR with 1 sack and 25 tackles but all the sheep will be yelling about this ridiculous “he’s disruptive” yet doesnt tackle anyone concept.
Blackouts will end very soon folks, very soon. The return to legitimacy has just begun. It will accelerate things if they would get rid of Winslow, THC and Talib – and I believe that they will before camp.
March 26th, 2012 at 11:32 am
WoW I wish I lived down there,I live in Ontario Canada and have only had the chance to see the BUCS live once back when Vinny was our QB ,we beat Detoit 48 – 17 in Detroit.I would love the chance to see the BUCS live every Sunday.I have been a long time Buc fan and with this new staff and re-newed team core how can you not be excited?Please BUC fans unite before they start talking about better citys to play in,I Know your economy and I am sorry to here that, I just would hate to see Tampa lose this Great team.GOOD LUCK to Tampa and good luck to the BUCS
March 26th, 2012 at 11:37 am
I’m just glad there weren’t enough fans so that I could move my tickets from the East side to the West side. Wont have to deal with as many visitors. thank God.
March 26th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Peter what the hell are you talking about? What door greeter do you know that’s gotten fired because someone stole something? Stop talking
March 26th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Re: transplants.
The measure of a city’s stature is by the number of people moving to it. You don’t hear about massive waves of people moving to Detroit, Green Bay or St. Louis.
The more people jump off the band wagon, the more room there for new fans when we get hot again.
March 26th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I’m a contractor in lutz, built about 12 custom homes a year until 2008. Last one I finished in Avila 2009. Going on 3 years doing only repairs and renovations. Busy? Yes, but margins and total sales way down. This area thrives on service industries and construction and both are crap now. Before 2008 I had subs, vendors and suppliers asking if I wanted to attend Bucs games every weekend it seemed, now crickets.
It’s the economy stupid.
March 26th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
whoa whoa whoa !!!! we’re not even to the draft and we’re talking about a lack of season ticket buys? lets pump the brakes here a little bit people. jeez
March 26th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
It IS the economy for many fans who would otherwise be buying tickets.
But those who CHOOSE other means for their entertainment dollar do exactly that, CHOOSE.
Truth is, many of them are bandwagoneers who only want to be part of the winning years. Bully for them. I’ll take the base fans I see at every game every time over the years.
March 26th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Pete Dutcher:
“All this time people were claiming they would not buy tickets because the Glazers were cheap…just shows how full of crap those people were (you know who you are)”
9 years of cheap ass skimming off of the pay roll, and you expect it to turn around just like that?
Shame you you, Pete.
The Tampa Bay fans are recently unaware that games occur on Sundays.
1 off season of spending isn’t going to cure everything. We need to win.
Additionally, what about all of those fans who spent money on tickets last year, and the prior 7-8 years before that?
Should they get their money back, as part of “quality assurance”.
“Build through the draft” sounds a lot like, “We are cheap, don’t care, and are interested in shipping 1 home game overseas”.
March 26th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
I will be at every game, regardless of our roster or record.
March 26th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
1st time season ticket holder right here! Just got them last week. Who else just got them or already had them?
March 27th, 2012 at 1:47 am
I got my season tickets a few days after they signed Vjack, and Carl Nicks. I believe we are on the brink of turning around and being playoff competitive and i wanna see it happen in person.
I agree with SteveK. For *some* fans it was about the money and showing the *want* to win. For MOST fans it is about winning. It is very hard to brag or be proud of a losing team.
Look at the difference from 2010 to 2011. It was a dramatic change in moral amongst the fans.