Official Attendance: 58,191
October 1st, 2012
If you noticed a hearty crowd at the Redskins-Bucs game yesterday, and a few too many Redskins fans, you weren’t hallucinating.
Official attendance was 58,191, up from 51K and change for the Bucs’ home-opener against Carolina.
Per the Tampa Sports Authority, the government outfit that runs Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs’ home seats 65,000, and about 15,000 of those seats are labeled “premium,” aka club seats, luxury suites, etc.
Of the remaining 50,000 non-premium seats, the Bucs need to sell 42,500 of those seats 72 hours before kickoff to avoid a local television blackout under the NFL’s “85 percent” rule the Bucs signed up for before the season.
That didn’t happen, but clearly the Bucs sold/distributed 85 percent of those non-premium tickets.
Joe was told walk-up sales were brisk yesterday.
While the Bucs lost, it just saddens Joe that so many fans who would have enjoyed the game were denied access to the game on TV. In this specific case, it just feels like the blackout rule makes no sense, when ticket sales appear to have met the sales goal but not the deadline.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:50 am
It’s on the fans buy the tickets before the deadline. 85% and still can’t sell out, this community has zero passion for our area. It’s pathetic!!!
October 1st, 2012 at 9:18 am
Rather than see the glass half empty…I prefer to view this as a good sign. It means interest is rising…even with the losses.
I thi k the community is starting to sense how close this team is to turning things around.
JOE, how do the sales compare to Dungy’s first year? From just before the team turned things around?
Yesterday’s game reminded me a LOT of the early Dungy years. So does the team unity and determination.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:28 am
This guy is no Dungy.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:49 am
Win football games and the fans will show up, its as simple as that…..last I checked the Bucs are 1-3..
October 1st, 2012 at 9:50 am
@eric…he is better than Dungy
October 1st, 2012 at 9:57 am
Fans are afraid of being fined for hands on hips, cursing, spitting, lords name in vain etc
Losing 13/14, boring offense, most exciting RB is Buc history riding the pine, DUI, $4 gas, exorbitant parking costs
October 1st, 2012 at 10:06 am
blah,blah, blah ^^^^^^^
October 1st, 2012 at 10:24 am
Tbuc,
I wouldnt say its not because buc fans aren’t loyal its probably because most people don’t get payed til friday and the deadline is on Thursday, if we wernt loyal that stadium would have never went over 50,000 on sunday!
Good to see the fans showing up though!
October 1st, 2012 at 10:57 am
Tbuc and Miguel El estupido do us all a favour and SHUT THE HELL UP
October 1st, 2012 at 11:01 am
Fans will go when this becomes a TEAM. People want to see Football. Not just Defense and special Teams. Yes the other team will score. But they DON’T want to waste money to watch the defense play all day with maybe a sprinkle of 3 and out offense. Or a little lone 1 TD offense then maybe minor 1 or 2 field goal days. Yesturday was a prime example. A couple lucky bombs and for once 2 TD’S. But they were not long drives. The rest? Field goals as usual and long distance. If the skins don’t beat themselves and their kicker does not miss the kicks the game is not close. That is what people will NOT pay to see. Even if I could go I would not go to see the defense play all day with no or little offense. How hard is that to figure out??
October 1st, 2012 at 11:55 am
I was there yesterday and the stadium was full. They have more than a few kinks to work out to make the experience better though. Still 30-40 minute waits at almost every gate just to get in. Half the fans were late for kickoff! At least 30 minute waits for EVERY consession stand plus running out of food & beverages. Whoever is in charge of Food & Beverage; I’m available as a consultant. This would be unexceptable in any other venue! The game experience is getting better and you can see this team is about ready to turn things around. Still scratching my head about the Barron play though. Maybe someone has some insight on that ruling.
October 1st, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Chipbuc- I’m there every Sunday section 331. I can call out this bandwagon, excuse filled fan base since I spend my $$. If you are watching ur choppy Internet feeds ur part of the problem.
October 1st, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I was there yesterday sec 148 and had a blast! I don’t see how it’s not a fun experience at all for some people
October 1st, 2012 at 12:41 pm
As someone who was at the game I can tell you there were a ton of Washington fans at that game. Don’t ask me why. On top of that these fans acted like they owned the stadium. They were rude, obnoxious, and I would like to see these same fans show up in Philly and act that way. They were almost as bad as Boston fans. Poor showing D.C. Poor showing.
October 1st, 2012 at 1:32 pm
I thought the stadium looked full. Usually the open seats are in the sunny side corners and upper seats towards the top. Lots of peple hang out at the ship or on the other side by the Miller Lite section that buy the upper deck seats.
I have had season tickets since 98, section 113. Our section is always made up of Bucs fans, loud and cheering. The 1st half was bad, 2nd half was very dissapointing. I still can’t believe that Barron call, it was horrible.
The defense letting RG3 run for 2 td’s on the exact same play is inexcusable. Not opening the offense until late in the 3rd or the 4th.
October 1st, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Bucnjim,
Agree with everything you say. The metal detectors are taking way longer than the pat downs. And the concession stands and vendors behind section 137 ran out of water AGAIN! Now if you were able to sell a bottle of water for $4.50, don’t you think you’d have plenty of it available on a hot day.
And Joe, not sure if you know why, but the Bucs keep insisting that as part of the new “fan experience” we are supposed to be seeing the same thing as the referee when he is under the hood looking at a challenge, yet they usually show one replay and freeze it and then it just stays like that.
October 1st, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Joe,
The fact that the Bucs sold 58,000+ plus and the game was still blacked out from television befuddles my mind. It’s nearly shades of the Steelers game from two years ago when it was blacked out. Were the Glazers even close to meeting the 85% rule when the blackout deadline neared? In many cases when NFL teams were close to meeting sellout deadlines (roughly 2,000 or so), they would usually ask the league for an extension, buy out all the remaining necessary seats or have sponsors chip in. I just simply wonder if the Glazers even care about putting home games on television and if Bucs fans will be able to see any home games on local television whether they meet the 85% threshold or not. Before the season began, I predicted that only the Dec. 9th game against Philly would not be blacked out. I hate to think I could be wrong about that game.
Is there any word on if any of the remaining six Bucs home games are even close to selling out? Especially that Eagles game where the 2002 team will be honored?
The only consolation about Sunday’s blackout was the fact that the Saints-Packers game finished well enough that FOX switched everybody to the Bucs game with less than two minutes remaining (before Connor Barth kicked the go-ahead field goal to give the Bucs the lead).
I am so distraught right now.
October 1st, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Tbuc I am as far from the problem as you can get, i have had season tickets since they drafted vinny.I just need a break from all the negative jack asses on this board that expect instant results. Give schino a chance to get his team on track. Unbelievable.
October 1st, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Chip,
I agree! There is a much better Bucs team on the Horizon. The problem is; the league has turned the NFL into flag football. If the QB gets touched; FLAG! The hit couldn’t have been more text book; yet they get a personal foul to extend their drive.
October 1st, 2012 at 7:24 pm
freaking embrassing walking out of the stadium hearing rg111 chants and hail to the redskins, are you freaking kidding me, If you want to see the game, shell out the money and go in person and enjoy the experience. These people are crazy, was surrounded by redskins fans who drove me crazy, and guess what there not from washington, they were from polk county, PEOPLE GET OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR TEAM, I WORK A SECOND JOB SO I CAN MAKE IT OUT TO THE GAMES, NO MORE EXCUSES PEOPLE, DONT COMPLAIN WHEN YOU HAVE THE SOLUTION IN YOUR OWN HANDS SUPPORT YOUR TEAM. STOP WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GIVE YOU A FREE GAME, SUCK IT UP AND MAKE IT HAPPEN