Bucs Open One Training Camp Practice To Non-Season Ticket Holders And Non-Specialty Groups
June 28th, 2023
Bucs tight end Ko Kieft signs a ball for a young fan (“premium season ticket holder?”) last year at training camp.
Joe knew, absolutely knew, this would happen.
For proof that quarterback Tom Brady’s playing days are over, look no further than the Bucs’ training camp schedule.
For proof the Bucs mostly value fans who drop cash in their inbound-revenue accounts, the Bucs have allowed a grand total of one 2023 training camp practice for the unwashed to attend and watch their beloved Buccaneers.
Uno. One.
Hey, it’s an improvement over none. As Joe’s old man used to say, “Something is better than nothing.”
Look, Joe is a capitalist. Joe understands taking care of folks who take care of you. This is totally above board and reasonable in every way.
But why do it. Why give the foundation of your fanbase the back of the hand like this?
Since Brady signed with the Bucs in 2020, fans who didn’t own season tickets (or who were not considered “premium krewe members,” krewe members or members of special groups) have been banned from training camp practices. To be fair, no one was allowed to watch practices in 2020 because of The Sickness.
This is a sticking point with the Bucs and it is a sticking point with Joe. This is not meant to enrage anyone at One Buc Palace (though Joe knows it will).
If something stinks, it stinks until it is cleaned up. You can’t just want a pile of dog dung to not stink unless you remove it.
Keep in mind the Bucs have two fewer practices with any fans invited this season — 10 versus 12 last season. So the team does have flexibility to allow in more regular-guy fans.
Let’s review: The Bucs once had an annual fanfest that was both a celebration of the Bucs and the NFL, and a chance for the team to sell gear and tickets. It was great for all. Or so Joe thought.
Then the Bucs did away with fanfest but did have an open practice at the stadium (which was not popular with coaches). Joe was told by a high-level Bucs executive the team did away with the fanfest because the open practice at the stadium now served the same purpose.
Until the Bucs quit having an open practice at the stadium.
Joe was later told the Bucs did away with the open night practice because of the inclement weather and coaches believed it was the equivalent to one less practice. While on face value this made total sense, upon further review, whey couldn’t the team bus players back to the Glazer Shed to finish practice?
Still, most training camp practices were open to the public. So in a sense those served as a daily fanfest. The parking lot behind One Buc Palace was used as sort of a team carnival. Lots of fun activities for kids and adults. Bucs fans of all stripes mingled in unity bonded by their love of the pewter pirates. Life was good.
Until more and more the team reserved the right to watch those practices for those who cut big checks to the team for season tickets, or for select groups (active Armed Forces service men and women and veterans, for example).
And then when Brady signed, there was no fanfest, no open practice at the stadium, no open training camp practices (for the general public) at all.
These once-open practices were now closed unless you coughed up the requisite cash or were a member of a special group. In other words, the Bucs said without saying it they didn’t care about you (unless you had the funds to buy their respect).
Proof is in the pudding. If the Bucs truly cared about fans who don’t own or cannot afford season tickets, the team would do more, much more, than just open the gates to one measly practice.
On a Monday morning (Aug. 14), no less.
Other teams, including in the NFC South, offer many more open practices for non-season ticket holders. Somehow, some way, these teams found a way. It really shouldn’t take a NASA scientist to figure this out.
Last year the Bucs chatted with Joe off the record about this. Joe was told it was, in part, a fire code issue. That the Bucs want all fans who attend practice to be able to go inside the Glazer Shed when/if it rains or storms. As a result, the Bucs have to keep attendance at practice limited to the seating capacity of the Glazer Shed.
Funny, capacity or protecting fans from rain or lightning was never an issue before the Glazer Shed was built, or when it first opened. This only became a thing when Brady was signed.
Actually, Joe never remembers hearing of rampant complaining from fans to the Bucs about getting stuck in the rain at training camp.
There is no reason the Bucs cannot alert fans well in advance that if it starts raining, only a select few (“premium” season ticket holders, perhaps?) can seek shelter in the Glazer Shed. The rest must leave the premises.
It was that way for several years when the site of the Glazer Shed was a parking lot.
Sorry, Joe just thinks this stinks out loud for the average fan. Fans have so much emotionally invested in this team, many through years (decades?) of support when the team frankly deserved little support because it was such a terrible product. These fans are the backbone of the fanbase. Yet the team seems to only care about fans who have sufficient expendable income.
Joe might get chewed out for typing this. Where is Joe wrong? Is there a fanfest Joe is unaware of? Is there an open practice at the stadium the Bucs haven’t announced? If there is, Joe will proudly apologize.
If the Bucs really care about the common fan, they have a funny way of showing it.
Here you go, peasants. You now have one practice you can watch. Don’t dare say we don’t care!
June 28th, 2023 at 11:08 am
I figured this would happen cuz they were making people buy season tickets last year and this year when they knew brady would be gone this year. Glazers are no different than any other greedy owner .
June 28th, 2023 at 11:08 am
What’s the old saying- “Follow the Money Trail.”
June 28th, 2023 at 11:10 am
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwn
June 28th, 2023 at 11:15 am
The Glazers they stand, with a treasure at hand,
As the Bucs on the field, take their gallant stand.
But a shadow’s been cast, over the towering mast,
For the average fan, is tied to the mast.
(Chorus)
Oh Glazers, Oh Glazers, hear our plea,
Eight practices more, for a nominal fee?
The season ticket holders, they have their fun,
But what of the rest, when all is said and done?
(Verse 2)
In the heat of the sun, or the pouring rain,
The fans they cheer, through joy and pain.
They fill the stands, they clap their hands,
Their love for the Bucs, like shifting sands.
(Chorus)
But Glazers, oh Glazers, you’re out of touch,
For many a fan, it’s just too much.
Just one free practice, it’s a miserly sight,
In the home of the brave, it doesn’t feel right.
(Outro)
So listen well, to our Buccaneer song,
It’s the fans, the fans, who make you strong.
Without their cheers, their unwavering might,
The Buccaneers’ ship, would not take flight.
June 28th, 2023 at 11:26 am
Its cause the Glazer folks plan to move the team just like there daddy did back in the day unless we the people paid for the stadium. Which we did and is 100% why them taking our home grown SUPER BOWL winning head coach out of the ROH was the last straw for me and 100% why I will never spend another dime on the team while they own it and hold our city hostage.
BRATS all of them can kick rocks.
June 28th, 2023 at 11:31 am
Crackwise. Please crawl back into your hole.
June 28th, 2023 at 11:33 am
Thank you… Joe!
June 28th, 2023 at 11:35 am
Frankly, I’m fine with only media being able to attend camp…but it is a good incentive for season ticket holders.
So far as the two year season ticket thing last year…it was business savvy. A smart move. Fans might complain about it, especially after the results of last season, but it was still a smart business move.
And to those saying they don’t care about the fans…NFL teams barely make money off ticket sales when compared to media deals. This is about making sure the fans are there at the games.
When they announced the two year requirement, EVERYONE knew why they were doing it, and Season Ticket buyers went into it with eyes open.
Most season ticket buyers tend to buy annually anyway.
June 28th, 2023 at 11:37 am
CrackWise Says
“Its cause the Glazer folks plan to move the team just like there daddy did back in the day unless we the people paid for the stadium.”
Never happened. Not once, since the Glazers bought the team, have they threatened to move it.
At most, media mentioned it…and that’s what you get for letting the media manipulate your emotions if you worried over it.
June 28th, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Being a capitalist is good until it isn’t. Let’s not pretend that capitalism doesn’t eventually cannibalize every little thing we know and love by souless corporate giants. It’s negatively impacting gaming industry with micro transactions, it’s negatively impacting movie industry, Every-thing. But large swaths of people that have been completely brainwashed are going to continue thinking in a vacuum and assume that anyone saying that a system should be legislated harder makes you un American or something
June 28th, 2023 at 12:28 pm
Curious why did the coaches not like the open practices at Ray Jay?
June 28th, 2023 at 12:43 pm
First, they believed it is one less practice because chances are high it will get rained out — despite the Glazer Shed being available.
Second, it is very crowded at the stadium for a practice with a 90-player team. Hardly any space for positional drills.
June 28th, 2023 at 12:56 pm
It is rather shortsighted, those disappointed young kids and some adults who can’t afford it, will someday be able to afford it, but, after years of disappointment and being discriminated against, will they still want to?
June 28th, 2023 at 1:18 pm
Too bad Season Ticket members cannot get access during the season of some sort.
June 28th, 2023 at 1:20 pm
Easy to find,
“However, the Glazer family rejected the plan within hours because it would reduce their revenue, and when local and state government officials did not agree on an alternative taxpayer-financed plan quickly enough for their liking, they threatened to move the Buccaneers elsewhere and were soon meeting with officials from several other cities to explore possible relocation sites.”
June 28th, 2023 at 1:24 pm
@Garrrrrrrrr
I will as soon as your mom comes home.
June 28th, 2023 at 1:32 pm
@Buccaneer Bonzai,
I will give you a pass for not knowing that about Pappa Smurf. Not many of us none bang wagon die hard original Buc fans around these days.
Word to the wise, be careful defending people and things that you do not know or understand.
The Media angle is a nice accusation to throw at someone when you want to expose yourself as someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about and doesn’t want to validate their own claim with FACTs and just flat out LAZY with their opinion.
June 28th, 2023 at 1:44 pm
Joe if you didn’t have press credentials would you also be a peon?
June 28th, 2023 at 1:46 pm
Sorry I meant peasant.
June 28th, 2023 at 2:29 pm
The Jets announced 9 open training camp practices, including joint practices with the Bucs, even with Aaron Rodgers. It can be done!
June 28th, 2023 at 3:04 pm
But for one practice, yes.
June 28th, 2023 at 3:09 pm
Seems like this was Brady’s call.
With all the organization did for him, and a fully supportive fan base that welcomed him with open arms (despite the severe lack of interest in him in free agency) it honestly hurts that he wanted to go to Miami. I’m glad he’s retired. We had two great years and I’m grateful for that, but I don’t miss him. He tried to LeBron our franchise.
Onto Baker.
June 28th, 2023 at 3:31 pm
For those of us not in the Tampa Area this is a BIG NOTHING BURGER. The Glazer and Management team has its reasons, it is their business.
No one forces JBF to push “Bromossa”, ” Big Storm Brewery”, or ” Bill Murry Ford” but JBF does. Oh yeah, that is just a part of your JBF business plan. Who is to tell or ” JUST KNOW” this was going to happen? In the NFL a capitalistic business they will either learn a lesson or earn a few more season ticket members and special clubs members dollars.
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with what you wrote. However, the Bucs don’t portray “their business” as just “their business.” They don’t own their stadium, and there are many other small examples. Regardless, Joe is simply expressing an opinion on locking out fans unnecessarily when many other teams don’t. As for fans outside the area not caring, you’d be surprised by the number of fans traveling in from out of town to attend a couple of practices (shoot, Joe even met people from Germany who came over to watch practices a few years ago) — fans that would buy season tickets but they don’t live locallly to use them. –Joe
June 28th, 2023 at 3:49 pm
Thank-you for sticking up for the little guy Joe. That rarely happens anymore in this selfish, lying society that we’ve become.
June 28th, 2023 at 3:56 pm
Bonzai
While I agree with your setup I do not agree with your conclusion.
“This is about making sure the fans are there at the games.”
Not sure I follow. Forcing folks to buy two years to get one may be good business I don’t know, perhaps as far as revenue but you said that’s not the major reason.
If they wish to increase attendance they need to do EVERYTHING possible to PROMOTE their product including letting people get into some more practices for just the price of a single ticket.
There is the old saying about killing the “Golden Goose”. That obviously is not going to happen in the NFL and as you point out their real $$$ are not in attendance as much as other “rights” TV-radio-merchandise etc.
I guess what I’m trying to say there is maximizing profit and maximizing popularity. I tend to agree with Joe. This move has nothing to do with profit but it could make the team more available to hard core fans thus more popular.
June 28th, 2023 at 4:06 pm
I don’t recall Hugh Culverhouse closing off practices to the public and he was a tad on the greedy side if I recall correctly.
June 28th, 2023 at 4:35 pm
The Bucs, while a business, are part of the community. It does seem a bit hypocritical to have many ‘community’ initiatives (often good PR for the team) but to not have some practices open to the community for people to get a glimpse of the team itself.
When you don’t even own the stadium, I personally think 5-10% of game tickets should be given away to the community in different ways so many can see a game that can’t normally afford to go. Some of the lowest income earners in the Tampa area have helped PAY for the stadium through the half-cent sales tax (Community Investment Tax) that all people in the area end up paying.
I’m with you, Joe, having open practices to the public is the LEAST the Bucs can do. If capacity is an issue then do it on a first come, first served basis and let people willing to invest their TIME wait in lines early to get a spot, but don’t just make it about who spent the most on tickets.
June 28th, 2023 at 5:58 pm
I am a little confused, don’t the folks who pay for season tickets deserve a perk? I don’t think it’s unfair to give them options on multiple days. The area isn’t that big and parking isn’t exactly plentiful over there. I think it’s unnecessary dig at ownership that bought us Brady and a Super Bowl. Just stirring up more nonsense for those that will never appreciate anything.
June 28th, 2023 at 7:59 pm
Maybe I just don’t get it … While Brady was here, there were ZERO open practices for non-season ticket holders. Now, there is one. Isn’t this a small step in the right direction?
June 28th, 2023 at 8:20 pm
Never suggested that at all. From what Joe gathers, season ticket holders have all sorts of perks that non-season ticket holders will never get a chance at. Nice try “stirring up nonsense.”
June 28th, 2023 at 8:50 pm
Tell it Joe. Great rant. They miss so many opportunities. Soo much potential there. Think of all the empty seats. GO BUCS. In Wirfs I trust.
June 29th, 2023 at 9:20 am
Thanks, Joe!
I absolutely agree 100% with you.
It’s sad for the commom fan not be important for the team we love so much.
June 29th, 2023 at 11:49 pm
I Remember the days when I could watch Practice at UT for free with no ticket of any kind. Loved watching Vinny try to hit the corner end zone passes in goal line.
The Glazers can build an air conditioned practice dome but God forbid one of the unwashed (non season ticket holders) should ever see the inside of it.
This kind of thing has been going on since the Public tax dollars built their stadium for them. Half of the stadium is inaccessable to the unwashed!
Not a good look Team Glazer!
One practice….Pffft!
June 30th, 2023 at 12:08 am
RustyRhinos Says:
June 28th, 2023 at 3:31 pm
For those of us not in the Tampa Area this is a BIG NOTHING BURGER. The Glazer and Management team has its reasons, it is their business.
No one forces JBF to push “Bromossa”, ” Big Storm Brewery”, or ” Bill Murry Ford” but JBF does. Oh yeah, that is just a part of your JBF business plan. Who is to tell or ” JUST KNOW” this was going to happen? In the NFL a capitalistic business they will either learn a lesson or earn a few more season ticket members and special clubs members dollars.
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with what you wrote. However, the Bucs don’t portray “their business” as just “their business.” They don’t own their stadium, and there are many other small examples. Regardless, Joe is simply expressing an opinion on locking out fans unnecessarily when many other teams don’t. As for fans outside the area not caring, you’d be surprised by the number of fans traveling in from out of town to attend a couple of practices (shoot, Joe even met people from Germany who came over to watch practices a few years ago) — fans that would buy season tickets but they don’t live locallly to use them. –Joe
I really hate it when people attempt to express other peoples opinions on things without any attempt to find out whether or not there is any truth to it.
I am about as far away from my home town of Tampa as humanly possible about 15,000 miles. I will never again see the inside of Ray Jay, but I assure you this kind of thing bothers this Bucs fan and is not a “BIG NOTHING BURGER”!
Please speak for your self only.