Cheap Tickets Update
September 6th, 2011
As promised, Joe’s been monitoring TicketMaster.com as a public service to Bucs fans and, as of 12:45 p.m., all $35 tickets for Sunday’s home-opener are gone. Hundreds were released Sunday, but they’re history.
The cheapest seats available now, including service charge are $71.25. Those are upper deck seats with the majority the west side of the C.I.T.S. Various secondary market websites have tickets available for about $50.
Interestingly, the Bucs will have nearly all tickets sold on the east side, which will look great on television — for those far outside Tampa Bay TV market.
September 6th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
That’s nice to know. Hope Tampa eventually feels it’s worth spending money on the tickets. I’m obviously too far in Fresno CA, but I was able to see last years opening game and drove 12 hours from North Carolina to see the game. 45 hour drive is just a little too far and a flight now is not in my budget either… GO BUCS!
September 6th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Joe, this really is an interesting topic. I hope you continue to dig deeper and peel back this onion on seats not getting sold. It would be nice to isolate just what types of seats not selling out. Really good job so far. Thanks for the due dilligence. Keep finding this root cause. Thanks!
September 6th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Joe here,
Amazing how this Bright House Internet outage across Pinellas and Pasco is cutting back traffic today. Just goes to show how Joe’s audience is hyperlocal. … Thought of this as the one comment here is from Fresno.
September 6th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Mine was out in Tampa, too,
September 6th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Well, as of 8/19/11, you have a follower located in Grand Cayman
(moved here from Tampa two weeks ago)
September 6th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Cannon:
Ah, Dutch babes, diving, beautiful weather year-round and legal wagering.
Joe could get used to such a nirvana.
September 6th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
FIOS here and nice work on the tickets. Intrigued by the group ticket thing as well as it seems to be a nice way around any issues the league may have with owner purchase (if the league had an issue with that, which, um, maybe they don’t)
September 6th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Cincinnati here — my GF (who lives in FL) bought me tickets to the ATL game for my birthday.
I wonder if the Bucs made the $35 seats all on the same side of the stadium to make it appear better on TV?
September 6th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Derek:
This Joe has earthlink via Out House, so Joe had to escape to a Panera for work. Joe just read a massive headline on the Times site that spoke of untold thousands were not without internet, but without (gasp!) Bay Sludge 9! Joe just can hear the shattering of store front windows from the angry masses rioting out of control on Central Avenue after being deprived of such a service!
September 6th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
It does seem to prove on thing. It’s money, not loyalty that’s the issue. Fans scoff up on the cheap seats. Shows there is an eager fan base- they’re just poor. In this economy- who isn’t? Glad to see that anyway.
Again- where is corporate support?? Teams don’t count on the average fan to fill stadiums, they count on corporations buying blocks of tickets to use as perks to clients/ customers. Heckva a lot of big company’s call the Tampa bay area home- Publix can’t splurge for a couple hundred tickets? Outback? Hooters? There are some companies that have made a fortune in this area. They can’t afford the good press for helping prevent blackouts?? That’s just biting the hands that feed you!
September 6th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
THey should probably all dump OutHouse and get with the times. FiOS is where its at…and now I’ve got NFL Sunday Ticket coming to my PS3!
September 6th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Capt. Tim:
It’s a whole lot more than just a couple of hundred tickets that need to be sold to avoid a blackout.
September 6th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
The $35 seats are only on the East Side… facing the sun all day. Also, many, many of these seats were gobbled up by scalpers. How do I know? My buddy sits on the corner of Himes and TB Blvd with stacks of tickets he bought to scalp. He has 200+ tickets in sections 341-343… all $35 each for him… $50+ to you on gamedays. I suggest you pony up the extra $130 in difference and buy season tickets in section 306 or scan stub hub now for West Side seats that are roughly about the same now as gameday $35 seats will be.
September 6th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
What I don’t understand is why the tickets on the EAST side sold out before those on the WEST side. I always assumed they went for the same price according to section, that the $35 seats were for the upper corner seats.
I tried to get lower level WEST side season tickets, an upgrade from my upper west side seats but was told there were no good ones left. I’m seven rows up at the 45 yard line, good seats but want to go down this year.
The sun is very much a factor as to why I didn’t go to the east side.
So……are east side tickets cheaper all along the sections Joe?
Curious Garv awaiting answers…………
September 6th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
@Cannon and Joe,
There’s a lot more there than just gambling that’s legal 🙂 Great place to be there, visited on a cruise one time and seriously did not want to leave. Freaking beautiful, and the water is actually clear!
I appreciate these updates as well Joe. And I too think it shows that there is an eager fan base, albeit a frugal and or poor one. It’s more fans buying the seats than scalpers
September 6th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Hey Joe, I know this is a bit off topic but the comments were off on the Blackout Tour post; What is the ETA at Derby Lane after the game?
September 6th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Jrock:
In the Caymans???
Ahem, if I get your drift right, I thought that was the nearby ABC islands? 🙂
September 6th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Bright House was out in Bradenton as well.
September 6th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
How many tickets are left?
September 6th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
My goal right now is to find a local bar down here that has the NFL Network…
September 6th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
The $71.00 seats are a good deal. I just watched the Bulls play the Irish for $79.00. I was way up in the end zone. Great time with a crazy football game. Caught the Cubs in Chicago on Sunday, and they sold out the stadium and the roof tops were packed as well. I was one row from the top in left field for $45.00. Tise Chicago fans are crazy fun!
September 6th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
JJoe, can youi change my name before the last postb hiots?
September 6th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
As Capt.Time said:
This absolutely proves what I’ve been saying all along….if the tickets are priced right people will go.
September 6th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
McBuc:
???????????????????????
September 6th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
I put a post in, and used my real name…It said it was being held for mediation or something. If not, you can leave it in the filter. It was just about going to the Bulls game in South Bend and the Cubs game in Chicago and how much they cost…and still sold out…
September 6th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Oh, and speedy fat finger typing…
September 6th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
It is already above, no worries, just did not want anyone from work to spot it.
September 6th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
@Garv,
“What I don’t understand is why the tickets on the EAST side sold out before those on the WEST side. I always assumed they went for the same price according to section, that the $35 seats were for the upper corner seats.”
The $35 seats are only in the upper corners of the east side sections 330, 331, 341, 342. The same seats on the west side would cost you $71.
The next cheapest seats are the very ends of the upper east side corners 327-329 and 342-344 for $44. They are again $71 on the opposite side.
September 6th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
since the cheap tix sold out so quickly (they were gone yesterday) why wouldnt the bucs put a couple thousand more on sale and use the excuse that because of the leroy selmon tribute they were pricing them so everybody could afford to go. they would get great pub and wouldn’t piss off previous buyers due to the tribute. makes too much sense to me!!!!!
September 6th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Can’t go to the game and want to watch the game on a delayed basis? NFL.com makes the game available to blackout areas.
Joe, care to explain?
I believe its explained here…
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8127eb87&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
September 6th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Morgan:
Not sure what needs to be explained, it’s self-explanatory and nothing new.
Residents in the Tampa and Orlando markets have a 72-hour window to watch the game for free on NFL.com beginning at midnight. This has been in place for a year now.
When people claim they can’t watch the game if it’s blacked out, that’s just not so. It is available on NFL Sunday Ticket at midnight via NFL Short Cuts and on NFL.com.
September 6th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Joe- true, Publix buying a couple hundred won’t stop
The blackout. But Publix, Hooters, OutBack, Winn Dixie, etc, all buying a couple hundred would. This happens everywhere else, why doesn’t it happen in Tampa. Corporations donate the tickets to handicapped/ needy kids. The community loves them for it. They get a big tax right off – and games are on TV! I have heard of this yapping in Tampa, but not in years. This companies can’t think all this bad publicity for the bay Area puts them in a good light- can they? Hard to draw new business to an area perceived as economically on it’s death bed, to poor to support it’s local teams!
September 6th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
It’s worth pointing out that the internet delay for blacked-out games started two years ago. It just so happens all eight Bucs home games were relegated to this status last year.
As mentioned, it is available the midnight after the game and can only be viewed for a 72-hour period and it can not be viewed during Monday Night Football (and MNF has a doubleheader in Week 1).
September 6th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Btw- pft reporting we are only week 1 blackout
September 6th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
maybe the G’Boyz should offer tickets to self admitted crybaby fault finders…they can have their own section, hopefully, and pay whatever they feel is fair….after the game of course !
September 6th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Sounds like Bryan Glazer is the biggest crybaby of them all. Have you heard him whining about not selling out the games for his team on local radio? I feel sooooo bad for the dude. How will be pay for that mansion in Palm Beach or make payroll for Man U?
September 6th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Joe here,
@Morgan — C’mon now. Joe posted the link to the full audio of the Glazer interview (below). There was no whining about ticket sales at all.
September 6th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
@JOE
So what do you think are the chances that the Tampa area will be able to see the game?
September 6th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Patrick:
Three percent.
September 6th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
2 tries to post, and no luck Joe.
September 7th, 2011 at 8:47 am
Cap’t Tim, Pepin (budweiser) complained in an article either last year or the year before, about the way the Bucs were treating Them about their suites. And he claimed that they dropped the suite because if it. If the Glazers treated Pepin like that, can you imagine how they treated the rest of the corporations in and around Tampa Bay? The bottm line is Glazer greed. Since old Malcom’s demise the Sons have done nothing without the bottom line profit for them in mind. From season tickets to Corporate sponsers, to Coaching, and to players. They have dug their own hole and they willo have to dig their way out of it too. From a waiting list for season tix, to a full season of black-outs, the silent majority has spoken by not buying tickets to Bucs games. Not even hiring the White house Spin Doctor has helped with the silent majority. And it will continue this year!