Sellout For Monday Night Getting Close
September 27th, 2011Joe has been peppered with questions since the Bucs beat the Dixie Chicks about the Monday Night game with the Colts.
“Will the game be sold out?” is common denominator question Joe gets. By the jist of it, many of the queries are from people to cheap/lazy to go to a game so they can sponge at home and watch the game on TV.
Word from Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, via the TBO Bucs Twitter feed, is that ticket sales are close to selling out.
Word from the Bucs is that there are only about 2,000 tickets remaining for the MNF game against the Colts. A sellout is very possible.
If this actually happens, it would break a string of 10 straight home game blackouts.
But Joe must emphasize this is not a sold out game. Tickets need to be sold by Friday night, which is the NFL mandate of selling out a game 72 hours prior to kickoff.
Joe has to admit he is very surprised by this. Coming strictly from a football mentality, why in the world would anyone want to drop cash to see the Peyton Manning-less Dolts and if lucky, you may get home by midnight instead of watching Matty Ice and the Dixie Chicks, a game which wasn’t sold out? To Joe, there’s not even a comparison which game he would prefer to spend cash to watch.
Yet the Dixie Chicks game was not sold out. Joe doesn’t get it but Joe’s not a marketing dude.
Quick question? If the Rays make the playoffs and have a game Monday night, will that prevent a Bucs sellout?
September 27th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
Only 2k tickets left? It’s time for the Glazers to step up and buy them and give them to the Boys & Girls Clubs or to their players foundations and charities.
September 27th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
flmike:
The Glazers do that each game for the Glazer Family Foundation.
September 27th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
this game is selling out, joe, bc it is an event. this is an event town and if it is the ‘cool’ thing to do everyone will come out. manning or not.
September 27th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Good for them, but this would guarantee a sell-out. Which will only help them and the organization.
September 27th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
just bought 2 tickets. so now they only need 1,998 tickets to sell… WINNING!
September 27th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
just bought 5 tix now only 1,993
September 27th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
“By the jist [sic] of it, many of the queries are from people to [sic] cheap/lazy to go to a game so they can sponge at home and watch the game on TV.”
Thanks, “Joe”. That makes me feel so much better about being unemployed. That was great.
September 27th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Tristian:
Joe feels your pain, but as Joe was discussing with a Bucs beat writer a couple of weeks ago, if someone REALLY wanted to go to a game, people had how many months to squirrel away a couple of bucks here, a couple of bucks there, and pretty soon even in tight times, would have cash to go to a game of their choice?
Joe’s not here to tell anyone how to spend their cash or if they choose to go/not to go to a game, they are bad/good fans. If people actually valued going to a Bucs game as prime entertainment, people would buy tickets. For whatever reason, going to a Bucs game isn’t as valued as it once was.
If people choose not to go to an NFL game, there’s always the risk that game won’t be televised.
Joe believes Gary Shelton nailed it when he wrote how it’s a double standard that people don’t scream about a Van Halen or Bruce Springsteen concert in Tampa isn’t televised.
Joe also liked the text to JP yesterday. If people applied the same standard to Berns as they do the Glazers, where is the outrage that Berns doesn’t cut prices by 80 percent because so many people can’t afford it?
September 27th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
As mentioned earlier in the post; this is not just an NFL game it’s an event. The weather here in Tampa plays a huge part in games early in the year. When you’re young it doesn’t matter what the weather is, but 95 degrees will take a toll on anyone over 40 and that is pretty much the average age bracket. This will be a nice night at Raymond James Stadium and I’m proud of everyone who stepped up and bought tickets. I just wish I could be there sharing a beer and the experience.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
I just bought 1,993 tickets. Get ready to see the BUCS!!!!!
September 27th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
I also think the biggest reason the Bucs aren’t as attractive as they once were. It’s simple. Broadcasting is the culprit. When the Bucs started becoming winners in the late 90’s changed their uniform and got a new stadium. In Tampa, that was really the only thing to do, or go see a crappy ice hockey team or even worse baseball team. But the key factor was. As long as Tampa was winning alot and getting attention. They also got the prime time schedules. A bunch of MNF and afternoon to evening games. That is more attractive to an audience then 1pm in the summer afternoon. Even with a great game. It just sucks. I bet if they keep winning and getting those afternoon/night games. The ticket sells will be way better.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Hey Joe, in reference to your Bern’s comparison, the outrage isn’t tere, because an entire community in maligned by talking heads and gas bags in the media all over the country when tables aren’t filled at Bern’s. Every enterprise should feel free to charge what they’d like for their product- just don’t whine or shame a community when citizen’s can’t afford the bloated prices you are charging for what has been a sub standad product with poor public relations. This community has been a better fan base than this ranchise has deserved for most of this team’s existence.
By the way, to further rebuke your Bern’s analogy, Bern’s doesn’t serve food in a publicly funded restaurant.
September 27th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
no Peyton Manning, But Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are looking pretty scary…
September 28th, 2011 at 7:45 am
I cannot go to the game…but I bought a ticket. This is the second time I’ve done this…the first time I regretted it. If we don’t get a sellout this time, it’s the last time I’m doing it.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:56 am
Joe,
I’m all for getting people to buy tickets, but you clearly have no idea what it’s like right now. You say we had months to prepare? What if we’ve had no income for months, other than enough to pay rent and one bill?
I managed to buy a ticket, yes, but what you don’t know is that to do so I’m going without gass to use my stove for the month. It’s a sacrifice I’ve decided to make, but we’ve no right to ask the same of anyone else. So I take cold showers and cook with a crockpot, george freman grill, microwave and a fry daddy (which also works as an electric pot).
So before you pass judgement on people, consider these things. I felt the same way you did, but I’ve gained an ew appreciateion for how bad the economy is right now.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:39 am
I’m a season ticket holder…. and personally, if you weren’t there last week, I don’t want you there this week. You’re a bunch of FRONT RUNNERS doing something because it’s COOL not because you want to support the team.
Wait a second! I thought tickets were too expensive! The economy, blah, blah, blah!! Well ticket prices didn’t just magically drop. Face it, our fans suck. People only want to go because it’s MNF.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:59 am
Adam…that’s a pretty bad attitude. Do you think by calling people out they will see your point and start going to games?
Isn’t the idea to increase ticket sales?
If the Bucs sellout and win Monday night, more fans will start attending games. Like it or not…that’s the way it is. And selling out has benefits, so you should be encouraging people to buy tickets for whatever reason they choose.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
I’ve had 2 season tickets for a long time; I sure welcome anyone that can make it. Having packed, rowdy stadiums is much more fun and the vibe is great. If I only budgeted 1 or 2 games for the beginning of the season it would have been the Indy and Dallas primetime night games.