The Clock Is Running Out
September 30th, 2011
OK, so Joe is getting queries about this so he’ll let ‘er fly.
It seems as of the moment Joe is typing this post, the Bucs game Monday night is not yet sold out, per NFL.com blogger Jenna Laine and Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times.
Laine reached out to the Bucs a short time ago and found out the Monday night game with the Colts has yet to sell out.
@JennaLaineBucs: Just spoke to representative within Bucs organization…tickets for Monday Night Football ARE still available.
Holder wrote this afternoon about the specifics of the clock is working against Bucs fans.
The Bucs face an 8:30 p.m. deadline tonight to declare a sellout of their Monday Night Football game against the Colts that would permit the game to be shown on local television.
Ticket sales were said by the team to be brisk as of Tuesday, when the club said just 2,000 tickets remained. So far, however, no official word of a sellout has come down.
To be bluntly honest, Joe will be slightly surprised if the game is not blacked out.
It still mystifies Joe that the Dixie Chicks game — a game against a division foe, a team some suggest is a Super Bowl contender with a Hollywood star-type of quarterback — wouldn’t come close to selling out last week yet a game against a winless team without a quarterback scheduled on a worknight when fans would be lucky to make it home sober by midnight would sell out.
Throw in the miraculous rally by the Rays to clinch a playoff berth with their first home playoff game being played at the Fruitdome in St. Petersburg just a few hours before kickoff Monday night, well, Joe can understand how the game against the Dolts wouldn’t sell out.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Joe .. The Glazers are business men … This Game will be on TV. They will create the Image the Stadium can sell out once again and get the game in the faces of many people.
Lets face it, the Bucs game is a huge advertisement for Fans. It is worth buying up remaining tickets at this point. But what the Heck do I know ?
September 30th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
1322 Left on Ticket master as “NEW” not reseller tickets. so the Buccaneers sold…. 700 tickets between Tuesday and now. That obviously not counting all the people who bought tickets second hand on stub hub for less than face value.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
I’ll be amazed if the Glazers don’t throw down 5k or 10k$ to get this thing on T.V. In front of 1.5 million people in the greater Tampa Area.
Hell Donate the last 1000 tickets to McDill AFB or something.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
USMC-BUC:
Joe cannot emphasize how grossly inaccurate the TicketMaster site is for this information. You’re better off going to a handreader in Madeira Beach for an estimate.
September 30th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
If it’s within a thousand or so short and the Royal Glazerbaum’s DON’T but the remaining tickets to get the game televised than they are nasty, mean spirited AND cheap.
I’m going anyway but to keep sp many fans in the dark when it’s this close is beyond stupid IMO. Hey, some of us who go, who PAY for the damn tickets to every home game not played in LONDON, would like to tape or DVR it to view again later. But hell, we apparently don’t matter much.
OK, hoping I’m jumping the gun. Hopefully it does sell out or the Royal’s do buy the few remaining tickets and give them to the military or police.
September 30th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
I have defending the Glazers in this blackout thing because it is a league policy and telling them they need to by up 10-15 thousand tickets at XX dollars each is a little presumptious. (Of course prices should never have been raised the past 7 years).
In this matter though: It is a Monday night game and they are within 2,000 tickets. If they and the TV networks do NOT buy them up if needed, then I, personally, will NOT go to another live game this year and next.
This MUST be televised.
September 30th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
jvato24
I agree but there have been a few other games that were pretty close and they didn’t do it… of course they weren’t nationally televised on Monday Night either.
I can not imagine they would let this be blacked out.
I think it will cause them to LOSE more fans than it will cause fans to buy tickets.
September 30th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Even if tcket master is correct at 1322 left that would be a capacity which is 65,892 sell out is 65,000 so that would be only 432 tix left. I am sure the Glaziers and espn will buy them up
September 30th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Joe here,
Remember, only non-premium tickets count toward the blackout. So the 12,000 club seats at The C.I.T.S. have absolutely no bearing. Official attendance could be 58,000 and change on Monday and still be blacked out.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
I hope this game is not blacked out. I am so sick of this rule the people that can afford to go to the games go. And every now and then those of us that cant will also go. For the million other fans it makes for a miserable sunday. I font know if the Glazers read these posts but if there is only a few hundred left please help the million fan that will be without their bucs
September 30th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Glazers should buy everyone in the Rays organization tickests and have them wear their jerseys at the game!!!!
September 30th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
I don’t agree that the Glazers owe the public anything in this case. It’s up to the fans to sell out the stadium, not the owners. They’ve been within a couple thousand before over the past couple years and didn’t give in to the outcry. Since this is MNF I wouldn’t be surprised if it “sells out” at the last minute but morally and ethically the owners aren’t responsible for whether that happens or not. Close may count in horseshoes but not in the NFL. Get over it.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Per Eric Deggans, Rich Pegram (GM of WFTS – the affiliate slated to carry the MNF game) has all but guaranteed the game will air. They’re moving the popular “Dancing With The Stars” to 1:35 AM.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
If there is only around 500 tickets left, Glazers better buy them or give them away. This is a game that can not be blacked out.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
I never said the Glazers owe the public anything. Flyboy!!!! Just asking for a little help for the game. The Glazers do alot for the community so I’m not complaining about them. So I really dont have anything to get over!!!!!!!!!! That was a little irritating.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
chargedcbh
The Rays organization will be in the Trop playing a baseball game until about 8-8:30………. I guess they could make it over by halftime after they are done.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
The Times reported earlier in the week that the Glazers donated 2000 tiks to something to get us this close, so not sure if they will do it again, or maybe them doing that is incentive to get it done
September 30th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Flboy can come across like poison ivy, very irritating!
BTW wonder how you’d feel, if you lived here and not in Dallass and couldn’t afford to go?
September 30th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Hey Dave I guess you can tell I am not a baseball fan lol
September 30th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Thank oar. Flboys post just pissed me off. There are alot of bucs fans that just cant afford to go me being one of them. I try to help people every day to make things a little easier on them, I dont expect anything from anyone but a little help would be nice for the fans.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Tampa Sports Fans can’t attend both games, and many will be in St Pete supporting the Rays.
Still, I hope the game sells out, so Tampa can avoid further national embarrassment!
September 30th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
chargedcbh:
Maybe the Rays organization might make it by the fourth quarter… if the game doesn’t go to extra innings :/
September 30th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Jimmy Delach:
There is nothing in that article to remotely suggest that the general manager of WFTS “has all but guaranteed the game will air.”
Delaying a prime time program to later in the evening takes as much effort as programming a DVR to record a show. Those dots don’t connect.
As always, Joe kindly requests people e-mail links of interest to Joe rather than posting them.
September 30th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
If there are only 1,500 or so tickets left at $100 average which is high, they pay $34 per ticket per NFL rules that is $52,500 out of the Glazers pockets. That should be nothing for them considering they don’t advertise barley anywhere in the Bay area or Orlando. They can sell some at walk up, unlike the Steelers game!! To not have that on tv would be beyone brutal. I personally can’t wait to go!
I agree with a post earlier how it sucks to go and support these last 9 regular season blacked out games but can’t tape it and watch after a home.
A number of owners of teams including Miami and now Jacksonville are doing this..
Per Profootball Talk:
The Jaguars got an extension to avoid a blackout of Sunday’s game against the Saints and it worked out for them.
The team announced Friday that they have sold enough non-premium tickets to avoid a blackout. The team also avoided a blackout for their Week One home game against the Titans. As in that case, there are tickets remaining for the game and sales will continue through Sunday, but the Jaguars game will be seen on local television. There were 1,805 tickets available as of Thursday afternoon, but it is not known if the team stepped in to buy up the remaining seats in order to ensure the game wasn’t blacked out.
September 30th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
SOLD OUT!
September 30th, 2011 at 6:05 pm
To reiterate what Tom just said:
SOOOOOOLD OUT!!!!
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/09/30/bucs-sell-out-monday-night-football/
September 30th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
I didnt hear anything on the nrws is the game sold out for sure
September 30th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
profootballtalk.com says we sold out, and game will be on tv.
September 30th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
SOLD OUT!!!!
GREAT NEWS! Sounds like the bandwagon is filling again.
A win on Monday Night and things are really looking up.
psst 6-0 Rays….
September 30th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
OAR…it’s called a pirated internet stream. That’s what I’d do if I still lived in Tampa & couldn’t afford to go. Either that or I’d take the blackout bus. There are options…the Glazers don’t need to support my football habit.
September 30th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
In addition, I’m a fan of Ferrari automobiles. Does Ferrari owe me help in getting into one of their cars just because I’m a fan and I can’t afford it? This country is capitalist last time I checked. If you can’t afford it then you don’t deserve it. That’s just the way our society works. You guys don’t have my sympathy when football is a luxury. It’s not food or rent. Get over it. No one owes you any “help”.
October 1st, 2011 at 12:17 am
FlBoy.. I’ve read a number of your posts and they seem very insightful, on this topic I respectfully disagree.
I don’t think anyone owes anyone anything but to compare a sporting event at a local tax based paid venue to a Ferrari is comparing apples to Gucci items. I totally understand the Glazers not purchasing 7,000 plus general seating tickets to lift a blackout, much like the Chargers did not this week. However to not purchase 500-1,700 estimated tickets to show your product locally is bad business in my opinion. I have had season tickets for a long time so in reality it doesn’t hurt me. My argument isn’t so I can see this on tv personally. One of the main goals of any professional sports entity is for your target market to view a potentially exciting product at a rocking local venue that theoretically should increase demand and limit supply. If it’s out of sight and out of mind it’s a lot easier to forget especially in an area where sports fans are for the most part not from here. Selling tickets wasn’t an issue for 10-11 years until the Carolina and Atlanta games in 2009 and all of 2010, Lions and Falcons both in 2011.
In your current backyard you have two of the best if not the best sports marketers/owners in Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban. The Glazers have failed on so many levels to market this team for various reasons. If they were to blackout this game over a reported 1,000 tickets that is just another bad business decision that the locals are turned off by, especially owners that are viewed as cheap. If the Bucs have an exciting win on Monday night football then hopefully they will buy the tickets for the upcoming big home game against the Saints.
October 1st, 2011 at 4:10 pm
patrickbucs: Believe it or not, I agree with what you have to say. It’s really just semantics, because I agree that the Glazers should purchase the remaining tickets if there are 1000-2000 still available but I disagree on the reasoning.
They shouldn’t do it because they “owe” the fans anything, because they certainly don’t. They should do it because it’s in the best interest of the team from a marketing and national recognition/respect standpoint. That only helps the team’s image, bottom line and in the end, the owners. That’s why they should do it.
Leave out the previous posters’ misguided guilt-tripping and I agree that it should be a sellout. I just don’t feel sorry for people who whine because they can’t afford what for most of the world is a pure luxury. No sympathy.