I know that the national media has been hammering J'ville about shoddy ticket sales & blackouts. Every once in a while you'd hear talk about Oakland, San Diego, St. Louis, etc.... This article caught my attention, and I'm willing to be that it is happening in more cities than are letting on.
Quotehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/08/18/bucs-finally-admit-they-bought-unsold-tickets-in-2009/
Bucs finally admit they bought unsold tickets in 2009
Posted by Mike Florio on August 18, 2010 8:48 AM ET
Last year, an odd dynamic emerged in Tampa. Buccaneers games consistently were sold out, and thus televised locally. And at most of the supposedly sold out games, vast expanses of empty seats routinely filled the upper deck of Raymond James Stadium.
On Tuesday, the Buccaneers confirmed what many had believed. The team in 2009 took advantage of the rule that allows the franchise to buy unsold tickets at 34 cents on the dollar. Per PewterReport.com, Bucs director of communications Jonathan Grella said that the team will no longer engage in that practice.
Grella blames the phenomenon on the team's competitive struggles, and on local economic challenges.
"While on-field success surely affects ticket sales, the economic downturn has proven to have a dramatic influence over ticket sales in this and other sports," Grella said. "Tampa is suffering from the League's largest unemployment increase (9.3 percent) in the past five years and the second-worst overall unemployment rate (13.3 percent). So when that's the case, you can't take anything for granted. We've redoubled our efforts to stay connected with our fans through free events and more affordable seating options ($35 per game season tickets, $25 youth tickets, long-term payment plans and no more club seat deposits or contracts)."
Consequently, the team also acknowledged that its preseason home opener will be blacked out. The second preseason home game likely also won't be televised locally.
In Week 1 of the preseason, three teams failed to sell out their home stadiums: the Bengals, the Rams, and the Chargers.
The broader reality is that the league's previously little-known loophole for avoiding blackouts has gained plenty of exposure in recent months. And in some markets teams could face fan, media, and/or sponsor pressure to buy up, at 34 cents on the dollar, any unsold seats in order to permit the games to be televised locally.
Then again, for some of the bottom-feeding teams, it may actually be better to not have their home games on television. Or, for that matter, their road games.
Talk amongst yourselves.
Interesting article... I didn't know teams could buy tickets at a discounted price. It's been said over & over that Weaver will no longer bailout the fans. Maybe the tv fans could fly to Washington and please their case for a federal bailout :P
Of course this is goingo n in other cities. The media just deicded to hammer Jacksonville, which is quite odd. Some teams struggled for years, worse than Jacksonville, and never got put on blast. When the commissioner visited Jacksonville, I would have asked specifically why Jacksonville is being hammered and other team were not in the past. He would have crapped his pants out of shock that I asked that question. THe way we have been treated has been totally unfair. But I think were going to shut them up this year. Go Jags!!
FYI- we sold OVER 1,000 just last week alone.
Has anyone been able to find the fuel page on jaguars.com? I can't find it anymore. As far as I know, we are about 3,000 season tickets away from avoiding blackouts all season.
I have friends that work for the food company that handles the Bucs, and they were telling me during last season that the Bucs were using this loophole to sellout. I guess it all comes down to cost for the ticktes Vs the TV revenue. But it does suck that Jacksonville has been taking heat for not selling out, and the NFL doesn't defend them, even though they know that the Bucs were not truly selling out.
Quote from: Dapperdan on August 18, 2010, 10:07:01 AM
Has anyone been able to find the fuel page on jaguars.com? I can't find it anymore. As far as I know, we are about 3,000 season tickets away from avoiding blackouts all season.
Per the TU, that is correct Dapper. However WW will be picking up the slack to make sure the two preseason home games are on TV. The team was hoping to get the season sold out on a season ticket basis, which would have to be done by this Saturday. After this Saturday, we will have to rely on half packs and single game tickets.
However, team teal has far exceeded my expectations this year, as I truly thought this would be a multiple year re-build for the fan base. When all is said and done, we should have approx. 15K new season ticket holders, which almost makes uo for the 17K lost in 09. The fact that we are only 3K away from selling out makes the first four home games virtual sellouts because of the game attractiveness for each. If the team plays well early through the first half of the season then the remaining four games have the possibility to sell out as well.
All in all, it's a tremendous effort and we could be like the Chargers who are a playoff team, sexy SB pick and 8K tickets away from avoiding blackouts.
Section #205 all day long baby!
Quote from: Lucasjj on August 18, 2010, 10:07:58 AM
I have friends that work for the food company that handles the Bucs, and they were telling me during last season that the Bucs were using this loophole to sellout. I guess it all comes down to cost for the ticktes Vs the TV revenue. But it does suck that Jacksonville has been taking heat for not selling out, and the NFL doesn't defend them, even though they know that the Bucs were not truly selling out.
It is still there. Type www.jaguars.com/fuel. However the gauge does not reflect the 5,000 that are being bought by the team. Be we sold around 1300 tickets last week so that puts us at 3,000 remaining.
Regardless of other teams situations it's been 10x worse here. Weaver used Winn Dixie and the loop hole over multiple seasons and still couldn't give away the tix. Attendance last year was atrocious... and while other teams had blackouts, they also had thousands more in the stands than us. It's do or die here and bad press from other cities isn't going to make it go away.
Quote from: Shwaz on August 18, 2010, 10:27:13 AM
Regardless of other teams situations it's been 10x worse here. Weaver used Winn Dixie and the loop hole over multiple seasons and still couldn't give away the tix. Attendance last year was atrocious... and while other teams had blackouts, they also had thousands more in the stands than us. It's do or die here and bad press from other cities isn't going to make it go away.
I beg to differ, after doing my research, over the past 20-30 years, just about every team has had their share of troubles. Heck before Tampa moved into their new stadium, they were barely pulling a crowd of 30,000. EVERY team has struggled at one point or another. Regardless, it is unfair to single us out PERIOD. Let us see the local media single everyone else out this year, and more than likely they wont.
Quote from: duvaldude08 on August 18, 2010, 10:31:22 AM
Quote from: Shwaz on August 18, 2010, 10:27:13 AM
Regardless of other teams situations it's been 10x worse here. Weaver used Winn Dixie and the loop hole over multiple seasons and still couldn't give away the tix. Attendance last year was atrocious... and while other teams had blackouts, they also had thousands more in the stands than us. It's do or die here and bad press from other cities isn't going to make it go away.
I beg to differ, after doing my research, over the past 20-30 years, just about every team has had their share of troubles. Heck before Tampa moved into their new stadium, they were barely pulling a crowd of 30,000. EVERY team has struggled at one point or another. Regardless, it is unfair to single us out PERIOD. Let us see the local media single everyone else out this year, and more than likely they wont.
What would you expect media to talk about when 7 of 8 home games are blacked out? I was at every game last year. It was unbelievable how empty the stadium was. When LA is pushing for a team you can throw out any research about the past.
I can imagine that Winn Dixie promotion is one of the things Weaver regrets the most. He basically 'gave' everyone the Jaguars and in turn, hurt himself because we were used to watching it on TV and not having to go to the stadium to see the jags.
On a personal note, no season tix this year, but next year (if we play) is looking better. This is my second year without tix, but it wasn't in the budget, but I will make a game or two.
Just to put it out there: Does anyone else believe that Gator Nation doesn't buy tix because they travel to Gainesville every weekend or they are so used to sitting home and watching football on TV, they're just to lazy to go to the stadium on sundays?
Quote from: Dapperdan on August 18, 2010, 10:07:01 AM
Has anyone been able to find the fuel page on jaguars.com? I can't find it anymore. As far as I know, we are about 3,000 season tickets away from avoiding blackouts all season.
Here's the fuel gauge: www.jaguars.com/fuel
As of August 12...
(http://www.jaguars.com/fuel/images/0812-100pct2.jpg)
Oakland had 7 of their home games blacked out last year (and less in the stands every game), yet Jacksonville is a better candidate for relocation to LA than Oakland?
There are many other nuances to your comment, Jandar. I agree, if you already have a team in CA that isn't doing it's part then it seems to make more sense to move that team - that already has 'a' fan base, not just a big one. If you move in another team, then you're really saturating the market. I understand that all of this is really of TV rev, but if the games are blacked out in 3 of 4 cities in california..... (assuming the Jags are in LA)
I think the NFL understands this and that's why there hasn't been a PUSH from the NFL to move any teams, just threats - to sell tickets and get the games on TV.
Quote from: videojon on August 18, 2010, 11:15:15 AM
Quote from: jandar on August 18, 2010, 11:09:29 AM
Oakland had 7 of their home games blacked out last year (and less in the stands every game), yet Jacksonville is a better candidate for relocation to LA than Oakland?
I would check the accuracy of this.
It's true according to wikipedia. However I never said anyone was or wasn't a better candidate for LA.
Things to keep in mind... The Raiders have a terrible stadium, an extremely bad team and 2 other major league teams competing for the entertainment dollar.
Jacksonville is a 1 horse town and no excuses.
Also keep this in mind...many teams are already selling single game tickets...while you can get them for Jags games through other sources, single game sales to the general public won't begin until August 28th....which is because they want to build a season ticket base and they're not yet that desperate to fill the remaining seats.
Speaking of Raider and ticket sales.... here's an interesting plan:
Dunsmuir High raising funds by selling Oakland Raiders tickets
Dunsmuir High School is selling tickets to all 10 of the Oakland Raiders’ 2010 season home games for a fundraiser being held through the Raiders organization.
DHS is charging just $45 per seat for seats that normally cost $71. The school then keeps a portion of the sales, which it plans to use for uniforms and equipment replacement, according to athletic director Ray Kellar.
The ticket order form can be found on page A13 of the June 23, 2010 issue of the Dunsmuir News, Weed Press and Mount Shasta Hearld. For more information, call Ray Kellar at 235-4806 and leave a message.
As soon as he get orders, Kellar said he contacts the Raiders and gets the seats ordered. The earlier seats are ordered, the better chances of getting the seats of your choice.
The Raiders’ 2010 schedule includes such teams as the 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Texans, Chiefs, Dolphins, Colts, Chargers and Broncos â€" 10 home games in all.
“A great savings over the regular seat costs, and a wonderful opportunity to see a game for considerably less money,†Kellar said.
Don't forget the quote that I started the post with....
If teams can buy their own tickets at .34 cents on the dollar, then a $71 dollar ticket costs the team $24.14, they are probably selling them to the school for $25-$30 and the school keeps whatever profit they make off of the ticket.
The question would is if the team is making the school pre-pay for the tickets or are they letting them sell as many as they can and collecting the money on the back end. The first being a selling point for the team - they get their money either way; the second being more of a contribution with no specific goal in mind.
It would be easier to move Oakland down to LA than to move the Jags and realign the AFC. Besides, if there's a new stadium built in LA, Al Davis would love to be the first to sit in the owners box, I promise you that.
If that .34 cent rule is a legitimate option for the Jags, I would think they would use the option because I believe they are penalized 100k in their Everbank deal for every blackout they have.
Quote from: downtownjag on August 18, 2010, 01:09:52 PM
If that .34 cent rule is a legitimate option for the Jags, I would think they would use the option because I believe they are penalized 100k in their Everbank deal for every blackout they have.
It won't happen. WW is giving us 2 preseason games for 1 reason only - to sell more
season tickets. If you give everyone something for nothing, then they will be less encouraged to go to the games. What the team/owner wants is to not have any single game tickets. Every owner wants the stadium sold out on a season ticket basis - with a waiting list.
Quote from: RockStar on August 18, 2010, 12:23:21 PM
It would be easier to move Oakland down to LA than to move the Jags and realign the AFC. Besides, if there's a new stadium built in LA, Al Davis would love to be the first to sit in the owners box, I promise you that.
Speaking of LA, there is no telling when the stadium is going to be built. There is another developer who wants to be a stadium by the staples center, and that has slowed everything down. So until that is resolved, there wont be any team relocating there no time soon. As you can see, you have not heard anything about the LA stadium in 2010 in the media.
I'd rather LA build now and get there hands on another struggling team or team looking for a new stadium. I think with the momentum built this year and naming deal we bought ourselves a couple years... with a team put in place in LA immediately that would take our name out of the hat.
Just got an email from Team Teal... 2500 left to go as of today. That means they've sold 1500-2000 tickets in the last week! Not too shabby.
Quote from: Shwaz on August 18, 2010, 04:44:41 PM
Just got an email from Team Teal... 2500 left to go as of today. That means they've sold 1500-2000 tickets in the last week! Not too shabby.
Wonderful wonderful wonderful.
If the Jaguars do not win or have a winning season...........all bets are off! Ticket sales would not be an issue if the team were a regular fixture in the winners circle! You have ticket sales equal to the teams standing......who wishes to see them lose on a regular basis..............I know I don't! Win and your in, in more ways than one!
Quote from: CS Foltz on August 18, 2010, 07:25:39 PM
If the Jaguars do not win or have a winning season...........all bets are off! Ticket sales would not be an issue if the team were a regular fixture in the winners circle! You have ticket sales equal to the teams standing......who wishes to see them lose on a regular basis..............I know I don't! Win and your in, in more ways than one!
have you bought tickets to any games this year?
Quote from: duvaldude08 on August 18, 2010, 09:54:45 AM
Of course this is goingo n in other cities. The media just deicded to hammer Jacksonville, which is quite odd. Some teams struggled for years, worse than Jacksonville, and never got put on blast. When the commissioner visited Jacksonville, I would have asked specifically why Jacksonville is being hammered and other team were not in the past. He would have crapped his pants out of shock that I asked that question. THe way we have been treated has been totally unfair. But I think were going to shut them up this year. Go Jags!!
FYI- we sold OVER 1,000 just last week alone.
Dan Hicken asked him that question at the press confrence that very day. The commissioner stated he hoped it was just a one year blip and it is in our hands.
Quote from: JeffreyS on August 18, 2010, 10:41:39 PM
Quote from: duvaldude08 on August 18, 2010, 09:54:45 AM
Of course this is goingo n in other cities. The media just deicded to hammer Jacksonville, which is quite odd. Some teams struggled for years, worse than Jacksonville, and never got put on blast. When the commissioner visited Jacksonville, I would have asked specifically why Jacksonville is being hammered and other team were not in the past. He would have crapped his pants out of shock that I asked that question. THe way we have been treated has been totally unfair. But I think were going to shut them up this year. Go Jags!!
FYI- we sold OVER 1,000 just last week alone.
Dan Hicken asked him that question at the press confrence that very day. The commissioner stated he hoped it was just a one year blip and it is in our hands.
He did? Wow that was a great way to avoid the question. lol
Quote from: jandar on August 18, 2010, 11:09:29 AM
Oakland had 7 of their home games blacked out last year (and less in the stands every game), yet Jacksonville is a better candidate for relocation to LA than Oakland?
That is the issue. The Jaguars are not a better candidate for relocation to LA. It is just the convenient thing for fans across the country to assume. I probably have said this before but the NFL will not allow an AFC team outside of California to move to LA. They already have two AFC teams in California. They both play in outdated stadiums and both struggle with ticket sales. The Raiders had worse attendance than the Jaguars last year and the Chargers had their preseason blacked out and needed extensions to get most of their regular season games on TV. If (a huge if) a stadium is ever built in LA, it will be occupied by the Raiders or Chargers.
Quote from: Shwaz on August 18, 2010, 04:44:41 PM
Just got an email from Team Teal... 2500 left to go as of today. That means they've sold 1500-2000 tickets in the last week! Not too shabby.
It is good news. Probably alot of halfpacks.