JMarr

Went to buy my first NFL jersey today (#37) and the price started me thinking about two things: How much profit are the NFL and its owners making, and how much would it hurt the Krafts' bottom line if Gillette were modified to make it more of a "homefield advantage" stadium?

Am I the only one who thinks the NFL has become too greedy (some would say "successful")? Between TV/Cable revenue, product licensing, season ticket/luxury suite revenue, corporate sponsorships, concessions, land deals/leases, and now the NFL network, does anyone know how much these guys are actually raking in now?

[Disclaimer: I can't express how much the Krafts should be thanked for everything they have done for this franchise.]
But after reading some of the comments here about the lack of crowd noise/enthusiasm at Gillette, I wonder if they should consider enclosing the stadium, or getting rid of at least some of the luxury/box seating to allow more "true" fans closer to the field. We have one of the most rabid, passionate fanbases in the country and I think the fans and the team deserve better than a wine and cheese experience at the stadium. Sellouts are one thing, but actual crowd noise and enthusiasm are another.

I say this after seeing games in Seattle and Denver, and seeing how at times Patriots games seem more like a Wimbleton match than a pro football game.

PatsWickedPissah

Never happen.
Pink Hat fan revenue is too important to Kraft and the NFL. Biff and Muffy need somewhere fancy to take clients and spend thousands so the price of whatever business product they're involved with can be increased to cover sales and marketing costs.

__________________
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck." RAH

AzPatsFan

Gillette is a new stadium. But even as it was being built I criticized it, when everyone was drooling over it. The Razor is simply too small. As a result the ticket prices are high. No one objects now, while they are winning, but eventually the Teams will be poorer and losses will mount.

Compare its capacity to other parks in the AFC East or around the league.
Gillette 68,000 and new.
Buffalo 73,000, but old and a simple Schaefer Miami 75,000 and relatively new.
Jets leaving 85,000 for 95,000 new seats.

They should add a few thousand seats in one endzone and get to a respectible capacity figure, during the good times.

signbabybrady

I am a season ticket holder who also goes on several road trips a year and I can honestly say that I have not been in a stadium that is much much louder than our at its best. When we show up and make noise it is as loud as most stadiums. Meaning our playoff noise is as loud as other teams but we just don't make the noise in a less meaningful game.

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DESERTPAT

I live in Arizona, you should see how the NFL swoops in on Super Bowl week, they take everything a pay for nothing. But then again it is the fault of the "host" for allowing this to happen.

nepatz11

I agree with sign babybrady 100% having been to several other stadiums they are not louder than Gillette when Gillette is loud and rocking. unfortunately the wine and cheese crowd loves coming to early season good weather games and making no noise.

czech54

this thread shows everything that is wrong with the NFL today. Too much money and corporate interests. Too many not-real fans at the games. Ticket prices ridiculous. I could go on and on, but would it really matter?

Patslifer

Wahh, Wahh..... Lets rag on people with money, because we are envious of them. The majority of pats fans are not "Biff and Muffys". I have had season tickets for over two decades, and I can tell you....the old stadium was a dump, and a football stadium should not be a place for drunk morons to hang out.

Kraft is a savvy business man, and Gillete is a premier stadium.

czech54

I don't think it has anything to do with people being envious of people with money. It has to do with the NFL being too commercialized and inaccessible for the common fan.

Patslifer

How do you figure? The razor is filled with "common" fans. The NFL is very popular, with that comes added expense. It's not 20 years ago. S!it, it costs 60 bucks to take your lady to the movies now. Times have changed.