NFL teams having difficult time selling playoff tickets

[captain insano]

Me too. I'm shocked that it's not yet sold out for a playoff game.

its all baseballs fault. or maybe its the red faced beluga behind the scenes.

 

[captain insano]

One of my guiding principles in life is always be somewhere that it is convenient to have diarrhea. This plus doing calisthenics every 30 seconds to let the people who apparently bought their ticket so they could ignore the game and focus on paying $13 for a bottle of beer and the long, traffic-laden journey to the stadium makes live games a love/hate thing for me. I would do 1-2 games a year, typically, and that was just about right.

I think stadiums are going to deal with this more and more and if the answer continues to be 'black out the game' then the NFL is going to look woefully out of touch.

people have huge HD smart tvs with red zone and warm inviting couches in witch to lay on and a fridge full of beer and a kitchen full of salty crunchy snacks at there finger tips. no lines no waiting no driving. the better the tech the more people will stay home.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Over-saturation.
Ever game is on TV, Sunday games, Sunday night games, Monday night games, Thursday night games.
The NFL used to be a unique league.
Play on Sunday afternoon with one set of early games followed by a set of late afternoon games with one game on Monday night.
People couldn't get enough.
Now......????????

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Over-saturation.

I find it hard to believe over saturation is the reason the Packers can't sell out.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

for you guys with Lambeau on your bucket list, you would get the full frozen tundra experience this Sunday

Weather in Green Bay - AccuWeather Forecast for WI 54303

 

[SalemPats]

They need to make the in-stadium experience better and cheaper.

At the game:
1. More highlights and stats during the commercials (so we're not missing out). Too often we have no clue what's going on with the other games. Also more screens in the concession area showing all of the games played
2. Cheaper concessions, we're sick of overpaying for beer/popcorn
3. Make the cheap seats, cheap.
4. For us in foxborough, build another lane so we can get in and out quickly.

The truth is if i want to go to a playoff game for me and my kid, it's $250-300 for average tickets, 25-50 for parking, 25-30 for a beer and popcorn and i'll have to sit in my car for an hour at the end of the game. I'll do it because i'm a die-hard, but i can't do it every week.

 

[thenepatsrule]

They need to make the in-stadium experience better and cheaper.

At the game:
1. More highlights and stats during the commercials (so we're not missing out). Too often we have no clue what's going on with the other games. Also more screens in the concession area showing all of the games played
2. Cheaper concessions, we're sick of overpaying for beer/popcorn
3. Make the cheap seats, cheap.
4. For us in foxborough, build another lane so we can get in and out quickly.

5. Free Lap Dance

 

[italian pat patriot]

i simply can not believe that 3 teams are facing this problem for NFL PLAYOFFS...

i would love to see those games as the stadium experience is always much more better then see on tv

 

[voluntarysaftey]

My guess is the playoff ticket price has increased and people have decided not to buy it -- it's not like they can't sell out; the teams have just chosen a price point at which they won't.

Also in 09 when the Patriots got demolished by the Ravens at home in the playoffs -- I got 6 $160 face value tickets for $110 about 5 days before the game. And if I had waited longer I probably could've gotten it for cheaper as there were still tickets on craigslist night before and morning off -- Patriots fans were just dumping their tickets way below cost and surprisingly there seemed to be less interest for a playoff game than for a regular season game -- just a combination of cold weather, reduced expectations (Brady wasn't quite Brady in that first year post injury), and high prices keep people away sometimes -- even for our patriots.
Given the Patriots did get killed -- even though at the time I thought they were invincible at home, maybe the general populous did know something that I didn't -- was still worth going for me though as there's no way I'd ever pay above face value for a playoff game hence this was pretty much my only chance at one.

 

[Gwedd]

This past year has been damned near financially ruinous for me. There's no possible way I could buy tickets, let alone transportation, food, etc. I've had a significant loss of income, plus had to replace the home's heating system and water heater. But that's not a cry for help, etc. It's just saying that I suspect, as this country's economy tanks even more due to government spending, increased taxes, mandatory insurance, etc, that folks just plain can't afford to go to the games.

heck, I know that I've cut back severely and we're on an almost austerity budget so as to set some funds aside for future expenses.

And yeah, I have a comfy couch, a nice flat screen & sound system, and my house is warm. As much as I'd like to be there supporting New England, it just ain't happening this year, and probably not next year at this rate.

The NFL had better wake up quickly to the state of this nation's economy and realise that they've likely hit the maximum prices they can charge. The buyers aren't buying, and won't until things improve, and prices come down.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

5. Free Lap Dance

I'll lead the vaunted, "Oooohhhhh Yeah!" cheer

(Do not show post to wife)

 

[Joker]

I'll lead the vaunted, "Oooohhhhh Yeah!" cheer

(Do not show post to wife)

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I'll lead the vaunted, "Oooohhhhh Yeah!" cheer

(Do not show post to wife)

Ignore Thread is a wonderful feature, yes?

 

[PatsGuy]

I either read or heard somewhere, that the AVERAGE tix $$ for GB playoff game was $300+ Combine that with the forecast, and overall economy n that equals unsold seats.

 

[Steve102]

Greed.

I used to go to all of 'em. Lat year was the first of the Kraft era that I did not go to post season games. 3 hour ride, $50 parking, tailgate, $150-200 for a ticket, dinner on the way home. It's a $400-500 day, and twice if they win and host the AFC championship. Not cheap.

I'd rather spend the money on me and stuff I need instead of giving it to the NFL and the Kraft family.

 

[Patjew]

I don't go to every regular season game anymore due to personal issues (and the fact that it's so nice/easy to watch the games from home, as others have said). But I never miss a playoff game. It's the most exciting atmosphere in sports, IMO. Everything is so heightened and I like feeling like a part of it. Home playoff games are even better than going to the Super Bowl because the crowd is split and/or ignorant of the game at the SB.

The only thing I don't like is being exposed to that January Foxboro weather for 5 hours.

 

[king_ejd]

Hell, I'm having a hard time unloading my tickets to *our* playoff game.

And, that's for around face value.

To be honest with you - I don't even want to go in the first place.

In my 20s - I would be ALL over this. In my 30s - not so much.

The advent of the affordable big screen, DVR, and the luxury

of having line-free bathroom a mere 10 feet away has pretty much

overtaken my desire to sit in the cold.

 

[varjao]

Is the lambeau field the coldest stadium to watch a game this time of the year?

 

[Rick Sanford 25]

The NFL is becoming a victim of it's own advances.

Quite simply, the "home experience" is becoming a better venue, especially due to rising costs, lower income, less discretionary cash.

Sad reality. The league and it's owners better make sure they have not overstuffed the golden goose.

 

[Darrone]

Quite simply, the "home experience" is becoming a better venue

I disagree with this. Everyone is saying that the home experience is better. But is it?

We only perceive it as better because it costs a minimum of $200 a person (all tolled, MINIMUM) to go to a game.

Sitting at home isn't a better experience if they charge $20 for Parking, and $5 for a beer, and $75 a ticket... Unfortunately its about twice that for everything. The league needs to re-evaluate the cost of it's tickets. Live games do more than just bring it money, they help build the fanbase. You return from a game, and you're an evangelical fan for a week, you tell everyone you know that you were THERE, and it was BETTER live.

So, in short... Demand for tickets is a bit low, but if they would just lower the price, it would level out.