Anyone else giving up their season tickets?

[Wolfpack]

I never said that I was going to give up my season tickets.

In the heat of frustration after Brady got hurt I said that I was
going to list my tickets on ticket exchange because I did not want to
pay to see Matt Cassel play QB.

I put half of my games on ticket exchange after Brady got hurt in 2008.

I was hurting for money that year and pissed that Kraft had raised the
ticket prices again. When Brady went down, I did not think we had a
chance with Cassel.

Cassel did far better than I expected, but we still did not make the playoffs.

Funny thing about that season .... none of the dedicated 50,000 wannabee
season ticket holders were buying tickets on ticket exchange in 2008.

Funny how that works I think once the Brady years are over, hopefully not for a long long time, the waiting list is going to be exhausted very, very quickly.

 

[HarkDawg]

Sunday ticket does not eliminate blackouts. So yes blackouts still happen.

depending on your location... like if you live in Boston or Ma..... you will be fine.


Blackouts are more frequent in non-New England states b/c the Home Team is not NE and they do not get priority.

 

[HarkDawg]

I am in a Giants/ Buffalo zone at college....


but @ home Direct TV hardly ever misses a beat.


home='s Giants/ Jets zone..... and sometimes Pats w/ a Vermont major network.



its a coin flip for cable if 2 NY teams and Pat's play on same day/ hour

 

[shmessy]

depending on your location... like if you live in Boston or Ma..... you will be fine.


Blackouts are more frequent in non-New England states b/c the Home Team is not NE and they do not get priority.

You confusing the term "blackout" (which occurs in the local area if a stadium is not sold out) with the networks' regional broadcast map decisions.

 

[HarkDawg]

You confusing the term "blackout" (which occurs in the local area if a stadium is not sold out) with the networks' regional broadcast map decisions.

oh my bad....


I thought Blackout was the inability to get the game in general.


I get the Bricks

:bricks:

 

[shmessy]

oh my bad....


I thought Blackout was the inability to get the game in general.


I get the Bricks

:bricks:

Hey, I'm in the same boat - - until a few minutes ago I thought NFL Sunday Ticket was impervious to local blackouts!

 

[Wolfpack]

By the way, if people think the complaining is bad ths year, just wait until next year when we all have to send the money in by March 31 when there won't even be a guarantee they actually will be playing football. I am sure the whining will be ratcheted up by a factor of 10

 

[jgpatriot]

By the way, if people think the complaining is bad ths year, just wait until next year when we all have to send the money in by March 31 when there won't even be a guarantee they actually will be playing football. I am sure the whining will be ratcheted up by a factor of 10

Unlike 1987, NFL and the players are both making stupid amounts of money now and I would be stunned if they do not come to agreement. If the lockout actually occurs, there will be less whining but more people dropping their season tickets. At the same time, more people being kicked off the waiting list when they refused to buy the same season tickets.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

When the tickets go from $31 to $117 in a eight year period, you
are bound to hear people with a gripe.

I plan on keeping my seats because I have young kids, but I have
to be honest... I wonder how I will feel after the next Rod Rust 1-15
season. During the last two 1-15 seasons (Rod Rust & **** McPhearson, I paid $360 for my 2 season tickets as a single guy.

I am now paying about $2400 for my 2 tickets and I have a family to support. I may rethink my plan after the next 1-15 season, knowing that individual game tickets would not be hard to find.

Spending $468 on two useless preseason games makes individual tickets look like a valid option.

This site is quite fascinating. It appears our owner sucks because he is the only owner to privately finance his stadium AND has the nerve to charge more.

Also, maybe the reason our "cheap" organization doesn't sign overly expensive FA's to nine digit contracts is due to the fact that the fan base can't handle the financial committment.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Actually no, the term 'blackout' is still valid - with or without Sunday Ticket. If a game is blacked out in a specific viewing area (I believe it is within 75 miles of the stadium), it is blacked out on all televisions in that area regardless of how the signal is delivered, and whether it is a home or a business. Doesn't matter if you are receiving your signal via cable, dish, or rabbit ears, and it doesn't matter if you're trying to watch at home or watch at the local pub that has Sunday Ticket.

For example, people in the Jacksonville area couldn't just go to a local sports bar to see a Jaguars home game last year. The bars that had Sunday Ticket could access every game except for that Jaguars home game that didn't sell out. If you're outside that 75-mile radius you can pick up every game regardless of whether it sells out or not, but not if you live locally.

Such a stupid policy. "Fans are too disinterested for us to sell out home games, so clearly the best recourse is to make sure that they can't even *watch* the game. That will our fanbase right back up!"

 

[Triumph]

How many seats do you have, and where are they? I'm guessing at that price you have THREE sideline seats in the lower bowl. Individually they should be around $1,690 each for the season. So if you split ticket costs and parking with someone you're in for around $2k/season give or take a few bucks for ancillaries like food and drink. It's a significant chunk of change but not outrageous if you're a big fan of NFL football. I pay $2,340 for my two seats in the mezzanine and my buddy pays for his tix to join me at most of the games and he drives in from Woodstock N.Y. (I live in Lowell, Mass.). We split parking and tailgate. Again, it's not cheap, but I think it's worth it.

THIS

I live far from NE and work a part time job for road game money. Its not uncommon to pay $300 - $400 for 1 decent seat thats not in nose bleed or the end zone. With travel, car, hotel, food and beverage, its easy to drop $1000 - $1500 on 1 game without batting an eye.

Beg, borrow or steal, but enjoy what we have now folks.

 

[Triumph]

Sure. It's less than a 6 hour drive if all goes well and I have friends in Mass. that I can crash with. I've done the ride a million times. I wouldn't do it 81 times a year, but I can handle 8 + playoffs (i hope).

I thought I was a diehard.

Welcome pats1973

 

[scout]

not every year was like 1990........I mean in the 1980's, the pats had more winning seasons than losing ones, and most of the games were like that

OMG, you weren't kidding! Hmmmmmmm, let me think of one good reason why Bob Kraft has been a good thing for the Patriots................Keep coming up with three.

 

[Gainzo]

How many seats do you have, and where are they? I'm guessing at that price you have THREE sideline seats in the lower bowl. Individually they should be around $1,690 each for the season. So if you split ticket costs and parking with someone you're in for around $2k/season give or take a few bucks for ancillaries like food and drink. It's a significant chunk of change but not outrageous if you're a big fan of NFL football. I pay $2,340 for my two seats in the mezzanine and my buddy pays for his tix to join me at most of the games and he drives in from Woodstock N.Y. (I live in Lowell, Mass.). We split parking and tailgate. Again, it's not cheap, but I think it's worth it.

I have three seats in Section 135, Row 9. $169 each.

Getting two friends to commit $1,690 each by March 31st is a tough sell.

As I said in my original post I'm done with making the drive to Foxboro eight times a year (I haven't been to a preseason game since 2002).

Since I bought my tickets I have lived in Dracut, Lowell, Stoneham & Merrimack, NH so I know what your drive is like from Lowell.

I'm not bitter at Kraft or the economics of the NFL. It's just time for me to walk away and give someone on the waiting list a chance to get great seats.

BTW: Did anyone notice that the free* transfer of season ticket accounts to friends/family isn't going to happen until July. I think the Pats understand that their season ticket renewal rate is going to drop in 2010.

*This is from the literature I received from the Pats:

Beginning next year, fees will be waived for long-time season ticket holders who wish to transfer their accounts to family or friends with whom they have shared their season tickets.

 

[Gainzo]

This site is quite fascinating. It appears our owner sucks because he is the only owner to privately finance his stadium AND has the nerve to charge more.

Also, maybe the reason our "cheap" organization doesn't sign overly expensive FA's to nine digit contracts is due to the fact that the fan base can't handle the financial committment.

No one has bashed Kraft in this thread or said anything about signing FA's.

I started this thread as I'm going to give up my season tickets because I can't justify spending the $5,100 plus another $320 on parking to drive to Foxboro eight times a year.

I have faith in BB and ownership to put a Championship caliber team on the field each season. Giving up my season tix doesn't have anything to do with my love for the Pats.

 

[muzz]

This site is quite fascinating. It appears our owner sucks because he is the only owner to privately finance his stadium AND has the nerve to charge more.

Also, maybe the reason our "cheap" organization doesn't sign overly expensive FA's to nine digit contracts is due to the fact that the fan base can't handle the financial committment.

That's BS and you know it, Krafty does quite well over there or else there wouldn't be a waiting list for Season Tickets, and those Tickets are right near the top of the ENTIRE league in cost.
That place prints $.

Can't handle the Financial Commitment?
Bah, that guy is making $ hand over fist, and the fans that work their asses off are the ones giving him that $.

You Homers kill me I'm telling ya

 

[124]

Gainzo, you already know I can committ to the Jets game. There, now you have 7 more to sell.

 

[PatsRI]

May have to give mine up. Last year I found someone to buy them but the economy is making it tough this year for people. I wish the only thing they would do is have a payment plan option. Where you could pay in installments. Have a penalty that if you don't make each payment you lose the tix and the money you already paid or something to ensure they are protected. Love to go to all the games and even a few away ones but what can you do.

 

[Tunescribe]

May have to give mine up. Last year I found someone to buy them but the economy is making it tough this year for people. I wish the only thing they would do is have a payment plan option. Where you could pay in installments. Have a penalty that if you don't make each payment you lose the tix and the money you already paid or something to ensure they are protected. Love to go to all the games and even a few away ones but what can you do.

They need to simply extend the payment deadline to May or June, that would make it easier on folks. The reason they ask for money this early is so they can invest it and earn some extra interest.

 

[jmt57]

Such a stupid policy. "Fans are too disinterested for us to sell out home games, so clearly the best recourse is to make sure that they can't even *watch* the game. That will our fanbase right back up!"

Actually there is another television rule which I think is even worse than the blackout policy. That is when the home game does sellout and is therefore not blacked out, there can be no other game televised in that area at the same time.

In other words, let's say Dallas, Chicago and Tampa Bay all sell out their home games, which will be shown regionally on Fox. But that weekend it is a CBS doubleheader, so there should be a CBS (AFC) game broadcast both early and late everywhere, right? Wrong, doesn't work that way. In this case those three areas get only two games - the one with their local team in one time slot, and a CBS game in the other time slot.

I guess it is because for the NFL, buying a ticket to the game isn't enough; they want to make sure you either (a) show up at the stadium and spend more money on parking, food, beverages, souvenirs, etc.; or (b) spend more money directly (at home) or indirectly (at a sports bar) watching that other game on Sunday Ticket.

Out of town fans that don't subscribe to Sunday Ticket get screwed out of being able to watch the Pats at home two or three times a year every season because of this broadcast policy.