So, you're saying the teams don't provide the total number sold vs total who showed up, yet you are gonna say attendance is declining? You're willing to say attendance is decreasing, yet you aren't willing to find the turnstile numbers to support the statement when asked? Great discussion piece.
Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool
Kevin you can be a real asshole. I said I was not trying to argue with you. Teams sell tickets. There has been no drop off in total ticket sales. You are right in that comment. But it takes no effort to see that people didn’t show up last year. I don't know if the teams release the no show totals. I didn't look for them but it takes no effort to look around the stadium and see that people are missing.
Here’s a quick sample of stories about the stadiums not packing in last year.
https://thebiglead.com/2017/09/13/the-nfl-is-seriously-concerned-with-empty-stadiums/ Empty stadiums are a huge deal to the NFL. Yes, the league makes its money off of TV contracts, but when fans aren’t at games it has a detrimental impact on the product. It sends the message that games are boring, uninteresting and that people don’t want to have anything to do with them in person. That kind of message hurts the product as a whole.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/11/cowboys-redskins-attendance-empty-seats-nfl-dallas-att-stadium-thursday-night-football That being said, Thursday’s game between the Redskins and Cowboys in Arlington kicked off in front of a mostly empty stadium. Reporters at the game certainly took notice.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DP7IYJWU8AAdBaD.jpg http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-ravens-tickets-20171130-story.html It seems paradoxical: The Ravens, who have sold out every home game since they arrived in Baltimore in 1996, are advertising tickets for Sunday’s contest at M&T Bank Stadium.
But this is where the Ravens find themselves in 2017: Contemplating the prospect of empty seats, and appealing to fans to “Win Together. Purchase your tickets today!” even as the team is contending for what would be its first playoff berth since 2014.
Thousands of fans are trying to resell their tickets to the sold-out game Sunday against the Detroit Lions at 71,000-seat M&T Bank Stadium via Ticketmaster, the team’s official resale outlet, or StubHub. Seats were available this week in almost every section; an $80 ticket for an upper end zone seat could be had for as little as $29.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21846807/baltimore-ravens-send-letter-fans-noticeable-no-shows-home-games The letter, which was signed by team president Dick Cass, mentions that there have been empty seats in the past when the Ravens have struggled on the field. But this year is different, with Baltimore in the midst of a playoff race.
"The numbers [of no-shows] are higher, and it is noticeable," Cass wrote in the 656-word letter. "There are a number of reasons for the no-shows, but surely the one-time protest in London has been a factor."
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/11/06/no-one-went-to-cardinals-49ers-game/ The official NFL.com Gamebook lists the “paid attendance” as 70,133. But the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets used are two very different things. There’s no was 70,133 people spun the turnstiles on Sunday.
On one hand, it doesn’t matter, because the tickets were purchased. On the other hand, having people not show up means that there are far fewer people to buy the overpriced food, drinks, and merchandise, which cuts deeply in to the profit margin.
Eventually, the profit margin will take an even bigger hit, because the people who are buying tickets and not coming to games eventually will realize that, if they’re not going to come to the games, they should simply not buy tickets.