NBA ATTENDANCE WOES

[ooiron manoo]

Watching any event from the Upper Level (300's) at Staples Center is buns, I would rather watch it at home. I used to go to a lot of Clipper games when Iwas in college, sat up there, because the seats were $10. Now, they raised the prices, only certain sections are $15, but most are $30+ and that is for theClippers.

I know people say that the baseball season is too long, but it makes tickets cheaper

 

[in yo nostril]

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo


I know people say that the baseball season is too long, but it makes tickets cheaper

nothing like paying 10 bucks for two reserve seats on ebay and then getting hit up for 15 to park my car in a lot that can fit 2.2 million cars

 

[mjd77]

Originally Posted by FoShizzle

Ticket prices too high
Bad economy
Corrupt NBA refs
Thief owners (OKC)
Weed smoking players
HD TV ____________+
= lower attendance

I think the NBA was heading down this road even without the crappy economy. Face it, the overall product is becoming garbage.

 

[in yo nostril]

Originally Posted by mjd77

Originally Posted by FoShizzle

Ticket prices too high
Bad economy
Corrupt NBA refs
Thief owners (OKC)
Weed smoking players
HD TV ____________+
= lower attendance

I think the NBA was heading down this road even without the crappy economy. Face it, the overall product is becoming garbage.

yep. a few good teams and a whole lot of bad ones. its not the economy.

 

[ny mavurs]

Lakers, Spurs, Knicks= no drops

 

[shuges]

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

Originally Posted by 4wrestling

Tickets are too expensive, plain and simple.

yep. i think lakers tickets are outrageous. i cant imagine forcing people to pay that much to see a team that was not on that level.

 

[sooperhooper]

ticket prices are too high, they should lower the players pay and lower ticket prices... word to restaurant waiters.

 

[tupac003]

It looks like the financial "crisis" will be the scape goat for low attendance in the NBA this year. The truth is that the NBA has, for years, built itself up to not fill up the seats.



Bingo...

 

[chinoman1782]

Originally Posted by Rexanglorum


It looks like the financial "crisis" will be the scape goat for low attendance in the NBA this year. The truth is that the NBA has, for years, built itself up to not fill up the seats.

First, the cost of attending a game is very high. If you want decent tickets, a parking spot less than a mile from the arena and a beer and a snack when you get inside, you are spending a hundred bucks. Take the wife and two kids and you are going to spend about 400 dollars for one night of entertainment. When you charge special occasion prices, you will have most fans, if they attend at all, attending on an occasional basis.

Second, you have HD TV and that is becoming a very good substitute for for going to the game. Live action is still the best but this is not the days of tiny TVs, fuzzy screens and rabbit ears. A good sound system and a big screen lets you really see and hear the game almost as if you were there. Plus, for most fans, staying in a watching the game in their own home is more comfortable and convenient than going to the game downtown.

Third, the new arenas' emphasis on luxury boxes makes half of the seats pretty mediocre. I remember at the Great Western Forum, any seat let you feel like you were part of the action. At Staples Center the distance from the court combinded with the elevation caused by the five stories of luxury boxes, really creates a barrier for half of the seats in the arena. I have sat below and above the boxes and above sucks and while the tickets are much less, you still got to pay for parking and you normally end up getting some concessions so you still spend about 100 for an experience that is not much better than watching the game at home.

Finally, the NBA is a late night league. The games start at about 8 now, the commercials strech it past 10 and since most fans don't live downtown, they have to drive home, plus it isn't a true NBA experience without getting a late meal or a drink so an NBA night usually means getting a few hours of sleep for a normal worker. That is cool for someone in his 20's but most fols are not up for that.


So basically the NBA cost a lot, it cost a fortune to bring a family, the games are usually played downtown, the luxury boxes make half of the seats in most arenas horrible, attending the games involves getting to sleep late and all of this competes with HD TV. I wonder why on Earth they do not attract the middle aged suburbanite and his family on any type of regular basis. If you are going to be oriented to the young, affluent and city dwellers, those will be the backbone of your at the game fan base and it is clear that there are much less yuppies compared to sub and exoburbanites.

pretty much spot on.

 

[mangudai954]

Wow. I mean, I haven't attended a game in YEARS but how long has it been since the prices were like this?

 

[burns1923]

This is not surprising at all.

I think there's 3 reasons for poor attendance:

1.) Ticket prices are ridiculous league-wide... Just decent seats, not even great seats, cost far too much. Even the nosebleeds are getting to be at least $30+for middle sections.


2.) The game experience is borderline aggravating... first you pay a premium to see a game, you get in the arena and have to pay $5.75 for a Coke or bottle ofwater, then once you get to your seat to actually watch the game, THERE ARE CONSTANT ANNOYANCES. People leaving and coming back 100 times forcing you to standup and be interrupted 100 times, every stoppage in play (and even during play) the PA system BLARES some horrid techno garbage music. Then the time when youare watching, the quality of play is so hit-or-miss that you wonder why you paid to see it live. You leave the arena out $100-$200 and feel pretty much likeyou got nothing out of the whole thing.

3.) The NBA product is basically bad despite a solid core of young and older stars... despite the array of stars, team play and quality execution is virtuallynon-existent. Oftentimes it appears that there are no plays called, and that it's a 1-on-1 game with 5 individuals on each team. The NBA quality of1988-1998 is long gone. This current generation of NBA players can only emulate that generation. And yes, there are too many NBA teams. Dissolve the Bobcats,Grizzlies, and Thunder (or dissolve 2 and move 1 of them back to Seattle). And don't get me started on the NBA rule changes, referees, or Stern'sdictator-like stranglehold on the NBA in general.

With a league like this, I'm barely tuning in on TV, forget live games. As a whole, the NBA just isn't worth it.

 

[nycknicks105]

it would be nice for Seattle to have a basketball team again. They just need a new Arena.

 

[vabigpoppa]

even knicks games arent selling out. i love MSG, the nosebleeds arent even that high up compared to other arena's. the $10 tickets are worth it if youget a side or diagonal view.

 

[vctry20]

I remember them saying that Memphis will most likely be the next team to move because memphis is a money hole, and since Seattle gets priority

 

[in yo nostril]

Originally Posted by vctry20

I remember them saying that Memphis will most likely be the next team to move because memphis is a money hole, and since Seattle gets priority

they couldnt keep a team there in the first place, why would the nba move another one to seattle?

 

[kash55]

Lower ticket prices!

 

[ce0 mal]

The only reason the Magic are on there is because they didn't resign Carlos Arroyo which accounted for thousands of seats of Latin people.

None the less, I'm at every game buying my 10 dollar seats and moving down after the 1st qrt, and I'm quite pleased.

 

[agold1002]

IT'S CALLED A RECESSION!!

 

[mangudai954]

Originally Posted by CE0 Mal



None the less, I'm at every game buying my 10 dollar seats and moving down after the 1st qrt, and I'm quite pleased.

Lol they kick you out if they catch you ain't it.

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by 4wrestling

Tickets are too expensive, plain and simple.

Yeah I wish wrestling tickets were cheaper too.

 

[finnns2003]

no surprise. besides the [champion

] boston celtics and lakers, and a few other nba teams for their stars, this league has gotten dull. this isn't MJ,bird, magic or hakeem headlining a game. this isn't going to see thomas, dumars and the badboys on friday night, or ewing in NY. certainly not shaq in hisprime, or malone and stockton. the athletes are great, but there are few 'greats' playing in today's game. even as a celtic homer, i wouldn'tthrow any current celtics into the same breath as anyone i mentioned above.

 

[ac4three]

It makes me very happy to see Memphis fail.

 

[beatslim]

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

Originally Posted by BEATSLIM

If your complaining about parking prices...take public transit. I was on the red line last night for the laker game and it was filed with laker fans and bulls fans.

i live less than half an hour away from staples. it would take me an hour and a half on public transit. not to mention it probably wont be running after the game anyway

Metro runs well past the end of the game. And where do you live that you can be LESS than 30 minutes from Staples and take 1hr 30min to get there?Something isnt adding up..

 

[aubstuh86]

Originally Posted by Burns1923

This is not surprising at all.

I think there's 3 reasons for poor attendance:

1.) Ticket prices are ridiculous league-wide... Just decent seats, not even great seats, cost far too much. Even the nosebleeds are getting to be at least $30+ for middle sections.


2.) The game experience is borderline aggravating... first you pay a premium to see a game, you get in the arena and have to pay $5.75 for a Coke or bottle of water, then once you get to your seat to actually watch the game, THERE ARE CONSTANT ANNOYANCES. People leaving and coming back 100 times forcing you to stand up and be interrupted 100 times, every stoppage in play (and even during play) the PA system BLARES some horrid techno garbage music. Then the time when you are watching, the quality of play is so hit-or-miss that you wonder why you paid to see it live. You leave the arena out $100-$200 and feel pretty much like you got nothing out of the whole thing.

3.) The NBA product is basically bad despite a solid core of young and older stars... despite the array of stars, team play and quality execution is virtually non-existent. Oftentimes it appears that there are no plays called, and that it's a 1-on-1 game with 5 individuals on each team. The NBA quality of 1988-1998 is long gone. This current generation of NBA players can only emulate that generation. And yes, there are too many NBA teams. Dissolve the Bobcats, Grizzlies, and Thunder (or dissolve 2 and move 1 of them back to Seattle). And don't get me started on the NBA rule changes, referees, or Stern's dictator-like stranglehold on the NBA in general.

With a league like this, I'm barely tuning in on TV, forget live games. As a whole, the NBA just isn't worth it.

reminds me of a kenny smith column i read in a slam magazine years back.

 

[jch3]

I've been to 2 NBA games in my life, so here's my perspective.

My first NBA game was in Cleveland a few years back. My sister said to me, "This is a game? Looks like a damn circus!" And I couldn't agree more.Please can we not call a TV timeout every 2 minutes and see some basketball?