NFL playoff games and BCS bowl game tickets having trouble selling out

[badger]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the fact that arguably the biggest games of the year for both professional and college football --- playoff games and bowl games --- are having trouble selling out this week.

Are we fans just at our breaking point as far as travel, ticket, parking, concession, hotel, etc. costs go that we don't want to be responsible for hundreds of dollars each?

Is there just not enough time between the bowl selection/playoff finalization for fans to take time off from work, arrange travel and lodging and buy tickets?

I'd also like your thoughts on the TV influence. Should the NFL be allowed to black out games in markets that don't sellout stadiums? Should colleges exert more control of whether TV broadcasts events to encourage more to attend in person?

[Breadburner]

You really have to not mind "Getting bent over" to go to one of these deals.......

[badger]

Unlike regular season games that have the host locations and days set, NFL playoff games are finalized about a week after the end of the regular season. Bowl games give you a month or so to plan ahead, but even then, plane tickets, hotel tickets and game tickets will not be cheap and vary greatly depending on the bowl site.

Maybe college and pro needs to rethink some of this to allow fans more time to plan well in advance, or at least give them a better shot at giving them a time/place they can attend easily. Could the college playoff sites be home games for higher ranked teams, for example?

[Mac94]

I think is a combo of all of it .. the economy sucks for many people and these things are just so dang expensive. It's hard to justify the expense. Plus ... game watching at home / at a sports bar has gotten so much better with the number of games on and HD broadcasts that many may prefer that experience to the in stadium experience.

[ObiKaTony]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the fact that arguably the biggest games of the year for both professional and college football --- playoff games and bowl games --- are having trouble selling out this week.

Are we fans just at our breaking point as far as travel, ticket, parking, concession, hotel, etc. costs go that we don't want to be responsible for hundreds of dollars each?

Is there just not enough time between the bowl selection/playoff finalization for fans to take time off from work, arrange travel and lodging and buy tickets?

I'd also like your thoughts on the TV influence. Should the NFL be allowed to black out games in markets that don't sellout stadiums? Should colleges exert more control of whether TV broadcasts events to encourage more to attend in person?


Economy sucks and there isn't a equivalent of tickets/food stamps...

[Breadburner]

The hotels really bend you over......!!!

[tycat947]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the fact that arguably the biggest games of the year for both professional and college football --- playoff games and bowl games --- are having trouble selling out this week.

Are we fans just at our breaking point as far as travel, ticket, parking, concession, hotel, etc. costs go that we don't want to be responsible for hundreds of dollars each?

Is there just not enough time between the bowl selection/playoff finalization for fans to take time off from work, arrange travel and lodging and buy tickets?

I'd also like your thoughts on the TV influence. Should the NFL be allowed to black out games in markets that don't sellout stadiums? Should colleges exert more control of whether TV broadcasts events to encourage more to attend in person?

Not only TV but people can watch events on smart phones, tablets and computers now for a lot less. They can go do something else while watching their favorite team on their electronic device and save lots of money. I think the younger generation is going that way definitely and is going to become a big problem for all these expensive athletic events all over the country.

[BoulderSooner79]

Not only TV but people can watch events on smart phones, tablets and computers now for a lot less. They can go do something else while watching their favorite team on their electronic device and save lots of money. I think the younger generation is going that way definitely and is going to become a big problem for all these expensive athletic events all over the country.

It won't present much of a problem. The solution will be to get more money out of the various bit streams going out to the masses. To fill the stadiums, just make tickets cheaper.

[Soonerjeepman]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the fact that arguably the biggest games of the year for both professional and college football --- playoff games and bowl games --- are having trouble selling out this week.

Are we fans just at our breaking point as far as travel, ticket, parking, concession, hotel, etc. costs go that we don't want to be responsible for hundreds of dollars each?

Is there just not enough time between the bowl selection/playoff finalization for fans to take time off from work, arrange travel and lodging and buy tickets?

I'd also like your thoughts on the TV influence. Should the NFL be allowed to black out games in markets that don't sellout stadiums? Should colleges exert more control of whether TV broadcasts events to encourage more to attend in person?

try thousands...and no I just can't afford to go.

[Breadburner]

I was looking at 3000.00 for 4 days in N.O. for the Sugar Bowl........Hotel was 1287.00.....Parking 120....tickets 500 to 1000......Plus food and fuel.....Not including time off of work I do not get paid for.......

[SCSoonerfan]

Yeah way too much money for this stuff for me to go. Hell even regular season games are too much. For a midprice seat at the only pro football stadium near me Carolina Panthers for a season ticket without the PSL crap is 830/ticket. So thats more than $200/game for my wife and me. Not including parking, gas, food etc. I can get NFL sunday ticket for the cost of basically 1 game and watch them all from the comfort of my home with no worries about traffic, weather, etc.
Nhl closest to me is the Carolina Hurricanes for 1 game mid price seat is 80-100/per person not including parking, gas, food etc. So for the cost of 2 tickets I can get NHL center ice and watch them all again from the comfort of my home.
South Carolina gamecocks where the stadium is about 15 miles from my house tickets without the crappy psl stuff is average of $50/ticket if your a gamecock club member. So thats again $100 without parking, food, gas etc. Too rich for my blood to go alot.
I realize that its about the experience and enjoying the moment, witnessing something special in person etc. but with those costs, I will gladly sit on my couch and root from home.

[Soonerjeepman]

this is why I have no problem paying $40 for an OU ppv game. Honestly, I'd prob pay up to $75 because that's a lot cheaper than it would cost me to go. (driving from KC, food, etc) I USUALLY try and come down for 1 game a yr and go to the games up here, ku, ksu, mu at the time..

[bluedogok]

Yeah way too much money for this stuff for me to go. Hell even regular season games are too much. For a midprice seat at the only pro football stadium near me Carolina Panthers for a season ticket without the PSL crap is 830/ticket. So thats more than $200/game for my wife and me. Not including parking, gas, food etc. I can get NFL sunday ticket for the cost of basically 1 game and watch them all from the comfort of my home with no worries about traffic, weather, etc.
A co-worker whose family has had season tickets since the Broncos came into being said that was around the price of his playoff tickets for two games (if they don't have the second playoff game it gets credited to next years season tickets). I get emails from the Chiefs ticket office because that is who I bought the OU-KU tickets from for the game at Arrowhead. Before this season they had some full season tickets in the upper deck corners for $250/seat, ten games (2/8) at $25 a ticket. Some better ones were still reasonably priced in comparison to five years ago, bet they went up after this season.