Goodell talks to Steelers owner about fan no-show problem at home games

[Shoes]

The Pittsburgh Steelers (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/PIT/pittsburgh-steelers) aren't having any trouble selling tickets, but they are having some trouble getting people to use the tickets they buy. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/7019586-74/steelers-shows-games#axzz3HcMiRdZl), Steelers fans have been no-showing at prime time games recently, which gives the appearance of an empty stadium.


http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24775640


"[Goodell] said, 'It looked like there were an awful lot of empty seats.' And I said those people are standing in the runways (the rotundas)," Rooney said. "They like to stay in that spot, and that's where they are most of the time. And he said, 'That's kind of odd, isn't it?' And I said, 'No, *I think its odd that you didn't see the Ray Rice video*.

My fix.

[stillers4me]

:lol:

[Dwinsgames]

The Pittsburgh Steelers (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/PIT/pittsburgh-steelers) aren't having any trouble selling tickets, but they are having some trouble getting people to use the tickets they buy. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/7019586-74/steelers-shows-games#axzz3HcMiRdZl), Steelers fans have been no-showing at prime time games recently, which gives the appearance of an empty stadium.


http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24775640


"[Goodell] said, 'It looked like there were an awful lot of empty seats.' And I said those people are standing in the runways (the rotundas)," Rooney said. "They like to stay in that spot, and that's where they are most of the time. And he said, 'That's kind of odd, isn't it?' And I said, 'No, *I think its odd that you didn't see the Ray Rice video*.

My fix.


LMAO

[86WARD]

lol.

[Texasteel]

Goodell to fine any fan leaving their seats for more that 10 minutes $2500, a 15 yard penalty on the Steelers, no matter what stadium it happens in. And awards the opposing team 8 consecutive first downs. Sorry Steelers, it's not personal, only business.

[st33lersguy]

It is a tragedy that he is still allowed to be commissioner

[salamander]

I guess it's ok that the Raiders and Jaguars have to tarp off 10,000 seats though. I guess he also hasn't noticed that 9 out of 10 times Steelers fans invade opposing teams' stadiums. Goodell needs to just go away.

[steelreserve]

Hey, you know why less people show up? Because the experience of going to an NFL game in person sucks shit. They have done about everything possible to make it a miserable way to spend an afternoon. Or all day, depending on what city you're in.

At least Heinz Field is somewhat semi-functional. You should check out the reviews of the 49ers' new stadium. About half of them are from star-struck fans who are just rah-rah about the team, and everyone else hates it. This for a billion dollars.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/levis-stadium-santa-clara

[fansince'76]

It is a tragedy that he is still allowed to be commissioner

This...


I guess it's ok that the Raiders and Jaguars have to tarp off 10,000 seats though. I guess he also hasn't noticed that 9 out of 10 times Steelers fans invade opposing teams' stadiums. Goodell needs to just go away.

...and this...


Hey, you know why less people show up? Because the experience of going to an NFL game in person sucks shit. They have done about everything possible to make it a miserable way to spend an afternoon. Or all day, depending on what city you're in.

...and this. 1080p and 50-inch screens are a wonderful thing. And no waiting in line for 1/2 an hour just to take a piss.

[fansince'76]

I guess it's ok that the Raiders and Jaguars have to tarp off 10,000 seats though.

In other news, Commissioner Goodell has decreed that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be moved to Los Angeles, citing the reason for the move as a "lack of interest" in the team in its current location...

[Craic]

...and this. 1080p and 50-inch screens are a wonderful thing. And no waiting in line for 1/2 an hour just to take a piss.

This is, I think, reason 1b.

Reason 1a? Too many people own season tickets for the profit/corporate owners of season tickets. On that note, since there's still so many people who want season tickets that I'd be for a "if your seat ticket isn't scanned for six of the eight home games or more, you lose your PSL rule. Or, give it a two year deal. Because things happen sometimes.

[86WARD]

...and this. 1080p and 50-inch screens are a wonderful thing. And no waiting in line for 1/2 an hour just to take a piss.


^^^^ must not have kids...;)

[Dwinsgames]

just can't tell people how to spend their money or what to do with what they spent it on ...

while I would like to see the stands over flowing with people dawning Black and Gold at the end of the day if the tickets are sold they are sold and what the owner of said tickets do with them ( or not do with them ) simply is not anyone's concern but the owners of the tickets

[Texasteel]

Seriously, the commissioner may think it looks bad on TV, but when your at the game it look impressive. The runways are so full of fans that they are lined up 2or 3 deep yelling, and trying to talk over the noise, drinking and eating, and just having a good time. OMG they even smile and laugh. It's surprising the stadium doesn't tilt to that end. What is wrong with fans having a good time at a game they paid a lot of money to get into. After all Mr. Goodell the game is here for the fans, not the other way around. Am I wrong?

[ALLD]

Goodell has also come up with the idea of seat fillers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrgnaN8_w-w

[one side only]

just can't tell people how to spend their money or what to do with what they spent it on ...

while I would like to see the stands over flowing with people dawning Black and Gold at the end of the day if the tickets are sold they are sold and what the owner of said tickets do with them ( or not do with them ) simply is not anyone's concern but the owners of the tickets

I think we will see signing an "attendance pledge" become a prerequisite for season ticket purchases. NFL football is reality TV, and how it looks is more important than how it is.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Hey, you know why less people show up? Because the experience of going to an NFL game in person sucks shit. They have done about everything possible to make it a miserable way to spend an afternoon. Or all day, depending on what city you're in.

Yep. The over commercialization of the NFL is detrimental to the live experience. Way too damn many commercial breaks and delays in the action of the game.

Add to that the fact that businesses are now buying up a lot of the season passes and you end up with less "true fans" at the games and more people who go to the games just because it's the thing to do.

I stopped going to Cardinals baseball games a couple of years ago because it's become too expensive and there's just too many people that aren't there to watch the game.

I'd rather watch pro sports at home any day.

[Count Steeler]

Or it is a veiled threat that the Steelers won't be the home team for any prime time games.

[tube517]

So, Goodhell notices empty seats at Heinz field but doesn't look for a videotape to arrive at the NFL offices. Do videotapes get automatically destroyed there? :coffee:

[Renegade]

Or it is a veiled threat that the Steelers won't be the home team for any prime time games.

this is a scary thought. i see so many things that are unfair go against the steelers. it may be a trap game against the buccs or even "no shows" who dont sit in the seats. the truth is, no fan base is better or broader than the Stillers!

- - - Updated - - -

and the "no shows" show up lol

[Steeldude]

just can't tell people how to spend their money or what to do with what they spent it on ...

while I would like to see the stands over flowing with people dawning Black and Gold at the end of the day if the tickets are sold they are sold and what the owner of said tickets do with them ( or not do with them ) simply is not anyone's concern but the owners of the tickets

The problem is the amount of money the Steelers lose on concessions, merchandise etc...

I'm curious, what happens when the rest of the fans realize how much better and cheaper it is to watch games at home?

[Steeldude]

I wonder if the Steelers could sell no-show tickets(previously sold) at the half. Perhaps 50% off. I say at the half because that should be enough time for ticket holders to arrive at the stadium.

[Mojouw]

So if I understand all this correctly - the games are still selling out. The fans are mostly all there, just not in their seats? And Goodell's problem is not that the team isn't selling tickets, or checking to see if greedy corporate types are buying up all the tickets and then not using them - leaving working class regular people type fans out in the cold, but that it looks bad on TV?

This guy is such a jackass. All sports leagues need to confront the problem that the live stadium experience is not drawing people out of their homes like it used to, but this turd is focused on making it look good for TV therefore encouraging more folks to stay home?

[stillers4me]

How about half price kids tickets? How many parents would love to take their kids to a game but can't afford it? How about kids get in free for preseason.? The stadium would be full for those games....with all the concession money. Kids don't care if it's preseason just as long as they get the game experience.

[HollywoodSteel]

How about Goodell just shuts the F*** up about absolutely everything? Given the miniscule odds of him actually saying something that doesn't make him sound like a total jackass to real sports fans, this is just sound advice in any given situation. Nothing personal Rog, it's just math.

Oh, and when I say it's nothing personal, I'm being about as sincere as you've ever been in your professional life.

[stillers4me]

MLB and NHL does all kinds of promotions and special days to promote ticket sales. I never hear of the NFL doing of those things.

[Moose]

I was at the Monday night game and there were a hell of a lot of people standing in the picnic areas, the walkways, the rotundas, etc.. I think they said about 52-56k people were there, but taken the fact of rain, cool night, and work the next day may have a reason. But, big reduced pricing on food and drinks would definitely help a great deal. $ 8.00 for a damn can of beer is pretty damn ridiculous to me !

[Shoes]

How about half price kids tickets? How many parents would love to take their kids to a game but can't afford it? How about kids get in free for preseason.? The stadium would be full for those games....with all the concession money. Kids don't care if it's preseason just as long as they get the game experience.

Good idea Sue!

[ALLD]

Steelers need cheerleaders.

[Craic]

So if I understand all this correctly - the games are still selling out. The fans are mostly all there, just not in their seats?

No,

The problem is that there's anywhere from five to ten percent of no-shows for the game. Funny also how this whole thing's been blowing out of context. It the middle of a larger conversation, he mentions something that he's noticed. Heck, I'VE noticed it as well. His responsibility is to the owners, so he asks a question. There's plenty of things to legitimately be upset about with Goodell. This, however, is pretty much a joke.

(EDIT; Mojouw - only the first sentence was in answer to your post. The rest was a general statement on the thread. Sorry for not being clearer).

[X-Terminator]

He should have told Goodell to do what The Rock says.

Know your role, and shut your mouth.

[fansince'76]

No,

The problem is that there's anywhere from five to ten percent of no-shows for the game. Funny also how this whole thing's been blowing out of context. It the middle of a larger conversation, he mentions something that he's noticed. Heck, I'VE noticed it as well. His responsibility is to the owners, so he asks a question. There's plenty of things to legitimately be upset about with Goodell. This, however, is pretty much a joke.

(EDIT; Mojouw - only the first sentence was in answer to your post. The rest was a general statement on the thread. Sorry for not being clearer).

Yeah, but it's apparently a league-wide problem and he doesn't seem to be quizzing other teams' owners about it. Ten bucks says he wouldn't notice it if the Steelers announced attendance based on tickets sold as opposed to tickets collected at the gate.


Goodell's likely concerned because getting fans to attend games in-person has become a major issue for the NFL, which is where the no-shows come in.

You don't hear about no-shows too often because the Steelers are one of only two teams in the NFL, along with the Giants, who base their attendance count on the number of people who actually attend the game. All other teams base the count off the number of tickets sold, according to the Tribune-Review.

"Somebody said to me that we get cheated because (we do turnstile count, not tickets sold)," Rooney said. "We've always done it that way. That's the way it's always been. It's matter of integrity."

If the Steelers reported attendance based on number of tickets sold, they'd announce a sellout for every game. The team has sold out all 117 games played at Heinz Field since it opened in 2001. But that's not how the Rooney's do things and as such, we know that the Steelers are averaging 3,922 no-shows per game this season.

Maybe Dan Rooney should start reporting attendance like everyone else (save for the Giants) so Goodell will shut his piehole about it. He needs to focus his attention on the Jacksonvilles of the league that really do have bona fide and serious attendance problems.

[HollywoodSteel]

...There's plenty of things to legitimately be upset about with Goodell. This, however, is pretty much a joke.

Really? Goodell deserves criticism about some things? What, pray tell, has he ever done wrong?

[steelreserve]

Yep. The over commercialization of the NFL is detrimental to the live experience. Way too damn many commercial breaks and delays in the action of the game.

Add to that the fact that businesses are now buying up a lot of the season passes and you end up with less "true fans" at the games and more people who go to the games just because it's the thing to do.

I stopped going to Cardinals baseball games a couple of years ago because it's become too expensive and there's just too many people that aren't there to watch the game.

I'd rather watch pro sports at home any day.


Baseball is a sport where games are fun to go to and boring to watch on TV. Football is exactly the opposite. The gameday experience is roughly as enjoyable as hanging around at an airport.

When I went to baseball games, it was take the train and get there in a half-hour, meet up with some friends and drink beer in the parking lot, go in and sit in the cheap seats, go get some food or use the restroom whenever; as long as it's not at the very start of the game it's no problem, and basically hang out and watch a game that's not particularly fast-paced but at least it keeps moving, leave at the normal speed you walk and go home at the normal speed you drive.

Going to a football game: Fight traffic jam for an hour and a half, pay $35 to park in the shitty dirt lot that's the only option, quit tailgating early because it takes 20 minutes to walk up to the stadium and another 20 minutes for them to let you through the gate, deal with what is essentially a flash mob at every food stand or restroom for the duration of the game, watch a game that is so stop-and-go that it gives you a headache; sit there baking in the sun for 10 minutes at a time while nothing happens every time someone scores, see a bunch of fights break out because everyone else is also pissed off by the time they get to their seats, fight through elbow-to-elbow crowds to get out, sit there in the parking lot for an hour before you can get out to the main road, sit in an hour and a half traffic jam to get home. FUN WAY TO SPEND YOUR DAY.

[BigNastyDefense]

First off, stuff happens. I've had tickets to events and ended up not able to go. And you can't always offload the tickets either, especially if it's short notice. Games are not cheap to go to: parking, concessions, etc. Car trouble, having to suddenly replace an home appliance, getting sick/family getting sick can all be reasons to end up not showing up.

Second, not every fan goes to their seats. August of 2013 I had my bachelor party. We went to a Cleveland Indians game, and we stood on the "Home Run Porch" near the bleachers (standing room only area) because it was better than where our seats were (and close to concessions stands). I know people who regularly go to Steelers games and never get to their seats. I've been to one Pirates game and the group of us kind of moved around the park. I remember going to an Indians game years ago, got stuck sitting near a family that brought some little baby that was crying and screaming, so my buddy and I moved.

Third, Goodell needs punched directly in that smug face of his.

[Mojouw]

No,

The problem is that there's anywhere from five to ten percent of no-shows for the game. Funny also how this whole thing's been blowing out of context. It the middle of a larger conversation, he mentions something that he's noticed. Heck, I'VE noticed it as well. His responsibility is to the owners, so he asks a question. There's plenty of things to legitimately be upset about with Goodell. This, however, is pretty much a joke.

(EDIT; Mojouw - only the first sentence was in answer to your post. The rest was a general statement on the thread. Sorry for not being clearer).

Thanks for the information. I kind of get it now. If several thousand people who have tickets are not showing for the game -- then the league does have the right/responsibility to at least ask the team why.

Still seems that the NFL (like all major sports leagues) needs to confront that the $$$ needed to go to the stadium can not be justified by some when the home experience is so damn good now.

[st33lersguy]

I heard on deadspin that in Buccaneers game, some fans just give away tickets for free just to get rid of them after midseason, the Panthers only sell out when they play a popular opponent that travels well, and of course the Jaguars problems selling season tickets are well documented, yet Goodell talks to the Rooneys about selling tickets? Goodell should be cleaning bathrooms at some elementary school, not making decisions that effect the NFL (or for that matter ANY organization)

[Craic]

Really? Goodell deserves criticism about some things? What, pray tell, has he ever done wrong?

You seriously think I'm going to answer that kind of snark?

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah, but it's apparently a league-wide problem and he doesn't seem to be quizzing other teams' owners about it. Ten bucks says he wouldn't notice it if the Steelers announced attendance based on tickets sold as opposed to tickets collected at the gate.

I don't know . . . I think the issue is more of the cameras panning the crowd and seeing so many yellow seats. Just paint the friggen things black so they blend in with the home jerseys the fans are wearing and be done with it. :chuckle:

[Mojouw]

To be fair, it is entirely possible that Goodell has talked with many other teams on this specific issue and it simply wasn't reported by the local Pittsburgh sports guys.

Not like these guys have been repeatedly proven to be lazy and bad at their jobs or anything...

[steelreserve]

I heard on deadspin that in Buccaneers game, some fans just give away tickets for free just to get rid of them after midseason, the Panthers only sell out when they play a popular opponent that travels well, and of course the Jaguars problems selling season tickets are well documented, yet Goodell talks to the Rooneys about selling tickets? Goodell should be cleaning bathrooms at some elementary school, not making decisions that effect the NFL (or for that matter ANY organization)

I had a friend who had NBA season tickets for the Warriors when they were bad. Except for the Lakers and a handful of games against the title contenders, you couldn't even give those tickets away. You could literally offer them to people for free and nobody wanted them. Now THAT'S a completely new level of terrible.