UGAly and FSUcks both had attendence issues as well if i heard right on College GameDay live yesterday or day before.
On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 3:03 PM, Helen Huntley <[email protected]> wrote: > fyi (sent to Gatortalk since it's not really about the Gators, but is > relevant to our discussion about Gator attendance.) As attendance > dwindles, what are Bucs doing to win back fans? > > By Jay Cridlin <http://www.tampabay.com/writers/jay-cridlin>, Times Staff > Writer > In Print: Friday, September 7, 2012 > Facebook > 4 > Email > Share > 8 > ADVERTISEMENT > ADVERTISEMENT > Story Tools > <http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/as-attendance-dwindles-what-are-bucs-doing-to-win-back-fans/1249845#> > Print > this > story<http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/as-attendance-dwindles-what-are-bucs-doing-to-win-back-fans/1249845#> > <http://www.tampabaytimesreprints.com/> Purchase > reprints<http://www.tampabaytimesreprints.com/> > <http://www.sptimes.com/letters/> Contact > the editor <http://www.sptimes.com/letters/> > <https://www.subscriber-service.com/sptimes/newsletters/signup.asp> Email > Newsletters<https://www.subscriber-service.com/sptimes/newsletters/signup.asp> > > J.C. De La Torre was all but out. > > A Tampa Bay Buccaneers season ticket holder since 1998, De La Torre grew > more and more frustrated watching the Bucs mail it in last season. Just as > importantly, he said, it felt like the team was taking its dwindling fan > base for granted. > > "I was just really fed up with the organization and the direction they > were going," said De La Torre, 39. "The fan experience had gotten kind of > stale. With the stadium half empty and the team not performing on the > field, it was one of those things where it just wasn't fun anymore." > > Every year, more fans seem to agree. The Bucs drew 56,614 fans per home > game in 2011, down from 65,316 in 2007. It's reflective of an NFL-wide > trend — attendance as a whole is down 4.5 percent from 2007 to 2011, > according to the* Wall Street Journal* — but Bucs fans feel it more > acutely. Due to the NFL's attendance-governed blackout rules, six of the > Bucs' home games last year were blacked out on local TV. All eight > regular-season home games were blacked out in 2010. > > Now, under rookie coach Greg Schiano, the Bucs have two goals this season: > (1) Make the playoffs, and (2) win back fans like De La Torre. > > It started this offseason, when the team laid out an incentive-laden > package for season ticket holders. De La Torre, an IT worker from Wesley > Chapel who writes about the team on BucsNation.com, says he received > everything from VIP access during training camp to discounts on tickets, > merchandise and food and drink. They even threw in a free Buccaneers flag. > > "It kind of proved to the fan base that they actually did care," he said. > "They're trying their best." > > ••• > > Football is the most talked-about, over-analyzed and indisputably popular > autumn pastime in all the land. But it's no mystery why league attendance > has been on a downswing. > > In 2011, it cost an average of $378.28 for a family of four to attend a > Buccaneers game (along with food, drinks and souvenirs), according to Team > Marketing Report. That's well below the league average of more than $427, > but it still ain't cheap — especially when it costs virtually nothing to > watch the game in high definition, while eating whatever you like, from the > air-conditioned comfort of your couch. (De La Torre, for example, is > frequently tempted to stay home and watch games on his 106-inch home > theater.) > > The Bucs can count on 35,000 diehard fans to come to every game, no matter > what. It's those next 25,000 casual fans they now need to reach. > > How are they doing it? By getting creative with ticket prices, technology > and more at Raymond James Stadium. Among the new features fans can expect > in 2012: > > *For the opener, an all-out blitz.* The Buccaneers have gone all-out to > try to ensure Sunday's season opener against the Carolina Panthers is a > sellout. They'll offer free parking and half-price concessions (excluding > alcohol), along with certain tickets discounted to $30 and $15 (for kids). > It'll also be the 200th consecutive start by cornerback Ronde Barber, a > milestone the Bucs will honor with a free gym sack giveaway. > > *Fewer blackouts. *Well, *hopefully* fewer blackouts. In the past, the > Bucs had to sell 100 percent of their non-premium tickets in order to > prevent a home game from being blacked out. This season, they and a few > other teams have lowered that threshold to 85 percent. However, this week, > they were still short of meeting that goal for Sunday's home opener against > Carolina. > > *Wireless Internet. *The NFL has announced plans to outfit every stadium > with free Wi-Fi by the 2013-14 season. The Bucs are jumping on the > bandwagon early, offering free wireless Internet at RayJay starting this > season. If you're logged onto the RayJay Wi-Fi network, you can use the > official Buccaneers app to "view live streaming feeds of the game from > multiple camera angles." Want to keep tabs on the rest of the league? > Verizon subscribers with the NFL Mobile app can stream the NFL RedZone > channel on gamedays. > > *More replays. *The team brought in a Super Bowl-caliber production > company to man its new replay system, featuring more cameras installed > around the field so fans can get a better view of what just happened. And > for the first time, the Stadium's big screen will show the same "under the > hood" replays that referees see on sideline monitors during challenges. > > *A mini-Gasparilla*. In a city that loves pirate parades, this almost > makes too much sense. Prior to each home kickoff, the team will send a > "Bucsparilla" float through RayJay tailgate areas. Look for mascot Captain > Fear and his cronies to toss beads and other goodies to fans. > > *More customer service.* The team is adding dozens of staffers around > Raymond James, and adding new guest-relations stations in Quads A and C. > Additionally, the club level will open an hour earlier and close an hour > later than in 2011. > > New social-media strategy. The Bucs turned to Mutt Industries, of > Portland, Ore., to create a slick new social network called "It's a Bucs > Life" (itsabucslife.com). The site allows fans to cluster together in > "krewes," share photos and video on Twitter and Instagram, read stories and > blog posts from both fans and the team, and more. It's a Bucs Life has only > been around a few weeks, but there are already more than 30 krewes. > > Chris Pribbenow was among the first to join from Atlanta's 800-member ATL > Bucs fan club. "If it can get anybody from all over the world to bring us > all together and get a big, strong fan following," Pribbenow said, "that's > what we need." > > De La Torre, for one, is excited by the changes he's seen so far. > Re-energizing the Bucs' fan base may come down to wins and losses, he said, > but all of these little touches are adding up. > > "If they continue on this path, I think we'll come back," he said. > > Information from the *Wall Street Journal* and *tbt* *files was used in > this report. > > *Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2012 home schedule** > > For info on tickets, see buccaneers.com. > > *Sunday* Panthers, 4:25 p.m. > > *Sept. 30* Redskins, 4:25 p.m. > > *Oct. 14** *Chiefs, 1 p.m. > > *Oct. 21* Saints, 1 p.m. > > *Nov. 11* Chargers, 1 p.m. > > *Nov. 25* Falcons, 1 p.m. > > *Dec. 9* Eagles, 1 p.m. > > *Dec. 23* Rams, 1 p.m. > > **Kickoff time subject to change* > > > -- > Helen Huntley > (727) 823-3801 > www.helenhuntley.com > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
