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Why is attendance declining at Heinz Field?

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Watt Wack, Jul 17, 2018.

  1. Watt Wack

    Watt Wack Well-Known Member

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    • Agree Agree x 1
  2. SDOT

    SDOT Well-Known Member

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    1pm games are extremely boring imo. The atmosphere is lame. Nothing that really can be done. Most people are hungover and don't feel like drinking yet. They've tried with the SNU and Stage AE.
     
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  3. Watt Wack

    Watt Wack Well-Known Member

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    Maybe because I was younger, but 1 PM games used to rock. We'd start off with coffee and Kahlua at sunrise, maybe switch to bloody Mary's and by 10 start hitting beers. We might take in some food at some point, although when we were younger stuck to just drinking, didn't care if we ate. But I have zero interest in doing that these days. I show up for 1 hour of tailgating and that's it.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  4. SDOT

    SDOT Well-Known Member

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    Never been to a rocking 1pm game. Stadiums not even filled by kick-off. If it's early in the season you are just baking in the sun. I have seen Renegade maybe once at 1pm games. Every 4pm or night game I have been to is a lot of fun. I bet if you broke down the statistics for attendance the 1pm games are where the attendance is down.
     
  5. niterider

    niterider Well-Known Member

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    I used to have season tix for PSU when I was younger. But the only games I go to anymore are night games for both Steelers and PSU. The at home experience is just too good now. The only reason to go is for the electricity in the air at Prime-time games.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. Frost33

    Frost33 Well-Known Member

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    I live in Wisconsin and I've been to several Packer games (vs the Steelers and not) up at Lambeau. It doesn't matter what time the game starts, that stadium is buzzing and ready for football. Same when I've been to games in KC and Minn.

    I find it sad how the Steelers have one of the biggest fan bases in the league, yet their stadium is often 3/4 full even in prime time games.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  7. MattyMo9

    MattyMo9 Well-Known Member

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    Have you seen our Run D??
     
  8. Watt Wack

    Watt Wack Well-Known Member

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    I don't know - the crews I hung out with had no problem partying big time for 1 PM games. Nor did the people we found in the parking lots. :shrug:
     
  9. MattyMo9

    MattyMo9 Well-Known Member

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    You want to see pathetic take a look at a Pitt noon game at Heinz. It’s borderline a pop warner game.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  10. SDOT

    SDOT Well-Known Member

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    Last thing I don't think concession prices are the real issue. It's the ticket prices. Ticketmaster is a joke, you buy expensive tickets then they tack on $100-150 in fees. They need to do it like the football teams in Europe. There's no official secondary market and it's frowned upon. Every ticket even 1st row is like $20-30. They don't out price their real fans. Stadium would never be half empty. Just another example of the NFL nickle and diming us for no reason. The real money is in their TV deal. How much could Ticketmaster really be paying them to gouge us? If the tickets were $20-30 people would be more inclined to 1) Go more 2) Spend more money at concessions 3) Buy more merchandise 4) Better product on television. It's embarrassing watching games with a half empty stadium this never happens in Europe. Lets do some numbers. Lets say every ticket is $150. 68,500 x 150 x 8 = 82 million roughly on tickets. If they charged $30 it would be 16.4 million. So they are nickle and diming us over 65.6 million which they would recoup a lot of that in concessions and merchandise. League that signed a TV deal for 27 billion. 65 million is nothing to them. It makes no sense.
     
  11. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Exactly
     
  12. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    I’ve had a season ticket for a very long time. Game time isn’t a factor. To some degree, the opponent is a big reason the late afternoon and night games get good attendance. Those tend to be better match ups.

    When at Heinz Field I sat by the same people for 31 years. We came to every
    I’ve had a season ticket for a very long time. Game time isn’t a factor. To some degree, the opponent is a big reason the late afternoon and night games get good attendance. Those tend to be better match ups.

    When at 3 Rivers I sat by the same people for 31 years. We came to every game. Once I got to Heinz Field half the people around me got their tickets from some company. They don’t seem to care. Come late, leave early, stand at the bar if it’s cold.

    With that said, the other half of us who own our tickets are there every game, on time, until the end.
     
  13. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    That has nothing to do with the noon start.

    Go PSU
     
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  14. strummerfan

    strummerfan Well-Known Member

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    while I think everyone should experience at least one nfl game in person one is enough imo. I’m perfectly comfortable on my couch with better food, drinks, and hd tv.
     
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    • Agree Agree x 1
  15. dobbler-33

    dobbler-33 Well-Known Member

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    Lower ticket prices would increase revenue in other's areas immensely in my opinion. I live in Ca... I won't pay asinine prices to go to another's turf to see our guys in action. Keep waiting to pull the trigger on a Pitt trip but that ain't cheap... When Joey played there some of us old high school mates had some perks but I couldn't cash in. Kept the old lady barefoot and pregnant between 04-08... Never worked out a boys trip if I'm going it's a family thing.
     
  16. MattyMo9

    MattyMo9 Well-Known Member

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    Of course you like PSU.

    I wonder what the attendance numbers were like at the game Pitt won 2 years ago vs them. Might have been the only decent crowd in ages.
     
  17. dobbler-33

    dobbler-33 Well-Known Member

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    My old man agrees. He saw the steelers play the Rams back in the mid 80s said the best seat in the house is in front of the TV. I've been trying to get him to go to a Pitt game in PA by the won't, also another reason why I've yet to pull the trigger. My bucket list is to take the fam with my old man and brother some day.
     
  18. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    69,983

    Largest attended sporting event in Pittsburgh history.
     
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  19. 58stillers

    58stillers

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    It's not the ticket prices the Steelers charge, it's the ticket brokers that jack the prices up, at least that's why I don't go to many games. Maybe 1-2 a year from Ohio. I remember seeing a broker who had his operations based in the Hyde Park restaurant, dude probably had a stack of 1,000 unused tickets with him just before the start of the game..... it was sickening because he could care less about seeing the game or wasting tickets.
     
  20. SDOT

    SDOT Well-Known Member

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    That was my point. It's the secondary market. NFL uses ticketmaster as their official reseller. You should only be able to buy tickets from the Steelers.
     
  21. AFan

    AFan Well-Known Member

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    - the average season ticket holder is old enough to draw social security -they hate cold weather and late games
    - parking , consessions are waaaay too expensive
    - driving in/out of the city is always a pain
    - the loud, drunken moron sitting next to you just vomited on your wife
    - I have a 72" HD TV at home
    - the beer is colder, better, cheaper at home and the lines are shorter to get it.
    - I can get better replays and better explanations of over officiated calls
    - I can flip back/forth to NFL RedZone

    Try these reasons for starters.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  22. jrompola

    jrompola Well-Known Member

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    I was just at the phillies/pirates series july 6th weekend and my buddy was yelled at for cheering too loud. We asked the usher what the issue was and he literally said hes cheering too loud...he did not swear or say anything obscene.

    I've noticed this at the football games too...people get upset if you are "too loud". I really do not get it. It is a sporting event in which I'd imagine you are there to cheer for 1 of the 2 teams. There are a lot of corporate tickets as well, so a lot of those tickets may actually go unused for games.

    I go to 1 game a year and I admit it is much better at home on my tv in which I can pee and get a drink when I want and not be gouged to grab a beer. I can luckily afford to go, but it is by far my most expensive vacation per year leaving on a Friday and coming home on a Monday going to pittsburgh from the philly area. I go on various week long golf trips and family vacations yet 1 football game and 3 nights in a city cost WAY more. I also have been going to the game myself the past few years while my wife watches the kids back where ever we are staying. I buy 1 ticket directly thru the steelers the 1st day they are on sale and its still quite pricey. I do not know what a good price would be as I've always thought it was expensive, but if people are willing to pay the prices will not be lowered.
     
  23. 86WardsWay

    86WardsWay Well-Known Member

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    I have a 10 year old that often thinks money must grow on trees and that we have several of them on my multiple acreage. He has already picked out 3 games that we MUST go to this season even though we are 250 miles away. I am going to get him to one of them just for the NFL/Heinz Field experience but to do all 3 is going to be way too expensive for my realistic budget.

    Nothing will be anything like TRS was though and I will have to try and explain the old atmosphere of that treasured beast.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  24. SteelerGlenn

    SteelerGlenn

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    The simple answer is Steelers fans are spoiled.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  25. SteelHaven

    SteelHaven Well-Known Member

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    I don't think we are spoiled, we have Tomlin shoved up our faces week after week with his shenanigans
     
    • Agree Agree x 1

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