Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Geez, the ignorance of the media today is astounding. Can someone from the Bills please send a message to all of the media outlets in the country just to let them know that the Bills aren't struggling to sell out games. I mean, today it's goofball Bayless, and yesterday on the NFL network, it was Soloman Wilcots saying that they need T.O. to help get butts in the seats so that they can sellout games. Last time I checked the Bills were selling out all of their home games despite sucking ass for the last 700 years. And even the oddball game or two that hasn't sold out over the years, has barely missed for the most part. The media just guesses nowadays. I've never seen anything so bad. Just look at the Anquan Boldin stuff. It changes everyday. This is no schitt, I'm a Penguins fan as I grew up in Pittsburgh. I read an article in the Raleigh paper about the Canes - Penguins series that gave the edge in the series to Pittsburgh based on the fact that Peter Sykora breaks the ties in the forwards matchup. Here's a hint to the genius who wrote the article, Peter Sykora has been a healthy scratch in favor of Miroslav Satan OR an extra 7th defenseman for most of the playoffs. It's just unreal how some of these clowns get paid for this crap. And the worst part is, people believe it as gospel. How about doing some actual research for a change. Peter Sykora has about a 35 game scoreless streak and hasn't sniffed anything close to resembling a useful forward in months. Yet, blah blah blah. Typical.
Lori Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Actually, according to someone in the ticket office, the Bills were below a 50 percent season renewal rate the day before they signed Owens ... in fact, weren't you the one who originally posted that? My ticket rep said that before the TO signing that he was at about 41% of his accounts that re-upped. As with the online payment plan from Saturday and Sunday and people calling him today as of noon, he's now at 86% and a good bit of new calls! Wow.
Lurker Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Actually, according to someone in the ticket office, the Bills were below a 50 percent season renewal rate the day before they signed Owens ... in fact, weren't you the one who originally posted that? Yeah, I'm sure they were. And I also suspect that's not atypical in the period leading up to the draft, when interest in the Bills starts to bloom like crocuses.
scribo Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Actually, according to someone in the ticket office, the Bills were below a 50 percent season renewal rate the day before they signed Owens ... in fact, weren't you the one who originally posted that? Facts? Who needs them?
Lori Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 41 to 86 percent between a Friday and a Monday in March, Lurker. Don't think that was the draft.
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 Actually, according to someone in the ticket office, the Bills were below a 50 percent season renewal rate the day before they signed Owens ... in fact, weren't you the one who originally posted that? That is correct. I was told the same thing by my ticket rep. However, there is no evidence that the Bills don't sell out games. None. As a matter of fact, they are consistently among the leaders in attendnace, despite an awful product. However, everyone is painting a picture that TO is saving the Bills in Buffalo by joining our team. Simply not true. A more accurate picture to be painted would be to truly show the loyalty of the Buffalo fan base by telling how they consistenly sell out games, but eventually one would think that might tend to wane a bit if they keep losing games. You could make a case that this might have been the case this year with TO, however, the support has been outstanding over the playoff drought. A picture is being painted that the Bills are struggling at the gate, when the fact of the matter is that they were even selling out all 8 home games when the season ticket base was only at about 40,000 sold. It's just old already. Here's a news flash to the media, just get the facts correct. No one cares who breaks a story, because 2 seconds after whoever breaks it, it will then be on every other website in the country, and everyone will continue to just go to their favorite website to get the story anyway. It's kind of like who broadcasts games in the booth. No one fuggin cares, because people are going to watch the game anyway. But the networks like to think that the personalities get people to tune in. So stupid. People watch the games and put up with schitty announcers because they like the game, not who's calling the game. I've listened to the Penguins broadcast with their local announcer on Sirius XM in synch with my DVR for most of the playoffs. It's not about the writers name or the person on TV who is reporting, it's about the news......and all too much lately, the media is getting worse and worse in a lot of different areas. This is truly the case now, as fans are more and more educated about the games they watch.............it's so easy to spot goofballs who don't do their homework.
Lori Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Trouble is, Lv, they only have to go back to 2006 to see four blackouts out of eight regular-season games.
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 Facts? Who needs them? This actually isn't a fact, it was a passed on figure to me, actually, from my ticket rep that I ran with. So, here we have a 41% number that was floated by me on a message board. FACT. Although, I have no reason to think this isn't true. I worked in the Atlanta Braves ticket office for 4 years, and often chat with my Bills rep about ticket numbers. So, I don't think he would lie to me. However, are you sure I'm not the one who made this stat up? And I renewed AFTER we signed T.O., but never did I think the Bills wouldn't have sold out games, for the most part, over the course of a season. Hell, there would have been a spike, not as big as TO, but there would have been one, if we would have signed Lav. Coles. The Bills are a good football market. Pro sports are really the only game in town. After all, how would you describe the Sabres renewal rate?
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 Trouble is, Lv, they only have to go back to 2006 to see four blackouts out of eight regular-season games. Right, depsite the fact that they still outdrew more than half of the league on those Sundays correct?
scribo Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Actually, if you look at what percentage of paid seating is indeed paid for, they are near the bottom of the league: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance?s...c&year=2008 I know no one is going to want to see this, but it needs to be put out there then someone is calling someone else out for reporting untruths.
scribo Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Right, depsite the fact that they still outdrew more than half of the league on those Sundays correct? I hope you realize that having higher total attendance than teams with smaller stadiums really has nothing to do with "struggling to sell out games." I know it isn't fair that larger market teams have smaller numbers to reach, but that is the case in several situations.
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 You do realize that having higher total attendance than teams with smaller stadiums really has nothing to do with "struggling to sell out games." I know it isn't fair that larger market teams have smaller numbers to reach, but that is the case in several situations. Yes correct, but I also realize that if we had the same stadium as the former Hoosier Dome, we most likely would be selling out games with a season ticket waiting list. You have teams like the Rams, Falcons, Jags, Raiders, Lions, and a couple more, in larger markets, that attendance struggles as soon as the team even hints at losing. Yet, the Bills are now growing. In a time where they suck, their season ticket base is going up, not declining. That's unreal. And again, over the playoff drought, the Bills have sold out the majority of their games. Period. That's undebatable. So, where's the stuggling at the gate part come in?
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 Actually, if you look at what percentage of paid seating is indeed paid for, they are near the bottom of the league:http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance?s...c&year=2008 I know no one is going to want to see this, but it needs to be put out there then someone is calling someone else out for reporting untruths. OK, so let's see here......we sold out every game last year, and were on TV every home game, yet we are operating at 89.2%, correct? Yet, the Jags who have many games blacked out, because of non-sellouts are at 97%? Are we to believe these numbers? So, which seats didn't we sell last year that counted toward this 89.2% figure? That's what I'd like to know. I believe the Ralph's capacity is around 73,000 (could be wrong). They list us as averaging 71,000. That stat alone has us at around 97.2% capacity. So, where does the 89% come in?
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 I hope you realize that having higher total attendance than teams with smaller stadiums really has nothing to do with "struggling to sell out games." I know it isn't fair that larger market teams have smaller numbers to reach, but that is the case in several situations. After even further review, looks like some more moronic tendencies here. Although I really have no idea. But if you calculate Buffalo attendance figures from this chart against the Ralph's old 80,000 capacity mark, you would land at the capacities % that this chart outlines here. It would be around 87-90 %. Could they be using the old capacity mark? I wouldn't put it by the moron who created this chart to not correctly look up the Bills capacity as to where it should be today and not some old media guide of RWS from 10 years ago. Of course, this also could be legit somehow! lol It's just hard to believe you sell out all seven home games and land at 89.2% capacity.
Lori Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 OK, so let's see here......we sold out every game last year, and were on TV every home game, yet we are operating at 89.2%, correct? Yet, the Jags who have many games blacked out, because of non-sellouts are at 97%? Are we to believe these numbers? So, which seats didn't we sell last year that counted toward this 89.2% figure? That's what I'd like to know. I believe the Ralph's capacity is around 73,000 (could be wrong). They list us as averaging 71,000. That stat alone has us at around 97.2% capacity. So, where does the 89% come in? I believe the Bills count their premium seating toward the attendance total, and the Jaguars do not. (And I know for a fact that the Jags' blackout threshold doesn't include the club seats which take up most of the lower bowl.) You know what, though? That percentage on the ESPN link is wrong. With listed stadium capacity at 73,967, averaging 71,405 would put the Bills at 96.5 percent.
Lv-Bills Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 I believe the Bills count their premium seating toward the attendance total, and the Jaguars do not. (And I know for a fact that the Jags' blackout threshold doesn't include the club seats which take up most of the lower bowl.) You know what, though? That percentage on the ESPN link is wrong. With listed stadium capacity at 73,967, averaging 71,405 would put the Bills at 96.5 percent. My case in point, EXACTLY! Makes no sense.
Mr. ChumChums Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Someone call Tim in so he can yell at them for us!
scribo Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Yes correct, but I also realize that if we had the same stadium as the former Hoosier Dome, we most likely would be selling out games with a season ticket waiting list. You have teams like the Rams, Falcons, Jags, Raiders, Lions, and a couple more, in larger markets, that attendance struggles as soon as the team even hints at losing. Yet, the Bills are now growing. In a time where they suck, their season ticket base is going up, not declining. That's unreal. And again, over the playoff drought, the Bills have sold out the majority of their games. Period. That's undebatable. So, where's the stuggling at the gate part come in? Your original post said the media was inaccurate to say the Bills were struggling to sell out games. Again, what others teams do attendance-wise has no bearing on the accuracy of the reports you started off complaining about.
scribo Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Also, I believe these percentages and attendance numbers differ in that one counts heads while the other counts tickets actually paid for. I am not talking about people sneaking in; I am referring to tickets comped or gifted or donated. I forget exactly, but I recall a thread about this a few years back that ended up with the full explanation.
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