Spurs facing another non-sellout

[MadDog73]

I agree. But honestly from what i can sqeak out of him (he never really gets into talking business much) is that his main focus at least is on the corporate clients. Now that is not to say people under him aren't more intuned to the every day sports fan, but man LP has some insane stories about whining and dining big clients in Vegas for the Allstar game and i think he also mentioned dropping big $$ for some folks in Miami for one of their games there.

So, bottom line, it really doesn't matter financially for the Spurs if the upper level is not sold out.

It just looks bad?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

It's sad, but I think it's because Spurs fan hit that emotional high somebody previously mentioned with the Suns series.

I was working in the newsroom the night the Spurs closed out the Suns (at about 11:00-ish). I got out of work at 12:15 a.m. and tried to head home by getting on 37-South by the Alamodome, but I was blocked off at Commerce by SAPD and forced to go right.

Why, you ask?

Spurs fans were celebrating by driving through downtown, honking their horns and such like this was the NBA Championship.

While I was waiting at one light (being held to let traffic through), I spoke with one of the police officers and I asked him if they expected this and he flat out said, "No."

Don't get me wrong, San Antonio is always looking for an excuse to party, but celebrating a return to glory win against the Suns (getting back to the WCF) like it's O'Brien #4 is simply weak.

[chorizo overdose]

i said so. the championship is over. the spurs won. the are you all trying to do with this jazz team?

the NBA playoffs peaked early.
case closed.

[Soul_Patch]

So, bottom line, it really doesn't matter financially for the Spurs if the upper level is not sold out.

It just looks bad?

I honestly haven't seen LP since the playoffs started, moreso cause im broke and not going to play poker but id assume that he wasn't very concerned with the 200's being empty.


Their cash cows are the luxury suites and the 20's. Those are the guys that invest a lot of money into the organization in more ways than ticket sales.

They do have people devoted to these concerns though, it just isnt top priority.

I hate it...i really do. One of my biggest gripes about todays sports teams and even big named music acts is that they price out the real hardcore do or die fans.

but...a business is a business.

[gino>yourlife]

it, more tickets for me

[mrsmaalox]

I also think the scalpers might be having a big effect. As I drove in for the game Sunday I easily drove past 15 people waving around 4 tickets each. Earlier that day TM didn't have any decent upper level tix left; they were all out on the street while people sat at home wishing they had tickets. I know playoff tix are expensive but maybe some drink and food specials would bring more people in. I mean a free hot dog to the first 500 people in the door could mean more families could afford to put out for the tickets.

[MadDog73]

I also think the scalpers might be having a big effect.

Scalpers = tickets sold.

We're not talking about empty seats, we're talking about unsold seats.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

i said so. the championship is over. the spurs won. the are you all trying to do with this jazz team?

the NBA playoffs peaked early.
case closed.

The even sadder part: to true NBA fans, the Jazz are a great team.

Let me preface this by saying I don't really hate any team or player in any sports (I could probably count them on one hand).

Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are two of my favorite guys to watch play. Mehmet Okur is great because when he's on, he can kill you from 19' + and that's a good damn team in the visiting locker room.

Truth be told, the Spurs simply aren't the status symbol they are in other cities (IE: Mavericks fan bringing that up when talking about their crowds).

While I will acknowledge the rising price of tickets and costs of living (which is why I'm working tonight covering one of the other professional franchises in town), some Spurs fans have become complacent.

There isn't just one factor causing this, though. It's a combination of many that are resulting in these blocks of tickets going unsold (because while people would notice the empties if they were there, had the Spurs reported a sell-out, this discussion wouldn't be happening).

[ducks]

if spurs did a blackout would they sell out?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

if spurs did a blackout would they sell out?

You know what's funny...I pray it's not that easy to get this game sold out.

[LilMissSPURfect]

if spurs did a blackout would they sell out?

who knows, but better marketing rather than blaming the fans would do it ...I support the spurs as much as I can! (afford) ...t-shirts, mugs, tickets etc. But to blame the FANS is wrong. I ask myself everyday. Why do we invest the money, the time, and the finger nail biting, th hoarse voices and the thrash talking for the spurs...A fan shows their support in many ways not just in the SEATS!

[ducks]

you know maybe they could lower their prices to regular season
and people would still have some money

gas also is alot more then what it is
what does the average person in sa make?
how far does he have to drive to go to work?
I know a guy that pays $3.60 per gallon for gas
he has to work 3 days to pay for gas out of 14

[MadDog73]

Guys, it's not money. Really.

If this was Spurs vs Mavs, this place would be SOLD OUT (and not just because of MavFans, although that would help).

Hmm, maybe SLC needs to offer free airfare to SA?

I know a guy that pays $3.60 per gallon for gas
he has to work 3 days to pay for gas out of 14

Wow.

1. Where is he buying gas?

2. What kind of car does he drive?

[violentkitten]

hey, if there are hardcore fans who can afford it then yeah, get your ass to the at&t tonight.

[ducks]

do you also realize that people bought houses on loans when people thought interst rates would never go up
I say on tv the guys loan is going to go from 1600 a month to 2200 a month

[ducks]

Guys, it's not money. Really.

If this was Spurs vs Mavs, this place would be SOLD OUT (and not just because of MavFans, although that would help).

Hmm, maybe SLC needs to offer free airfare to SA?



Wow.

1. Where is he buying gas?

2. What kind of car does he drive?

lives in ca
not sure
but that is what he spends on gas and his wife
wife works
he has to work 2 days to pay for their babysitter though to

[LilMissSPURfect]

Yes, my elderly moms is about 25miles (one way) because gas is 3$ a gallon I reluctantly have to put off the daily visits. (and like other americans own like the biggest gas guzzler suv)...my husband has to work a full day to make money for gas for a week...thats how dumb it has gotten! THIS IS THE USA....we're not supposed be getting screw'd we are the ONES that are supposed to b doing the srewing....

[LilMissSPURfect]

hey, if there are hardcore fans who can afford it then yeah, get your ass to the at&t tonight.

Dam if i had a scratch ticket and hit it ..I would starve just to watch the SPURS play!!!!

[fyatuk]

WTF? Are your serious?

You think there are Spus fans in San Antonio who don't know there is a game tonight?

Did I say that? Spurs don't do anything to drum up excitement anymore. When i started watching basketball (granted, I started watching right when Admiral came in), I nearly got sick of all the commercials for the Spurs I'd see.

I haven't seen anything advertising or trying to get the city pumped for the Spurs in years.

Advertising is NOT all about making sure people know there's a game and how to buy tickets, it's about generating an atmosphere about it. The Spurs no longer try in that regard.

And just for a laugh. A person in the elevator today asked if the Spurs were playing tonight. And then who they were playing.

[rascal]

I know the Spurs mess with the numbers a bit here and there but they do have good regular season attendance and they did again this season. I don't know do they raise the prices come playoff time alot so many people are not willing to s it out. The prices look fine to me i guess a lot of people in SA are just being cheap.

No, the people are not cheap, they are poor. Half the city can't afford to go to the playoff games.

Also the Jazz are not a highly marketable team to s out big bucks to go see. Even if it is the conference finals. Its not like the spurs have never gotten there before.

If it was the first time for the spurs the excitement level would be higher and there would be no problem with sellouts.

[LilMissSPURfect]

I wouldn't say poor either...but the CHOICES we are confronted with make it hard......gas for the car to go to work or a SPURS ticket....? hmmmmmm and about that person saying the spurs don't generate the excitement is very true....other than the Tim Duncan HEB commercials where is all marketing at?

[Felonius Monk]

Just a couple of notes at approximately 11:30, Tuesday AM.

1. The cheapest price on spurs.com for 2 tickets: $174 each plus fees.
2. There are 614 tickets available on ticket exchange, only 144 of which are under $100.

So not only are there unsold seats, there are seats competing with the unsold seats. And this doesn't include ebay and others reselling.

Does this have any bearing on anything? I don't know. I was just curious as to what's available.

[violentkitten]

as for the jazz, they were handing out free t-shirts to 'paint the energy solutions arena blue' in the 2nd round. i'd also suppose that the salt lake city msa has a larger number of white collar professionals pulling down large salaries than in the san antonio one. the spurs do a ty job marketing their team up the I-35 corridor when, as mentioned above, they could promote the team well in san marcos and austin. the spurs definitely feel en led to a sold out arena enough that they have jacked up ticket prices for the wcf and have done jack to promote the game. plus when you go all i see is holt's hand out looking for more and more $.

[Extra Stout]

In 2000, the mean income of the wealthiest 20% of San Antonians was $119,000.

That was seven years ago. San Antonio is wealthier now, and the dollar has been devalued. My best guesstimate is that they are averaging $140,000 now.

Are all the rich people driving Hummer H2's that get 7 mpg? Is that why gas prices are keeping so many people from buying tickets?

[GrandeDavid]

You don't think the vast majority of Spurs fans are casual fans who take whatever the media says as gospel? I do. I think that Spurs fans have bought into that this team is boring.

But I'll come clean here. I anticipate that while ticketmaster probably had something to do with the first game not selling out (if the 2nd one doesn't sell out - someone should die in the front office) but I also think that this series doesn't have much appeal.

All you have heard was about how the 2nd round was the real NBA finals and in the least it was the real WCF. I think Utah is a good team, but I also feel this isn't truely a marquee matchup but rather a forality that is before the Spurs play the Finals. That may be a horrible assumption to make, but it is what it is and I think that most Spurs fans feel the same way.

The NBA needs to fix their brackets (again) and make sure the 2 highest seeded teams meet in the WCF. This year with Dallas losing in the first you were screwed out of seeing the matchup everyone wanted in the WCF but you got it (again) in the 2nd round. It is almost like the playoffs peaked too soon.

So yeah, I think that Spurs fans are bored with this series. But thats probably a big fault of the Spurs PR machine too. They should be stepping things up right now and as far as I can see they are fairly nonexisitant outside of some EN fan guilt triping.

The attendence has suffered all year. The Spurs really should take a look at what they are doing (or not doing) and fix it. In the end its their responsibility to make sure those seats are filled.

I couldn't agree with this take more. The season ticket holders will be there, but those up in the rafters, as Kori pointed out, are going to be feeling the pinch of paying higher prices with each round. I don't think this series has sex appeal to the Spurs fans YET, and my guess is the masses would rather just watch these initial games against Utah from their own homes or at a bar or party with friends. If the series is 2-2 coming back to San Antonio, for example, I bet the place sells out. But at 1-0 against Utah, the masses, i.e. the casual limited-knowledge fans, are going to save their bucks. Many fans will budget for one, MAYBE two playoff games live. I'm sure the vast majority are assuming that the Spurs will get by Utah, then there will be a mad rush for the Finals tickets.

I just hope to the Spurs are not getting jinxed or something. Utah will NOT be a pushover. Utah is an outstanding home team, and all they have to do is take care of business at home and the Spurs are in danger of elimination in seven. , if Utah steals tonights game, I'll be concerned.