Why aren’t Atlanta fans buying sports tickets?
Metro Atlanta fans tell the AJC that, partly as a result of the extended economic slump, they’ve cut back on buying tickets to sports events. Attractive rates for TV sports packages and convenient Internet access are also cited as factors keeping fans away from games.
The Braves, Hawks and Thrashers have all seen attendance decline, with the Thrashers showing the lowest drop at less than 1 percent. The Hawks saw the biggest drop in regular-season attendance, falling 5.4 percent from last season. The Falcons do not disclose season-ticket sales and renewal figures.
Tell us: Have you cut back on the number of sporting events you attend? Did you cancel season tickets for a favorite team? If so, was it because of the economy or better deals via TV or Internet?
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99 comments Add your comment
bob lablaw
May 26th, 2011
8:18 pm
I buy braves and falcons tickets because I feel like they deserve my $$. I refuse to buy tickets to the hawks because I don’t feel they’re serious about winning. The same goes for the thrashers. If that means the thrashers are leaving town, so be it. It’s really that simple for me.
DHD
May 26th, 2011
8:24 pm
Atlanta is a metro city of 5.5 million. There are only 450,000 inside the city limits. That means there is a commute. High gas prices come into play. The price of food at Turner is crazy. School is another factor for baseball. The games are on TV. You may have not heard, but the economy is not the best right now. So, bottom line: money.
Dennis Murray
May 26th, 2011
8:25 pm
Don’t teams depend more on season ticket sales (usually corporate) and television revenue from local tv to actually finance team operations?
With two small kids and most game times of sports well after 7 PM, we don’t see many games live. When we do – we’ve chosen lately to enjoy the minor league offerings (G Braves, Gladiators, Silverbacks) because ticket prices are a good value, parking is sometimes free, the games have fewer interruptions due to television requirements, and it is easier for suburb dwellers to get to.
2seat
May 26th, 2011
8:39 pm
The problem is most of Atlanta (and surrounding metro counties) are not natives and came here from somewhere else. As a transient city, the people that live here have no sense of fanhood and loyalty to their town. So as a result, they become bandwagon fans of whoever the hottest team is since historically Atlanta teams don’t win the big games. Take the Braves, in the world championship era, the stadium was packed…they stopped winning and now, they’re setting records for lowest sales. If people understood the meaning of truly being a fan, I think we’ll see the difference in our team, thus a difference in our ticket sales.
~Diehard Native
rusty
May 26th, 2011
8:48 pm
I canceled season tickets to the Falcons a few seasons ago because I got tired of being around nothing but drunken, obnoxious jerks. It made the games no longer fun to go to. I will go to a couple of Braves and Thrashers games a season, depending on who they are playing, but I enjoy watching at home with a few people better. I don’t care anything about the NBA so the Hawks don’t exist in my eyes.
Claudell Washington
May 26th, 2011
8:50 pm
As far as the Braves go, so many diehards living all across the Southeast that can only make one (maybe two or three trips to Atlanta) per summer. The Braves have a top-five fan base in MLB, and I would venture to say they are the most-watched and most-listened to team in MLB. Seemingly, the Braves are embraced across the region more than they are in the metro.
worm
May 26th, 2011
8:59 pm
If you have to ask, then you haven’t a clue..NBA has way too many teams in the playoffs..Baseball has way too many games..NFL-Too many preseason games and primadonnas…High def TV killed the radio star!
scottbravesfan
May 26th, 2011
9:12 pm
People in Atlanta didn’t support their teams even when the economy was booming in the 90s. You don’t get the rep as the worst sports town in America overnight. Braves playoff games don’t sell out. That is laughable. The Falcons have tons of empty seats for their “sellouts” and the Hawks are towards the bottom of the NBA attendance even though they are a playoff team year in and year out. And the Thrashers are 28th out of 30th in attendance. You don’t support any of your teams and you can’t be surprised when the team packs up and leaves. You people in Atlanta better be glad that the Braves have a big regional following because that’s the only thing keeping their attendance numbers up. And you can talk about school being in but not everyone in the metro area has school age children. And Los Angeles, DC, Houston, Dallas, and other cities are sprawled out as well and their teams draw. Atlanta just sucks for sports.
MB
May 26th, 2011
9:14 pm
In recent years, I have been going to more Braves games than I did the previous year. I went to 11 last year, and plan to go to about 14 this year. However, I understand why some people do not want to go unless the tickets are given to them; the fact remains that the Braves are still under-performing. People just don’t want to spend money to see a loss, and I have to say I know how they feel.
scottbravesfan
May 26th, 2011
9:16 pm
And don’t say sports don’t matter for a city either. They do. Ask someone from Boston or New York how sports effects their quality of life and their perception of their cities. They have pride in their cities. No one in Atlanta does. And when a city loses a team, like the Thrashers, it looks bad on the entire city. You are not considered “major league”. Seattle is still hurting on losing the Sonics. San Jose is begging for the Oakland A’s to move to their downtown to help their downtown businesses. Sports matters people whether you want to believe it or not.
TopperCat
May 26th, 2011
9:54 pm
If the games weren’t so inconvenient to get to, I’d go to many more. Living in Cobb County, it is an absolute pain to take I-75 all the way down to Turner Field and then pay 12$ to simply park. Seriously, let’s move these stadiums out of the slums of downtown and somewhere more practical to get to. The money of Atlanta isn’t inside the perimeter…
djv125
May 26th, 2011
10:05 pm
TopperCat, you’re statement seems to be racially charged…
Eric
May 26th, 2011
10:31 pm
I’ve read a lot of reasons on her but I really don’t think anyone is hitting the nail on the head. The teams (players and management both) have to give us a compelling reason to come. Aside from maybe Matt Ryan, there’s not a legit superstar in this town. Chipper is an all time great, no doubt about that, but he’s far from being a top 10 player in the league. Joe Johnson is a great player but not a transcendant superstar.
We have not had a player step up that is exciting enough and compelling us to go to the games, whether it be a home grown one or a free agent.
When we had Mike Vick (no matter how you feel about him now) you didn’t hear about people saying they lived too far away or have kids. People made time to get to the games. When we had Justice, Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz in their primes, the Braves were exciting. When we had Nique people came.
We also had owners who made us believe we stood a chance. They made us feel like they would sign the free agents or trade for a great player to get us over the hump. Now we have nothing but dumba$$as and a faceless corporation.
Trademark
May 26th, 2011
11:01 pm
The metro unemployment rate is almost at 10 per cent; if you add the unreported and underemployed, it’s probably closer to 18 per cent. Personally, I was laid off eight months ago and have only been able to find part-time work. The 6 to 8 Hawks and Thrashers games that I used to take the family to in the Wintertime just didn’t happen because of limited finances. By now, I would’ve taken the family to at least 2-3 Braves games by now, but we haven’t made it out to Turner Field because we simply don’t have the discretionary income to spend these days.
Steven
May 26th, 2011
11:34 pm
djv125, there was no discussion of race in this column until you mentioned it…….
ninja
May 26th, 2011
11:34 pm
I love all my Atl sports teams! But one thing that is missing is atmosphere around the stadiums. For instance Turner Field, there needs to be more around the stadium. Bars, restaurants, shopping for starters. When you go to a Braves game, most people go to the game and then jet the F out of there after the game. And I don’t blame them because at night people get nervous around that part of town. If they would make it more fan friendly like Fenway, then I think there would be alot more fans buying tix. There are huge crowds walking around that area whether it is a gameday or not. Even at the GA Dome and CNN center your options are limited even though you have access to a few spots there is not enough. And the public transportation system sucks here. It is disappointing to me that Atlanta has not figured this out. You go hang out around Turner Field on a non gameday, you are asking to get mugged, killed, jumped, robbed, in any case, nothing good!! Have like an Atl Station setup around Turner Field and I bet it does wonders for tix sales!!
ninja
May 26th, 2011
11:37 pm
I’m with you TopperCat!! I sure wish the GM Plant deal would have worked out for Arthur Blank!
Keep Hockey in Atlanta
May 27th, 2011
1:17 am
I think it is a combination of things that are keeping people away. Also the metro-area is full of northern transplants that don’t support the teams. Try going to a Braves game when the Yankees or Red Sox are in town, how many of those Yanks and Sox fan live in the area but only go to Turner Field when those teams are in town?
TopperCat
May 27th, 2011
4:01 am
djv125, sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out sounding as harsh as it did. To clarify, I’ve never been a fan of putting a stadium in a “less fortunate” part of a city to “revitalize” it. Slums was probably the wrong word to use…my mistake. No racial undertones intended.
ninja, yes! The GM plant at Doraville would have been a great location for a stadium. Being right on Marta, 285, and 85 would have been quite pleasant…but oh well….maybe some day in the future.
TheySuck.
May 27th, 2011
8:39 am
Because they fucin SUCK! Enough said.
Joe Friday
May 27th, 2011
8:48 am
The biggest problem is the lack of an effective transit system. There is a light rail system that is being proposed that will help things tremendously, but it’ll take a decade or more to implement. The 2nd biggest problem is that the town is mostly transplants from other cities, and people carry their allegiances from the teams they rooted for as a kid growing up. The kids that are born here over the past generation will help things out, if they stay here. They’ll have grown up as Falcons, Braves, Thrashers (oops) fans and will support them. In 20 years, the scene will be much different with an efficient transit system and the current generation of kids having disposable income.
location....location...location
May 27th, 2011
9:00 am
The location of the stadiums in Atlanta is awful…… the majority of those who pay to attend the games do not live in the city, yet all of our stadiums are in the heart of Downtown. While this might work in other cities, it doesn’t work well here. If the stadiums were at the 400/285 interchange or even the 85/285 north interchange. Our attendance would be much better, especially for hockey. It’s called demographics… they should have done a study before they built the stadiums.
Jim Hummer
May 27th, 2011
9:09 am
The Braves practice of raising prices for Saurday night games has so turned me off that I will not attend another Braves game until this changes. I used to go to 5 games a year – 4 seats. Now zero.
Shannon
May 27th, 2011
9:18 am
We used to try and go to 2 or 3 Braves games a month. It’s down to one per month now with gas prices, parking prices, and concession prices.
@Location….location….location: I do not agree that a move to the northside would solve any attendance problems. For one, I live on the southside and I would definitely not come to games if they were that far away from me. I like the location of the stadiums, but Atlanta needs better rapid transit options to get people to the stadiums so they don’t have to pay for parking.
Waleska Dawg
May 27th, 2011
9:42 am
In years past I have attended 6 or so Braves games per year. Usually, I decide to go on short notice and buy tickets at the box office. Since the Braves began charging an absurd day-of-game surcharge of $3 per ticket, I find that I go to fewer games. Junk fees make me grouchy.
Honest Ingine
May 27th, 2011
9:43 am
I went to a braves game last time they were in town, Parked in lot, tailgated had a great time. Got inside, 7$ for a beer… come on… Prices at the concession have gotten crazy…..could not wait to get back to the car… will not go back this year. I do have tickets for the Gwinnett Braves….5$ to park, more reasonable and better facilities.(no bums asking for money, or trying to sell me drugs…)
Common Sense
May 27th, 2011
9:43 am
Im sorry but 4.00 gas might be one reason . Looming job cuts might be another . The cost of food is out of this world. The cost of a sporting ticket for our sub par sports teams is another . And the fact that I pay $125 a month for HD tv and can sit in the comfort of my own home and not have to worry about getting mugged, robbed or killed in the safe streets of Atlanta is another .
dave
May 27th, 2011
9:44 am
TopperCat was right the first time, the stadiums in Atlanta are in slums (Braves) and very bad areas to be in at night (Falcons, Hawks, Thrashers). Blank wants to build a new football stadium out of downtown for that reason. Until the corrupt ATL PD has a new chief, this will not change.
ARod2000
May 27th, 2011
9:58 am
The absurd ownership group of the Hawks has clearly shown they aren’t serious about winning. It would mean a good deal to have ONE owner and to make wise hiring decisions from players to coaches. The Hawks have had some great success developing/drafting players like Smith and Horford and acquiring other great players. But it’s difficult to forget their mistakes due to the magnitude of them. Passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams when we’ve need a good PG for 10+ years is/was/and will always be, one of the most bone head moves in all of sports. New owners please!! (just ONE)
Maryanne
May 27th, 2011
10:07 am
I am tired of all the professional players being rewarded for bad behavior and whining about money resulting in strikes and cancelled seasons. I will not go to a professional sports event unless it is golf– these guys are paid according to talent and winning not whining and poor behavior with the exception of Tiger Who?
Daniel
May 27th, 2011
10:09 am
Waleska – agree 100%. I used to ask my wife “hey, what should we do tonight?” “hey, let’s take in the Braves game” $4-6 for upper corner tickets are a super deal, plus MARTA got a couple of fares from us.
The day-of-game surcharge is an absolute kick in the pants. It is now impossible to get list-price tickets unless you visit the box office in advance of the game day. Who does that? I’m not paying Ticketmaster fees and I’m not paying Braves fees.
Joe
May 27th, 2011
10:22 am
hawks need a superstar.
Old South
May 27th, 2011
10:35 am
Since you asked– Atlanta city is just not a fun place to visit. There always seems to be a criminal element lurking, even during one of the sporting events. Then the venue itself, perhaps minus the Philips Arena, will likely be in an un-welcoming or isolated place where entry and exit is often difficult. And then, in the case of the Falcons, the marketing is completely to urban low income African-Americans of which I do not consider to my taste.
The smart thing to do would be to move all these teams, except the Falcons, outside of Atlanta city. The Gwinnett Arena or the like would not have all these issues.
v
May 27th, 2011
10:59 am
The ultimate cost of all the downsizing, cutting this, cutting that, saving this, and saving that, is no one has the disposable income to attend anything but work. Add the 8 hour per day traffic horror, plus the court horror, if you get into an accident of any kind, going to or from anything including church. Add to all that the inability of georgia politicians to get much of anything right: It has taken fifty or more years to figure out how to distribute driver’s licenses. They are still confused by the idea of alternate merge – note all the “right lane ends” on freeway on ramps. The calculus of this mess generates three final questions: Why would anyone in the Atlanta area do anything besides go to and from work? Why would you not leave at the first opportunity? Why would any team risk the area? Disclosure: I have lived here three times since 1980. When our family manages to escape from this version of hades this time, I plan to never come back – for much of anything, unless things change more than a lot.
Green
May 27th, 2011
11:08 am
I can think of several reasons.. mainly ticketing and transportation. Whenever I consider going to a game, I think the price is appropriate until they add in the Ticketmaster fees and charges… which jack the price 30-50% per ticket. I then cancel the sale and watch it on TV. Then there is parking fees downtown, which are set by the friends of previous Mayor Campbell who now have complete run of the racket. I’ve taken MARTA before, however at Braves games I don’t want to wait 2 hrs in a mob to get on a slow overpacked bus of drunks. At Falcons and Hawks games, I don’t want to be waiting late at night for almost a half-hour on the East-West line or at Lindburgh station for a train to come, with no police presence obvious.
e l pratt
May 27th, 2011
11:16 am
I refuse to go downtown because from my perspective, it is not safe to do so. Additionally, the extreme Left wing politicians refuse to honor the safeguards that the US Cinstitution reserves for us citizens so that we may protect ourselves. From my somewhat detached position out here in suburbia, I see a constant barrage of murders, rapes robberies, assaults, car jackings, thefts from automobiles, etc. In the vernacular of the Media, “If it bleeds, it leads.” And, while I realize that such extreme incidents are not the majority and many people get into and out of Atlanta unscathed, my thinking has led me to err on the side of caution. I attend a few sporting events in my community and watch some on television. But, I will not pay the outrageous prices that the Falcons and the Braves want for their tickets AND be subjected to the unsafe conditions of Atlanta as well as the Unconstitutional restrictions imposed by the Atlanta Police Department. No thanks!
NoFear
May 27th, 2011
11:28 am
@eIp > > I see that 10 years of right-wing behavior modifications has really affected you completely. Be afraid, be very afraid of everything. We are looking out for you, we know you are scared but you are under our control, patriot.
e l pratt
May 27th, 2011
11:45 am
@ NoFear>>I have heard that inocuous voice of ‘big brother’ before. How’s that ‘change’ working out for you? Have you had to start wearing that rfid in the back of your right hand, yet? Or, did you get it put on your forehead? Hmmm?
Eddie
May 27th, 2011
11:53 am
i have definitely cut back. teams (all teams) have priced themselves out of the market. who wants to pay $25-45 for an upper level ticket? i’m so tired of people saying the fans suck because we don’t support our teams! most of us middle class folks can’t afford it regardless of the economy. how about the teams suck because they don’t make their product affordable?
Rich Monyer
May 27th, 2011
11:59 am
Check the economy. As a retiree living in a fee based country why should I fork over big $ to spoiled athletes so they can act like idiots and as far the owners they are no better than Shylock in Shakespeare’s play. When I want sports action I go watch the local kids who play their hearts out and don’t start acting stupid until Junior High.
Joe Schmoe
May 27th, 2011
12:00 pm
College football seems to hold steady amount of fans. Not a big Pro Sports fan anyways. Cant wait till Saturdays at Bobby Dodd.
David
May 27th, 2011
12:02 pm
Mike discussed this story last night on the Southern Sports Universe. Download the show at blogtalkradio.com/nba
BravesFan
May 27th, 2011
12:03 pm
Ok, for me I dont go because they are boaring and have been for years. They are so busy keeping the players in sink that there is no excitement in the game. These teams (and its been this way for several years now) just go through the motions of playing the game, there is no excitement. Why bother driving all the way downtown when you can just check in every once in a while on TV. I mean its not like we will miss much. A few swings in the dirt, half hearted swings, players not running hard. Sorry but this team is simply drab. Get some exciting players and managers and maybe the fans will come. Look, the players who created spark on the team they get rid of. Furcal was one of them. Oh cant have the life in a player so get rid of him. Just boaring, plain boaring.
Jack P
May 27th, 2011
12:05 pm
It’s simple. No money
Richard J.
May 27th, 2011
12:08 pm
Are you kidding? Me and my family have been holding back since 2008 and if this economy doesn’t improve we will keep holding back. First priority is feeding my family and paying my bills. I would love to go out and spend more but right now it is impossible.
Steve
May 27th, 2011
12:08 pm
$4 a gallon gas, food prices skyrocketing, home prices plummeting & $78 for a single ticket to watch a millionaire play a game … um, I don’t think so . . .
Mark (another one)
May 27th, 2011
12:09 pm
I have already listed some reasons under a different article but let me add. I work during the week near the stadium but my family is 20 miles away. It doesn’t make sense to go by myself, but during the week, traffic makes it impossible to take family to anything downtown. I’m from LA and found the traffic there to be more predictable.
On the weekends, it always seems that the connector or 75 is under construction. I am not going to spend 3 or 4 hours in traffic to watch any sports event. Sorry.
Tana
May 27th, 2011
12:11 pm
e l Pratt: If you are staying away from sporting events because of the “violence” that “left wing politicians” shield you from protecting yourself from, then I’m glad you and your stereotypical southern mind set stays away. I bet you are afraid the fans at the Falcons games are going to attack you. In short terms, you are not attending games because of a racist feel.
I don’t attend games because Atlanta makes games too outpriced. They also put limits on what you can buy and when you can buy it. The Braves refused my family from purchasing 17 Opening Day tickets. A family of 17 who has been to every Opening Day for 8 years was barred from the game this year because we didn’t want to buy a “package deal”.
Package deals are a bunch of bull.
ATL Observer
May 27th, 2011
12:14 pm
It’s simple:
If you put a team in the northern suburbs, you’d be giving up on everyone in the city because the public transit in this town sucks.
If you put a team in downtown, you’re giving up on everyone up north. Half of them are scared to death (as the comment above would illustrate) and the sensible ones still can’t go because if they want to bring their families, they probably work in the city, and have to get the kids and then brave the commute to the game. This place just isn’t built to BE a city. I have a feeling the state likes it that way.
location....location...location
May 27th, 2011
12:14 pm
It’s not the money…. check stubhub, you can buy 4 tickets for $20 to a braves game pretty much any night of the week. It’s the location, most of the fans live north of the stadiums and city with a very small portion of the population actually in downtown atlanta. Not to many people want to leave work at 5pm and go sit in traffic for an hour and a half to go watch games that start at 7pm. Start the games at 735 or move the stadiums north. If the hockey team played in a stadium in sandy springs as was originally proposed, they’d still be here.
JB
May 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
As a diehard Braves fan I feel that bring the AAA team to Gwinnett was the greatst and worst decision ever. Since I live in Gwinnett, it is much easier, and cheaper, for me to drive 10 minutes down the road and pay $8 for a ticket as opposed to 1 hr and $25. Don’t get me wrong, I will definately go to an Atlanta Braves game to watch the big boys play but it is much simplier, AND CHEAPER, to drive down the road. Make the tickets at the Atlanta games cheaper instead of more expensive and it will be worth the drive.
Archie
May 27th, 2011
12:25 pm
The problem for me is that going to the games just isn’t any more fun than watching at home. Being at the game simply doesn’t enhance the enjoyment of the game itself, at least not enough to make me want to pay for it. I don’t need or want all of the silly, carnival-esque distractions that you find going on during the game. I hate the Kiss Cam, the Home Depot Tool Race is not only retarded but it’s a ripoff of the Milwaukee Sausage Race, the extra entertainment they’ve added to make it family friendly and casual fan friendly is just not for me. When I go to a game, I go for the actual game and the electric atmosphere of the crowd. So I have no interest in going to any game that doesn’t have that. I’d rather watch at home or at the sports bar.
dtanner
May 27th, 2011
12:32 pm
cost’s a fortune to go, and i’m not gonna support these overpaid jerk prima donna pro athletes with my hard earned money.
leaness
May 27th, 2011
12:32 pm
I, personally, will miss the Thrashers if/when they move to Winnipeg. I’ve had many wonderful times attending many games for many seasons. However, I can understand the reason behind the move. The south does not have such a high market for hockey. Based on one visit to Pittsburgh, hockey was in the blood of the people. It’s not that way so much here. My nieces in New York grew up playing hockey. I do not know too many people here that can say the same. I know they are here, but I have met very, very few.
ticket prices are a BIG part of the problem
May 27th, 2011
12:38 pm
I’ve still been buying tickets but not as often as I did 20 years ago. Ticket prices have gone up much, MUCH higher than the rate of inflation. I’m not going to pay $80 to sit lower level at a Hawks or Thrashers regular season game – sorry. Nor am I going to pay over $100 to go to a Falcons game or $60 to sit in the prime lower bowl at a Braves game.
Whether the owners and management want to admit it or not, ticket prices are behind a lot of the attendance problems. The sports media doesn’t pick up on it b/c the sports media doesn’t have to pay for tickets.
howard
May 27th, 2011
12:39 pm
I have absolutely cutback and this has been going on for several years now. Our economy is a long way from a recovery and prices of goods and services just keep rising.
my take
May 27th, 2011
12:41 pm
I agree that ticket prices have gone beyond reason. I also think that Atlanta has a somewhat unique “traffic/public transportation/stadium location” problem that contributes mightily to the attendance problems.
Combine these 2 factors with the fact that the teams haven’t been in Atlanta near as long as the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago team and you understand why the attendance isn’t the same here. Not to mention the demographic factor of a lot of people here not having deep Atlanta roots.
Bill Campbell
May 27th, 2011
12:41 pm
Prices too high to watch over-paid jerks play children’s games!
working joe
May 27th, 2011
12:46 pm
these guys think these games are so important,but after the braves won the world series back in 1995,i was at work the following monday morning and realized it did’nt do a damn thing for me,hav’nt been a fan since
DH
May 27th, 2011
12:54 pm
EVERYONE is cutting back, and considering how the Stadium Vendors GOUGE everyone with grossly inflated prices for processed garbage “food” and the crappiest beer on earth, you better believe I’m skipping “going to the game” this year. Probably next year, too.
At least you can get fairly priced baseball tickets and then bring your own food/beverage. That makes for a very nice and very economical time (but I won’t spend a nickel at the concessions – I wouldn’t mind seeing some of those businesses go bankrupt).
Jim Adams
May 27th, 2011
12:57 pm
MLB teams, like the big oil companies are pricing themselves so the real baseball fans can no longer afford to attend games.
nonsportsfan
May 27th, 2011
1:01 pm
There is more to life than sports.
Pete Mitchell
May 27th, 2011
1:13 pm
I don’t go to sporting events anymore. It’s a whole cheaper to buy a TV Sports Package through the TV Company. You get better coverage and dont even have to leave your couch!! And besides when was the last time a team any team from Atlanta even sniffed the Finals??
Christian B
May 27th, 2011
1:13 pm
I plan on going to as many games this year as I did last year though I am less likely to go to games that are not subject to special pricing (e.g. Buck Mondays). I also take my on food and drink to the game when I can. I would probaby be more inclined to go if I could avoid parking fees and MARTA ran a better service to Turner Field.
willow
May 27th, 2011
1:14 pm
ban all sports agents remove the scum of the earth lawyers and see how smart the players or so called competitors are most pro athletes are basic jerks clean up the city by starting with the most powerful and most protected
Pro "truth"
May 27th, 2011
1:17 pm
The “Great Recession”, as named by the media, has definitely played a role of attendance in sporting events but the situation is much more complicated. Various people on this board have brought up valid points but instead of having an overall combative tone and felling towards each other, you dont address whom is to blame. Corporations own a lot of these teams (Braves, Hawks, Thrashers… etc) and they are only interested in providing the cheapest and cost affordable way to make a profit. They could care less about the product they put out there for consumers. As long as it is “good enough” they are fine. People are struggling out here! (white, black, gay, straight, poor) Even those who were once considered to be “rich” are having to hold back. People get angry and attack each other when things are going bad and their true racist or bigotry feelings come out. Yes, we know this is a metro city and it was never prepared for this huge population increase within a 10yr span after the Olympics. But it is the State governments fault (Dems, Reps, Libs!) that Atlanta has become a city of under-performance. You can’t enjoy a game when you the city wont provide the consumer an effective way to get to the game. You cant expect people to spend their hard earned money when they dont feel safe going out to the stadiums. Minorities are just as afraid as these racist people of the “criminal element” that lurks downtown. This shouldnt be a white or black thing, this should be a “rally thing” and we need to demand that the government take an active and logical role in providing jobs, mass transit and safety for the public. Until that is happening no one is going to go to any games! These people out here are either too poor, or to afraid to go out and explore a game in Atlanta and will remain a prisoner in their own home. And things only become worse when you are either motivated or unmotivated by fear and oppression/poverty. Dont ask the fans why we wont support the city and their teams, you need to ask the city and the teams why they wont help us support them!
God
May 27th, 2011
1:18 pm
I really dont like black people
Old Violin
May 27th, 2011
1:27 pm
Could it be that the fans are finally saying out loud what they’ve been thinking for a long time ? We’re tired of supporting teams that don’t give it their all, don’t respect the fans, and think they’re the kings of the walk ! Tickets cost too much, players are paid to much, and we’ve been sitting back taking it for a long time….The JP Wentworth commercial says “It’s my money and I want it now ” and the fans are saying ” It’s my money, and I can spend it better than that “! Stop the Bleeding before we totally stop coming to the games………just saying !
99Champ
May 27th, 2011
1:28 pm
Love the Thrashers!!!! Hate the traffic!!!! If hockeywas in North Fulton, Gwinnett or Cobb, I’d be there all the time.
Old Violin
May 27th, 2011
1:36 pm
Since I haven’t found a place to blog about Derick Lowes charges being dropped, I’ll do it here…..Mr. Lowe, you have allowed a terrible mistake (giving you the benefit of the doubt) to turn into an unacceptable outcome for what you did! When you issued a statement taking reponsiblity for your actions, you won some respect, now with the charges dropped, all I smell it “Stank”, and I will never consider you a man again, I will never pull for you to win again, and I will hope that your career with any major league sport is short lived. To the children that you have now taught that wrong is acceptable if you have the money to cover it up, you should issue another statement ! You are now, no better than the thugs in football that do this on a regular basis !
TV Watcher
May 27th, 2011
1:47 pm
I live 50 miles from downtown Atlanta. With the price of gas, parking and tickets, I stay home and watch on TV. The athletes, like the rest of us should take a paycut and managements should get real in their expectations. Contrary to what Wall Street thinks, GREED is not good. Using the word ATLANTA is also a misnomer–it should be the Atlanta AREA team–Atlanta proper is shrinking in spending population like a pair of cheap shorts.
Tana
May 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
The issue in Atlanta is the prices nad the quality of the teams. I wish I could say that our teams were money pinchers like some other city teams. Everyone is saying they don’t put effort into putting a winning product on the field. Oh they do. They spend mega millions on under performing guys. Derek Lowe, Dan Uggla, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, Joe Johnson. The only team who plays to their talent salary is the Falcons.
Let’s face it too. All of us complaining on here are ‘real fans’. ‘Real fans’ do not attend our sporting events, which is what drives away many fans in itself. The fan who is up and down the whole game, the fan who doesn’t know half the team, the fan who is uncomprehensively drunk….these are all big reasons I dislike some events. Falcons games are different. Everyone in the Dome treats each other as a brother or a sister. Braves games are just intolerable. Strike me down for this, but I am a big opposer to giving away tickets to one hundred different youth groups. Then on those days they give away promotions to just kids. Roger McDowell had it right on kids being at the baseball game.
The Ghost of Norm Van Brocklin
May 27th, 2011
2:02 pm
NOW WHY IN THE WORLD would a clinically sane sports fan give up pricey tickets and lost all of the following attractions…..
…Gridlock Traffic….enduring gridlock only to face insane parking lot fees…..Panhandlers verbally and often physically assaulting you and your family to and from the parking area to the arenas….morons wearing Mike Vick jerseys mixing it up with drunken morons who don’t drink Vick Kool-Aid…..only to see a bunch of thug-like millionaires who are poor role models for any adult or children….and only to witness off the field verbal fireworks between the thug millionaires and owner billionaires who jack up our prices to pay the millionaires in a poor economy?
WHY WOULD WE WANT TO MISS ALL OF THAT?
gtkenz
May 27th, 2011
2:06 pm
Unless the tickets are free, very much so. Between parking and the concession prices, professional sporting events are far too expensive for the average Joe. If I do go, I always taligate before hand to fill up before the game and avoid the high pricing inside, but let’s face it, a couple of stadium drinks or hotdogs are the price of a case at the grocery store. And all so Chipper and company can make 10+ million a year to play a game. Insane.
Real American
May 27th, 2011
2:08 pm
LOL…just gotta love the people shrilling about the location. That’s funny.
AngryRedMarsWoman
May 27th, 2011
2:19 pm
I will echo the sentiment of others – it is the location (and traffic), not the cost. Even if I can achieve a virtually uneventful trip down 400 and/or 75, I will sit forever in traffic on surface streets trying to get into a parking lot (APD sitting on the corners doing a bang-up job). Who can regularly leave the office at 3pm to ensure they make it to a 7pm first pitch? MARTA is not the answer – it still takes more than an hour to get from here to there and requires transfers. And when you leave Turner Field they normally wind up directing you somewhere “new” and unless you are very familiar with the city streets you wander around until you find a sign for I75. That being said, I love the Braves so much that I venture to The Ted a dozen times a year at least…and on all of the other days they are on my radio and television. GO BRAVES.
Dolph Lundgren
May 27th, 2011
2:27 pm
@Pro “truth”
“we need to demand that the government take an active and logical role in providing jobs, mass transit and safety for the public. ”
The problem is that the government is trying to do too much! Saftey…yes. It is not the role of the government to provide jobs…idiot
The democrats only solution is to “tax the rich”…who just so happen to be the lifeblood of the economy. When you piss the “rich” off, they just take their money out of our economy…then everyone else suffers
ATL Observer
May 27th, 2011
2:34 pm
If one of the “rich” would pitch in for a transit system, I’d be more sympathetic.
e l pratt
May 27th, 2011
2:54 pm
@ tana>>It would be nice to go to a game without the concern that your car won’t be there when you get out to the parking lot. Or, that you won’t get mugged when you are walking to the socialist bus-stop. I looked at my initial comment just now before answering you and I can’t find anything in it relating to racial concerns. Where did you get that from? Maybe they are just your own bigoted projections about SAWBs. As for my protection, What good did it do for Ronald Reagan to have 1100 Secret service agents on duty the day Hinckley shot him? Coincidently, the stats that the FBI gave for proper policing of a community at that time were the inverse of the numbers for Ronald Reagan. They said there should be one cop for every 1100 citizens. That’s why I carry a gun. There’s never a cop around when you need one. And, besides, cops are too heavy to lug around on your hip all day. Just remember the next time you need a cop, when seconds count, the cops are only minutes away. When trying to deal with someone who is intent on stealing more than just second base, a bat is not the tool to use.
Rich
May 27th, 2011
3:00 pm
As one of the northern transplants mentioned above, I’ll support the statements about lack of loyalties to local teams. My wife and I only care about the Chicago Cubs (my team) and Pittsburgh Steelers (hers). We go to 1-2 Cubs-Braves games at Turner each year (and 1-2 at Wrigley) and the Steelers haven’t come to Atlanta lately. No interest in Atlanta sports teams for their own sakes. Hard to imagine what would ever change that situation.
e l pratt
May 27th, 2011
3:01 pm
@ Rich>>You probably don’t drink Coca-Cola either.
Rich
May 27th, 2011
3:06 pm
Coke Zero these days, thanks.
e l pratt
May 27th, 2011
3:15 pm
@ Rich>>Actually, that is a product they get from ‘Union” county to serve to Yankees.
e l pratt
May 27th, 2011
3:33 pm
The real reason ticket sales are lagging is that Atlanta just doesn’t produce winning teams. We hire all the best athletes and showcase their talents as individuals but never demand that they play effectively as a team. the sign of the times came from a fan in the cheap seat during the football strike in the late ’80s; He held up a banner that read, “Falcons go home and take the Braves with you.” The other reason for slow ticket sales is the classic example of insanity; when you just keep laying out good money for repetitive losers and expect that somehow your investment will produce world class teams. Oh well! Go figure..
balony
May 27th, 2011
3:35 pm
Because it’s a rip-off
Jason
May 27th, 2011
3:56 pm
“TopperCat
May 26th, 2011
9:54 pm
If the games weren’t so inconvenient to get to, I’d go to many more. Living in Cobb County, it is an absolute pain to take I-75 all the way down to Turner Field and then pay 12$ to simply park. Seriously, let’s move these stadiums out of the slums of downtown and somewhere more practical to get to. The money of Atlanta isn’t inside the perimeter…”
Wow, this is so stupid I don’t even know where to begin. Buckhead and Druid Hills are inside the perimeter last time I checked. Name an OTP neighborhood with that much old money in it. You can’t because it doesn’t exist.
You make a good point about location. Downtown Atlanta is not very nice. The Thrashers, Hawks, and Falcons, however, are right on the train line. But then again you probably don’t want to be on a train with “those” people do you?
As for the Braves, you think $12 for parking is expensive? Either you just aren’t the “money” person you pretend to be, or you’re just a complete tightwad and you wouldn’t ever go to any sporting event anyway. It’s $12 to park right next to the stadium for a major sporting event in a major metro area. That is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, expensive. As an added bonus, anyone can go online and buy and print a parking tag before going to the game. There’s no driving around aimlessly looking for an open lot.
jeff
May 27th, 2011
4:18 pm
Let’s see, at least $50 per person for a decent seat, a minimum of $10 parking, $8 for a beer….shall I continue?
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
4:25 pm
“It’s the economy stupid!”
Baseball has abandoned it’s fans, not the other way around. When I was in Philly and they weren’t doing well, they gave deals to everyone. The Braves want people to sit in the nosebleed seats. In Philly, they would sell hotdogs for a couple bucks. At the Braves, it’s what? 6$ 8$? The point it that baseball teams spend millions on players and not a dime on fans. Give us a break and we’ll come.
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
4:29 pm
@Toppercat
Braves on a train line? Really? What train are you taking?
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
4:32 pm
er. . . I’m sorry. . . that comment was for Jason….
Well hey Rockefeller, if $12 to park, $50 for a decent seat and $8 a hotdog means nothing to you, perhaps you can invite my family sometime.
DTB711
May 27th, 2011
4:54 pm
Enter your comments here
I don’t even watch the Braves anymore. If they moved it wouldn’t bother me.
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
4:55 pm
Let’s review a rough price for a family of four for one night:
Parking $12
Seats decent seats x 4 $226
Hotdogs x 4 @ $8 $32
Sodas x 4 @ $4 $16
TOTAL $286
So that’s $286 (give or take) for one evening lasting around 2 to 3 hours. And we’re supposed to make it to how many games in order to be considered “fans”? At 20 games my family is supposed to drop $5,720? Let’s say we’re HUGE fans. If we made it to 80 games it would cost $22,880. I could take my entire to Italy and Greece for that.
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
5:06 pm
I disagree. I love the Braves. I’ve been a fan for 20 years. I watch them every night. We simply can’t afford to go more than once or twice a year. I’ll tell you what. Drop Uggla who is hitting .180 for a $9 million salary, replace him with Mather and give the fans a break on the price of tickets.
gapeachpit
May 27th, 2011
5:36 pm
Coming in from the southside, it is primarily money and the surrounding area of the stadiums. Let’s break this down:
1. Ticket prices-they are over-priced in most instances, unless you want to sit in the outfield bleachers of the Branves’ games or up so high that the players look like bugs. In that case, you’ll see better if you stay home and watch on the TV. Let’s be honest here. Why pay money to sit out and sweat, get rained on, have that beer-brained jerk slop his brew down your back, the donkey kid kick the back of your seat or whatever-and still not be able to really see what you came to see? Unless of course what you paid to do was to get sloppy drunk in public and act stupid-in which case, be my guest. I don’t want to be around you. You’re not a baseball fan-you’re an idiot.
2. The price of food and novelties-t-shirts, caps, etc.- are outrageously high. Even Ted Turner-and he’s a billionaire-stated publicly that he wouldn’t pay those prices. Yet we are EXPECTED to do so and do so willingly. NO, I won’t do it and NO, I won’t be back until you do something about it. Besides, the quality of the food is abysmal-even for stadium food.
3. The area around Turner Field. Egads. I know those people have to live somewhere and I know the Catholic Cancer hospital is there and that it has been there for ages. I don’t mind it. They keep the place up. But the rest of the area-when you leave to go to your car-it is dangerous out there in a lot of places-and you don’t have to walk all that far from the stadium to get there either. Desperate people will do desperate things and I have seen the residue of the break-ins of car being entered and things taken with my own eyes. It is frightening to me and I’m a native. I can only imagine the impact to a visitor. This city wants people to come in for this kind of entertainment? Well, you have to make it safe for them AND their vehicles-and they have so far failed to do so.
I don’t know about Falcons, Hawks, or Thrashers. We’re priced out of all of the Falcons games so we don’t even try anyway. Basketball and hockey are non-starters in this household. If either of those teams fell into a black hole, we probably wouldn’t even know it.
Oh, and while I’m registering gripes-I want Braves broadcasting back on the radio. I follow the games while driving, working in the yard, doing housework, etc. Just what do these fools think they’re doing?
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
5:50 pm
@ gapeachpit
I think they changed the radio stations. You can now hear the Braves on AM 680 and FM 93.7 or FM 100.5, depending where you are.
jtdawg
May 27th, 2011
7:07 pm
UGA still sells out every football game – even with a down season. A lot of those fans come from Atlanta.
Digital Sniper
May 27th, 2011
9:56 pm
Listen to Colin Cowherd and it becomes very simple. The Southeast is all about college and SEC football. Plus, crazy fan guy (like Philly fans) are usually less educated, don’t travel abroad, stay close to home (or live with mom) and don’t have anything better to do. Don’t hate the messenger, those are statistics and poll number facts. Why the hell would someone with common sense pay big money to deal with ATL traffic, line the pockets of ingrate pro athletes and owners, and get less comfort than sitting at home to watch the game on their HD or 3D TV? Plus, it’s been said a few times already in this thread, most of the people in ATL are not from here and don’t care. The stands are full of Cubs and Red Sux fans when they come to town. I like the Bravos, just not that much.
Brandon
May 27th, 2011
10:51 pm
@ Digital Sniper
Did you have a point? We were talking about the Braves ticket sales. Please keep up or crack another beer and convince yourself that you’re clever. Your point was that you went to Europe (traveled abroad), don’t like traffic, watch sports on an expensive tv, don’t like natives (i have a degree from UGA and Georgia State), etc… Where are you going with this? The question is why don’t more people go to Braves games? Your answer is because they didn’t go to Europe?
Larry Steele
May 31st, 2011
2:56 pm
If you really want a “Reality check”, check out “Professional” Ticket prices in Toronto Canada, Raptors vs Hawks, Braves vs The Jays, hang on to your under garments, Thrashers or any other NHL team south of the Border vs Toronto Maple Leaf Ticket Prices. You think that individuals cannot afford in Atlanta or others regions of the USA. Also do not forget the incidentials, Pking, programme, a beverage for you and the children, maybe a little something to go home with. A family of 4 in Toronto figure 500 to 750 for a Leafs game, thats reality.
Larry, a Cdn that cannot afford a Leaf Game, PS, Check out the Suites.