Even way back in the Summit and even the championship years, the attendance during the regular season was never a sellout for non-"star" teams... Basically I don't know why this is even a topic...we need to get a high lottery pick and everybody knows it so unless it's Kobe/Lebron the attendance will not be a sellout. Been like this forever...
answered this one above a novelty team with recent success in a one-team town. one-team towns typically support that team pretty well for obvious reasons...but let's see what happens when novelty fades and team isn't as good. not enough history here to compare really. Sacramento is the best example of the one-team town that seems to support its franchise come hell or high water. This team doesn't always sellout games despite being arguably the best franchise in history. There were empty seats when they went through their down years. One team sports town...can't remember the last time they weren't good, though. They've been among the preseason contenders for as long as I can remember. Certainly since David Robinson. I doubt seriously I could even find attendance stats for a period where this franchise wasn't good. In my lifetime, they've never endured the stretch that the Rockets are currently in, in terms of playoff futility and hype as a contender. One team sports town...this one will be interesting to watch going forward if they can't remain competitive under new coach, etc. But geez...they've been hyper competitive for a very long time.
The Bulls didn't sell out win or lose before MJ. He changed the face of that franchise. If the Rockets won 6 titles in 8 seasons with the most marketable pro athlete of all time, I'm guessing it would be quite a while before they had to worry about selling out games.
I've never been to a Texans game, so I can't really relate - what do you mean by "gameday experience"? Just curious.....
Madmax, This season, their attendance is not keeping up with the celler dwellers like the Wizards and Nets. The Rockets are at the bottom of the image.
go to a Texans game...get there a couple of hours early and walk around the parking lots. walk around after the game. NFL is once a week...each game is an event.
Interesting to see Pistons, a franchise very similar to our Rockets, at the very bottom. Philly's a "great sports town" right? Check out Sixers attendance on that list. the Rockets have delivered a very ho-hum product at a very expensive price for a very long time now.
I think the Texans success is also hurting the Rockets. After their NFL season is over, maybe attendance and interest picks up.
I have never understood the "fair-weather" fan concept. What fan wants to identify for life with a loser team. Only ClutchFans folks like you and me are like that. Most people want to be linked to a winner. And if were not for the championship years, most of us wouldn't be here.
If the product sucks why should fans pay good money to attend? It is up to the organization to put a quality product on the floor, if they do that, people will come. If not....they shouldn't.....marketing 101 folk...... DD
Whats that got to do with coach? I am more interested in watching our rooks instead of Scola and Martin.
I was being facetious because Le$ called JVG into his office to discuss this and held him accountable. Le$ is a joke of an owner... DD
2001-2012 NBA Attendance 2001-2012 NBA Attendance Things that I notice: * Since 2005, the Bulls have been first or second in NBA (home) attendance. Before 2005 (going back to 2001), the lowest the Bulls have ever ranked was . . . 9th in home attendance (and that was a bad year for them). * The Pistons had 4 consecutive seasons with the best attendance, and plus two more in 2008 and 2009. This season, they have the worst home crowd in the NBA. * Outside of 3 seasons, the Trailblazers have been consistently in the top 10 home attendance. * The Cavs literally went from nearly the worst home audience to one of the best, once they drafted LeBron James. * Excluding 2006 (05-06), 2002 (01-02), and the last three seasons, the Rockets have been consistently among the top 12 in NBA road attendance. Even managing four to five seasons in the top 5 in road attendance. One good thing about that is that people were coming to watch the Rockets on the road (probably having Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady). Probably the most consistent stat in the attendance, which that road attendance is very much effected by whether or not an opposing team has superstars. * The Magic had similar numbers: only falling out of the top 12, twice in road attendance. Yet, they only had two seasons where they had home attendance in the top 10. * Shockingly, one of the most watched teams in the NBA over the last decade in overall attendance, which is not in LA, Chicago, or LeBron's ego . . . the Utah Jazz. * The worst teams obviously are not being watched by their own fans or on the road. So ... there's nothing new there. For one, I do not necessarily think you need superstars to get good attendance, maybe stars or good above average players. Though, the one thing that seems to be important in this matter is relevance and fanbase. Some teams have a knack for staying relevant, while others are not supported by good fan bases.
The Rockets could be winning and they'd still be in the bottom half of attendance rankings. Seats could be empty in the lower sections but they've been paid for by Houston's business sector.
I've seen some games at the Toyota Center, and frankly, it's a very poor venue. Call it feng shui or whatever, but I don't like the vibe of the place.
Another reason is the traffic. Maybe people don't want to deal with having to drive an hour to get anywhere.
