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Bill Simmons: "Houston has a top 3 worst crowd"

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Nivos, Jan 18, 2018.

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Is Simmons right?

  1. Yes

    387 vote(s)
    87.4%
  2. No

    32 vote(s)
    7.2%
  3. Media conspiracy

    24 vote(s)
    5.4%
  1. Ranny

    Ranny Member

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    I have mentioned before that I live and grew up in South America and i am a big football (soccer) fan, so from what i am used to the concept of a sports crowd for me its a lot more intense than what i see when i get to go sports games in the US.

    I was born in Houston and lived there until i was around 6 and i have vague recollection of going to games with my dad but i dont really remember much, since then i just made it back to Houston in 2013, and i have been going there every year since and watching at least one Rockets game per season, and i have to say Simmons is right, the environment is just dull, its kind of odd because the spectacle is there, the team is usually competitive, the lights, the dancers, the show, the beer, everything is there, but for some reason people just seem to be apathetic, definitely totally different than the craziness of south american soccer fans. (I mean crazy good, not crazy bad)

    Since i dont live in the US i dont get to go to many games so i couldn't compare if this environment issue its just a Houston thing or if it happens in other arenas as well. I remember going to see the Heat once in Miami like a decade ago, i couldn't really tell you if the environment was too different, i didnt really pay attention to that then, and i was a bit drunk to so... also TV doesn't really show you what really goes on in the stands of an arena, its just not the same, so until recently i personally had no means of comparison between Houston and other US cities.

    on january 3rd i was in Orlando with my family and got to go to the Rockets game against the Magic. I have to say, even though the Magic suck their crowd was definitely more energetic than ours. Nothing crazy or over the top like being in a Brazilian or Argentinian football stadium, but the people were more involved in the game, rooting for and against the players, I dont know how to describe it, it was different. I had fun and we won! On another note, this was the first time i got to see the Rockets in an away game, there were a lot of Rockets fans there, i wasnt expecting that. I got to wear my red Rockets shirt and had a lot of Rockets fans around me, that was pretty cool.
     
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  2. rockets13champs

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    That’s natural for any city. In NY the cheapest seats are $56 and floor seats are 10 times more expensive than in Houston. Yet people still come and fill the seats. It’s not about cheap or not cheap. It’s the attitude of the people. Houston is a late arriving city, more of a late night city. So in order to adjust to that, you need to change the Toyota center. Make it more suitable for the late arriving partying crowd. Add more amentities to the stadium. Change the music, change the coloring. There are 100s of ways to keep the family atmosphere and invite more late coming partying people. My friend used to say, she used to go to Wrigley in the summers of late 2000s and the cubs sucked but she used to enjoy because of the atmosphere, everyone had a good time. You need to make an atmosphere that is more than just the game. The game is the product but the only way to sell out a stadium and bring in extra people is to invite the non-diehard fans. You need to
    1.darken the seats a little bit.
    2. Change stadium music to be a little louder, more partying vibe
    3. Expand red rowdies put a couple in every section to promote more party spirit in each section.
    4. Possibly move the rowdies to the TV visible
    5. Move Rockets game down to 8:30 Local for all games on Thursday-Saturday. Sunday to Wenesday you can keep earlier start times.
    6. Reward the fans that show up, psychology shows that if you give something free to someone the first time there more than likely to come back to your business. If you give a second item free the 2nd time like a free pass at rockets get to get 1 free Jersey if you stay till end of the game. The third time the customer comes back they’ll come for good. Then after that you can give crowds rewards for showing up on time, you show up to 10 games 1 hour to 30 mins before start you can 1 free game of your choice.
    7. If you want a bigger crowd you must give people a reason to come. Not everyone is a diehard basketball fan. You need secondary options to come. (Food, Music, dancing, gaming) something for everyone.
    8. Halftime dancing competition between 3 fans selected out of 3 fans who come 1hr -30 mins before tip.

    You can’t just expect to fill an nba arena full of diehard fans. Most of houston is people from out of town, so most of the nba fans are probably from other towns rooting for opposing teams. I remember when Kobe was a laker. 95% of the crowd was lakers. That may be my base rate fallacy but it sure felt that way. But we need to create more rockets fans and the only way to do so is by getting new people to come to the games. Convert the new people in town to rockets fans. Best way to meet people in a new city. Diversify the game.
    9. Try to get something where, you get free Uber rides to games, if people want to drink at games they can drink as much as they want to so they don’t have to drive back home. Rockets need to come up with something where fans going to the game for the first time get a free Uber ride to the game, and a $50 off the ride for the 2nd ride. Like I said the third time the customer would probably be willing to pay for it.

    @tinman [
     
    Rockets Rule likes this.
  3. cdrive

    cdrive Contributing Member

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    Wow. 91% from the poll agree including my self.

    The high ticket price argument is bull crap.

    Look at tonight. T-Wolves...an exciting young team with multiple All-Star level players with KAT Butler Wiggins. 4th in the West. Rockets have James Harden returning to bring back our superstar guard combo.

    And how much is the cheapest ticket? 18 f(@*&ing dollars.

    https://seatgeek.com/timberwolves-a...-2018-houston-texas-toyota-center/nba/3993210
     
    htownrox1 likes this.
  4. Louka

    Louka Contributing Member

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    no. please! no more rowdies!
     
    WeAllHateDallas likes this.
  5. s3ts

    s3ts Member

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    That's a sad excuse to just say it happens in every arena, so just do it for everyone.

    Every city does NOT have equivalent fans. There's huge factors in different cities and teams. I always know that a city like OKC just has a packed crowd because there's almost nothing to do in Oklahoma anyway.

    Rockets organization seem to be incentivizing people to come early to the game. Door buster prizes, donation free throw shots, etc. But do you know who these tactics work on? Pretty much everybody but the lower bowl.

    it's time to say incentives don't work on the rich. Rockets org must do something that either eats into the cost of the organization OR the fans.
     
  6. rockets13champs

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    That’s just 1/9 options
     
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  7. s3ts

    s3ts Member

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    Y'all need to know. I'm not saying ticket prices are expensive.

    I'm saying the economic conditions of Houston does not support fans coming out. What the Rockets org does is its own problem.

    I've been going to games consistently for over a decade, economic conditions in Houston do not look good. And I make this judgment based on living out of Rio de Janeiro and coming back once or twice a year. I have a good idea of how things have changed since last time I was in town.

    Houston Rockets home court has been bad for a long long time, based on all the televised NBA games I watch. The economic situation just makes it worse than it needs to be.
     
  8. Thefabman

    Thefabman Member

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    I used to buy tickets in the lower bowl and when I would stand up and be loud people would have the ushers tell me to sit down and be quiet lol it' the level of fandom from people in the lower bowl. They majority trash as fans. Now i just try to buy tickets by the rowdies so i can stand up amd be as loud as i want. Its a shame really.
     
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  9. TheRealist137

    TheRealist137 Member

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    Who decided that the 7 PM start was a good idea anyway? Move it back to 730 PM that would be a start.
     
    Rockets Rule likes this.
  10. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Pretty much every major city is a football town.


    Yes, I agree. Although a lot of that is the actual venue. It feels like basketball is secondary to the venue.

    San Antonio doesn't have a football team, they don't have a baseball team. They basically only have the Spurs, and they have won 5 titles in 20 years and have the greatest coach in basketball history. Of course the fans will be more into it.
     
  11. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Been terrible for awhile now & will probably remain terrible. City of Houston: We're just not that into you!

    Can't wait for when LerBon signs next year & Toyota Center remains empty & quiet like a library. ;)

    This year, the Rockets' Red Rowdies are very, very happy to help, with the full support of coach Jeff Van Gundy. They're more than simple fans, though. They are, to some degree, professionals.

    The coach himself put this bandwagon on the road when Van Gundy shelled out for 50 season tickets for the Rowdy bunch. Do the math: That's a $50 seat for 41 games for 50 fans.

    In return, their duties include pumping up the noise level and other fans during home games at the Toyota Center.

    Van Gundy decided last summer to gather the loudest Rockets fans he could find, sponsoring auditions in August that drew 250 potential Rowdies.

    And he found some pretty loud ones.

    "I don't necessarily hear what they're yelling, but I can hear them," the coach said. "It really helps us to hear the fans going wild."

    The Rockets obviously appreciate the enthusiasm; they're 20-9 at home as of this report. The Rowdies are clearly a hit with the players.

    "The Rowdies really bring an energy to our building," said guard-forward Tracy McGrady. "When you have that type of energy in the building, it's always fun to go out there and entertain and play in front of your home crowd." So appreciative was McGrady that he kicked in the bucks for another 20 seats. A second audition was held at Houston restaurant Dave and Busters for more Rowdies.

    ... For Ray Torabi, Tonya's brother, the Rowdies have given him a way to energize his favorite team.

    "I've been a season-ticket holder for about four years," said Torabi, who with his sister works in the family's Ace Electric Sign Corp. in Houston. "And the difference in the energy level on the floor is amazing. I do think it's been a factor in their winning, it's like a sixth-man factor. It used to be pretty serene in the Toyota Center, and that's not a word you really want to describe an arena."

    They are young and old, men and women, law students and deep thinkers. But they have in common their love of the game, and of their hometown team. And with the Rockets playing well over .500 ball and creeping up on second-place San Antonio in the NBA Southwest Division, the noise level at their home court may give them the lift they need.

    "We can't take credit for our winning record at home," said Tonya. "Oh, wait. Yeah, sure we can."


    http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Rockets-red-glare-9552027.php
     
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  12. Torn n Frayed

    Torn n Frayed Member

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    I think lately the 7Pm time is due to being national televised games and being the early start. The issue with 7:30 from what I hear is that folks will end up leaving early to get home and ready for the next day.
     
  13. Nook

    Nook Member

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    This is simply false.

    Houston's economy and economic outlook is better than 90% of the NBA.
     
  14. valorita

    valorita Member

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    Rockets have one of the best fan bases in the NBA, mainly because of the global popularity and being China's team.

    They should set up audio in the stadium to be linked to fans world wide and market augmented reality to fill in seats that are empty after a quarter.

    1) capacity crowd every game
    2) increased revenue
    3) revolutionize sports attendance
     
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  15. daoshi

    daoshi Contributing Member

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    This is something I don't get.

    You can make a case when your team was bad, but the Rockets have been in playoff for a few years now, the crowd still sucks.

    Don't bring up the price issue. The Warriors game cost a lot more, but they have a great crowd, even when they were bad before Mark Jackson years.
     
  16. Matt78777

    Matt78777 Contributing Member

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    I'm going tonight guys. I'll do what I can. Rocking the new warmup hoodie and hakeem socks (although you can't see those). My wife will try too, but she's 38 weeks pregnant so don't expect much out of her.
     
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  17. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

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    What are you talking about? The Houston economic situation is in tatters or something? We have a worse economic situation than OKC?
     
  18. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

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    If she was a REAL fan she'd birth that baby AT THE GAME tonight and put a Harden beard on it when it comes out of the womb.

    Congrats on the soon-to-be new arrival!
     
  19. Elephant810

    Elephant810 Member

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    YES!!!! I've lived in Cali my whole life and last January, I had a business meeting in Dallas. Decided to stay for the week and drive to Houston since GS was gonna be in town. I was excited as I've been a Rockets' fan since the 4th grade back in 93 and this experience was on my bucket list for a while. I couldn't wait to cheer for the Rockets alongside other fellow die hard fans. I didn't know what to expect necessarily, but definitely as the game progressed I felt more like I was at a ballet than a basketball game. The crowd was way too laid back, and even the Rockets made a play, would clap lightly akin to bunch of rich snobs who were above showing passion. There was absolutely no sense of hostility from the crowd, making it feel like the game was just in the background. I was able to chat with my wife the whole game and hear her just fine. In contrast, when I go to a King's game (KINGS in Sacramento - Cow Town) the fans are beyond loud, crazy, abrasive, obnoxious, you name it.. There have been a few games when the Rockets were in town where I was legitimately scared that a few of the fans were going to gang up on me. They really get into the game and start saying really awful things about the other team, not that such is acceptable behavior, but just trying to make a point. All in all, based on what I see on TV and the one game I've been to in Houston, I agree with Simmons...
     
    #99 Elephant810, Jan 18, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2018
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  20. Haymitch

    Haymitch Custom Title
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    I see this often and it is probably true for many, maybe even most. But for me I'd prefer a 6pm tipoff. Early mornings on weekdays and I need muh rest.
     

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