Make it affordable for working scrubs to be able to take their family to a game. Start by lowering ticket prices and knocking a buck or two off concessions and merchandise. Charge something reasonable for parking and you will not onlyput more fans in the stands, but you grow your fan base with kids growing up rooting for the team. With more fans in the seats you increase concession and merchandise sales, which increase your profits. Its good for the fans and its good for the team... Win-Win!
Something they need to think about, its all a bad cycle. The games and atmosphere for the most part SUCKS!! So when the team is not doing really well, people just don't really care about going. The price of the tickets is also really high (one of the highest in the league). A few teams get away with not being so good and getting some decent attendance because the atmosphere is good. The warriors is a good example of this, they price their tickets better so people go to the games. The people to go to the games are more likely to return because the building is full and its a good atmosphere regardless of the teams record. The Rockets need to find a way to get people in the building and get an atmosphere going. I would think that most people that go to Toyota Center come away thinking man this atmosphere sucks why spend my hard earned money coming to the game.
Think about how many fans the clippers got just because of Griffon even though they still sucked. We just need some entertainment and less fundamental bball!
You're right, the Toyota Center is in a pretty dead part of downtown. There's not much going on in the vicinity on game nights or weekends. Makes for an in and out type of game experience. That said, the AAC definitely benefits from location. Tons of hot ass at Mavs games in Dirk jerseys.
Unfortunately, I think it's only going to be worse (looking on TV) this year with the games starting at 7PM.
I have enough trouble keeping directv on so that I can watch the Rockets on FSW. Buying tickets to the game is also out of the question. I should of studied harder in school I guess. Really good corporate tickets come my way from time to time. I've even been able to wine & dine in a skybox a time or two. I watch on television, I read about the rockets just about everytime an article is produced. I post here. I've met a few rockets in person. I attended both championship parades, back in the day. I'm hoping someone else can fill those seats. It would be a shame if Houston ever ended up like Seattle, or Buffalo, or Kansas City, and maybe like Sacramento. There mayor is an ex NBA star too. Baffling.
The Rockets are locked into a 30 year lease with the Toyota Center that will end in around 2033. They are not going anywhere anytime soon.
The astros are on pace to lose a 100+ games are by far the worst team in baseball and draw 26000 fans despite having twice as many games as the rockets. If you go friday to MMP it is pretty crowded. The issue more than location is price. The rockets have a mediocre product and will have a mediocre product for a few more years. They need to price it accordingly. I wish the train was close to TC, but there is no problem with location IMO.
I'll agree that the AAC location provides a tangible benefit over downtown Houston and the TC, but to say their attendance is only attributed to this years playoffs is a little off. They've consistently averaged sold out games for the past years: http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance Compare that to the Rockets who seem to average a good 10% less (in terms of total seats). The fact is, is they have built a brand, and it encompasses the whole package: The whole Rowdy Proud and Loud mantra, a visible/passionate owner (yes this hurt them at first, but he's toned it down), a great facility (let's face it, the TC design is pretty boring), all at reasonable prices. http://seatgeek.com/basketball-nba-ticket-prices/ It just all works. At the end of the day, people want to be entertained, and right now...unless you're a loyal fan, the Rockets game experience is not entertaining. Like a few have touched on, I think a good start is to lower prices and get more enthusiastic fans in the lower sections. I'm not a Mavs fan, but do recognize what they've done, and I only brought them up because the Mavs basketball environment is something we as Rockets fans would probably like for our team as well.
If they want people to come they need to start putting out a winning product. Getting rid of highly productive coaches for loser coaches like McHale does not inspire the fan to put down his money. We are not fooled. An action is worth a thousand words and the Rockets speak out of the side of their mouth one thing and do another. If we are about winning we don't get rid of Adelman For McHale. It's that simple. Fans are not stupid enough to go around buying tickets when we see that not everything is about winning, but about management egos. Want fans to come? Get a superstar, get real coaches, not yes men that will lick your boots whenever you say. No manager has ever liked Phil Jackson yet he helped coach his team to 11 'ships. Remember that Morey and Les. Coaches don't have to kiss your butt, they just gotta coach.
First off, Mchale has even had a chance and your nocking him down faster than Speedy Gonzales. He really hasnt had a full season with bright talent, and now hes got it. It seems all everyone wants is Phil Jackson and Dwight Howard. Well i think fans are not stupid, they are spending there money on kids that are working there butts off to play de sport basketball to entertain the public. I for one know that the rockets lack a high producing big money catch. They have a team full of young inspiring work horses. They are a good team. Morey is looking forward to the future, which based upon the current market its like very dimm, well maybe the 2012 draft. Look at the free agents, and based talent. He has done probably the best he could. The texans and astros are looking like they have lost all hope, while rockets have a somewhat balanced team in place. Phil jackson is not the nba, just like Rome said, he had all the talent while he coached. If Any coach had kobe and shaq its not like they would really need alot of big books to help win games. If the rockets could draft a goto center in 2012, it could be a changing point in the whole team. Budinger,Scola, K-Mart and Lowry are going to progress here big time when the nba starts up here pretty soon. Probably worth a little just to see it but i also go on my last post by saying its hard to spend money when you dont have it and like everyone says htown traffic, forget it!
Problem with this is the nba is not a store man. I kinda understand what you are saying. Not like the nets could of gone down nba R us and picked up Lebron James on a discount price. It the city of Miami and the market that got everyone over there. Its based upon the market. Obviously, Washington dc sucks lol...
My point is that we need to stop comparing the Mavs, Cuban, Dallas, and the AAC to the Rockets, Les, and Houston. Its not a fair comparison because of so many factors. The Rockets/Toyota Center experience is good, and would be great if the team was a playoff contender. A star would help fill seats during the regular season, but the experience would be similar if not the same during the playoffs. The prices at Houston games compared to NBA games ive seen in Dallas, Chicago, Orlando, and San Antonio in the past 3 years are very competitive if not better than what Ive experienced there. I have been to many Mav's games, and many Rockets games and ill take the Rockets experience any day of the week.... and PRICES... HAHAHAH... obviously you have never been to a Mav's game if you are thinking that attendance has anything to do with prices. People in Dallas go to Mavs games because they are rich(or think they are rich), bored, and want to socialize with all their rich little friends. (ok, i realize im being overly dramatic here, but realize I have had to suffer up here for the past 3 years. I can be bitter about it. Ive earned the right.) In the upper bowl there are some "normal" fans, but for the most part the lower bowl AKA the botox and implant crowd could care less about basketball, its just something to do since the Cowboys aren't playing. If you really think that the Mavs experience is better than the Rockets experience, then trade me places please. Will the Rockets have empty seats next season... Yes... Why... well no playoffs, no superstars, bad economy, and the lockout. It is what it is, and fans in Houston will just have to realize the state of the Rockets and support them or move up to Dallas and enjoy sitting with the botox and implant crowd. Oh dont worry, they wont show up until the end of the 2nd quarter.
I've sat near midcourt at the AAC before with some buddies of mine. There were quite a few late 40's/early 50's men around me trying to look young with gelled up spiked hair, Ed Hardy t-shirts, and True Religion jeans. There were some nice cougars there though.
I agree. But its always been about player value,skill plus location. La has had all the good players and the actors. Its only when players become less greedy and spurt out. Now its all about winning the championship for themselves, and let other teams suffer. But rockets atleast have a very good young product to sell. Most the teams had there chance at some of these players but didnt have the right Ingredients and chemisty to get far in the playoffs are even get there. Like drop told me a memphis fan, good team, selfish players=some wins no playoffs. Gs, bucks etc...
I went to rockets @ warriors games when i was visiting family in oakland.. man that team sucks but it was on a tuesday and the place was packed!! and our tickets in the lower bowl behind the goal were only $35.. so we bought like 10 tickets and went as a family lol.. Rockets at Toyota Center however.. gotta save up like $65 for lower bowl tickets.. and we're not that good either right now..
