I really wish I could go to some of the rocks games. I am up in FW, and busy as hell in college, so i dont have alot of time to spare, but if I was in Houston, I would be at a number of the games. I might be at the game here in dallas tomorrow, the only rockets game close to me. I didnt know that the compaq center only holds 16,000. I agree on the advertising failure by the rockets. When I lived down there the only ads I saw on tv were brouadcast during the games. And here in Fortworth, THe MAVs have ads for their games on alll the time...i see them a couple of times a day. I dont think that ticket prices is the reason for people not showing up. They have lowered the prices this season. Any ways, when i was in town I used to always buy the $13 tickets, from there u can still see fine, and yell ur headoff. One thing I dont like about the Compaq center is that it has way too many BUSINESS GROUPS!!! I was actually told to be quiet at one game back in 98 when I scooped down to the emtpy seats closer to the court. they were having a meeting or something, and i was there screaming my head off. and the nerve...to tell me to quiet down.
The two main things that kept me from going to more games was having people to go with and the price of tickets. Most of the people that I knew that would be interested in a Rockets game didn't have any money and I didn't want to pay for their ticket. And even with the loosing records we've had the average ticket price is in the top 10 of the league (the average price has gone down this year though). Here are some ideas that I've thought of. 1. Lower ticket prices in general and especially for nosebleed seats. Paying $50 isn't worth it to sit on the very top row. 2. Offer family packs that give you 4 tickets and coupons for food and drinks. If you have a family of 4 and want decent seats you'll have to pay $160+. Not many families can afford to go to more than one game a season, if at all. Maybe offer four of the decent $46 seats for $175 and they get a hot dog and a coke. A certain number of seats could be set aside for this so only so many families would get the deal each game and the losses wouldn't be too bad. 3. I seriously thought about getting a mini plan this year but didn't see the real incentive since I knew I could walk up and buy tickets to the same games. If anything it would be a risk since I may not be able to make it to one of the games. If the games start selling out then I could see these doing a lot better. Or if you got the seats at a discounted price, like buy a six game plan of $50 tickets you get $25 dollars off so you pay $125 instead of $150, at least then you feel like you gained something buy getting the mini game plan. I noticed there were some full season ticket plans that did this, but not for mini plans. 4. Radio publicity. 93.7 had Jonathen Wells on every Friday morning which helps the station because Texans fans would listen for it, and it promotes the Texans since people that weren't fans would hear it also. If you could have a player or coach call in to a show and maybe give away a pair of tickets to a caller that could increase the fan base. Having them do interviews on 610 is ok, but the listeners are already sports fans, kind of like preaching to the choir. I've noticed Tim posting here and think that's really great, it gives us fans a feeling that the organization cares.
I agree with you completely. They need to get better family packs like the Astros did. Also, they do need more publicity, not jsut on the radio at 610am, cause like Dr. Lud said, those are sports fans already. They should do something on rock 101 or 93.7 too.
Really? When the Rockets are losing, the fans stay home... (fair weather). When the Rockets are winning, the fans come to the game. (sunny weather). Hmmm....
IMO, Here is why fans are turned off by the Rockets: 1)People become fans of personalities. The current Rocket players are a dull bunch that show little passion for winning. Ming and Nachbar do not play so they dont count. 2)The two who are passionate rub fans the wrong way with their selfish style of play. 3)The last few years Rudy has offered fans and individual style of play that displays solo dribbling over passing, stagnant clear outs over movement, and ISO over team oriented style. 4)Its not fair to ask fans to come and BE PART OF SOMETHING BIG and then play Jason FRICKEN Collier more minutes than your #1 pick.
Football is king in Texas. With the Texans back, interest has shifted even further towards football. Alexander made a great point about the economy. Hell, if I had to make a choice between buying Texans tickets or buying Rockets tickets, I'd go Texans, even when I know they will lose. This coming from a college student who purchased 15 Rocket's games throughout this year while having to drive 2 hours to get there. While the majority of us in here wonder why more fans don't come, we're just a community of diehards. But the average Houston fan, "with this economy", will likely only choose one team to financially support for the time being, if they choose to go out at all that is. Texans got that. For basketball in Houston, if you don't win, they don't come. And not only do the Rockets have to win, they have to start winning big, and most important, consistently. That will take time. Field of Dreams told us that if we build it, they will come. Les, you've built it, we're coming. Like Yao, give us time. Easy for me to say, ain't my money.
I would go to the games if the tickets were cheaper.... the $10/13 seats are pretty cheap...but I could get a better view watching at home I hope the tickets are cheaper for us fans for nice seats Then when everyone starts coming, they can raise the price
I usually go to about three games or so a year. That being said, I think watching the game at home is just about as fun as going to the game itself. I've watched every single game this year from tip-off to final buzzer. I love watching the Rockets. Its the highlight of my day (if they win that is). Just look at the positives from watching the game at home as opposed to going to the arena: 1. Don't have to pay for tickets. While tickets aren't that expensive for the type I usually get (about $15-$20) I would rather save my money if I can watch the game on tv. 2. Don't have to drive 30 minutes (if no traffic) to get to game. Don't have to drive back after the game either. 3. Don't have to deal with parking. 4. Can eat whatever I want while watching without being ripped off by the prices. 5. Have my own personal toliet during halftime. 6. Can change the channel during time outs and breaks in the game. I find the entertainment at most sporting events during breaks pretty lame. 7. Can watch the game with my dog. and the list can go on and on. While there are some advantages to seeing the game live i.e. getting to see more than just the camera shows you, in my opinion watching the game at home is more enjoyable. I will still probably go to the Compaq Center a few times this year just for the experience like I do every year, but I think watching the game on tv is just as fun as going to see it live.
The combination of... Down economy Really bad team the past couple of seasons A new cast of players added over the past few seasons Some of the highest ticket prices in the league Up until this season, absolutely no marketing or fan interaction A brand new football team in town sucking up ticket sales The promise of a brand new arena and new uniforms...but not until next season Those are all killing the Rockets. Fans in Houston, for good or bad, have to see success over time to show up. As the Rockets start winning over this season and next, much of that will improve.
Yeah me too. Wish we had Cuban over here that guy does so much for his team. he is not necesarily in it for the money, but also the thrill.
I haven't missed a game this season!! I even went at half-time yesterday just so I could get in half a Rockets game. Before this season, I'd been to 4 Rockets games, and only paid for one of the tickets. This year, I've gone to more games than ever before, and I AM LOVING IT. Sure, they are the $10 seats, but the $10 seats are really pretty damned good!! I used to think that it was just as good at home. Hell no!!! The whole experience is awesome and fun, even if you are by yourself. The beer, the expensive food, the atmosphere of it all is really bad-ass. There are a number of reasons the Rockets aren't doing well in attendance, but I think the main, no. 1 reason is simple: Houstonians. Like many cities, Houston has very fair-weather fans. But not only are our fans fair-weather, they are overly negative. Heck, you can see it in this forum now, we're 6-3 and you'd think we were 0-9 with some of the negative posts. And then you listen to the radio shows on 610, and the buzz around town, and it's just this generally negative vibe. "Rockets suck" or "Yao Ming is a bust" or "They don't have any players", and THEN when you try to argue a point, they seem to have no reason to their statement, and it's often outdated and wrong. For instance, after the first game of the season I had a student ask me "How long before you admit Yao Ming is a bust?" and then another said "The Rockets have no good players". I was like "WTF!!!??? Yao Ming plays one game that isn't all-world and he's a bust!?? Get real!!! And they have no good players?? Give me a break." Then I rattled off the players and how good they are, and he had no response. Houstonians are just generally negative, and it's a hard thing to overcome. However, Houston's die-hard fans are THE best fans in basketball. This site is a true testament to that!!
Does anyone else think this is THE EXACT reason why rockets attendance is low. Rockets are one of the few teams in the league who tries to broadcasts every single game on local TV. People are generally lazy. O'well, at least this is what I think.
I can afford to pay for tickets. I could even afford to pay for good tickets once in a while. However, when you start thinking about it, why would you want to sit in a seat with your knees crowded in and a mediocre view of the court unless you were going to get an <i>experience</i>. At home, my dogs and I can watch the game in comfort without having to get up every few minutes to let someone by. Having said that, I'll still probably go to a game or two, but (like others have said) it's just too expensive and inconvenient to go often.
yeah, that is one thing that pissed me off. When I lived in Sugarland back in 98-2000, they bearly showed games on local channel, which then was WB39. All the games were on fssw and i didnt have cable. and now, that i am out of town with cable, i cant watch the games cause they are on local channels... you can never win...
Well after watching some of the Hawks game tonight, it won't be long till they're at the bottom in attendance. It looked like 3,000 maybe 4,000 attended. Atlanta may be the only city worse than Houston in Sports attendance. The one thing I notice the most about Houston fans is they always have excuses for not attending. Ticket prices too high ($10 is a bargain), Team is not good (hell, you think the Knicks are good? They always sell out *almost always*), New cast of players? Francis is in his 3rd year and Mobley in his 4th. Just another excuse I guess. The Rockets had better attendance when the Oilers were still in town than they do now. The Texans haven't taken all those fans away. I do agree the marketing of the Rockets could be better. Commercials more often on local tv in prime time would be a start.
I have not been in houston since the mid 90's when i lived there, but I believe Maxwell was right for saying it back then> Houston HAS the WOrst fans. I do not include the people like the posters in this site ( cause you propbably are a Rox fanatic) but the rest of the city. I think it comes from the culture in Houston. A large city w/ a population from all over the country. It does not really cultivitate a sense of belonging to people that live there, all u see is cars, malls, and highways. Everyone has moved there because they had to, i.e. Job, economy, school, and no one really wants to stay. I lived there for ten years and I was one of the few that loved the city, but i remember throught the college and Med school used to talk to my budddies no one wanted to stay there except me. Luck has it I was forced to move out. That is why there is not support for the teams, because people do not think that a Their hometown team. That is why they treated Warren Moon the way they did at the end of his time in houston. That is why when they were was a rally for the OIlers to keep in Houston nobody showed up. Nobody cares. It always pissed me off when I went to the games and when Chicago would show up more people would cheer more for MJ than they did for the Dream who busted his ass for that team for years, lived in the community as a model citizen, and did so much for the community. I was in Cleveland for my residency years. In that city there is really pride among people for their teams, It is THEIR Browns, Their Indians. From old to young take it personally if you say anything wrong about the Indians or the Browns. It is like religion for them. Granted the city is awful, "mistake on the Lake"., " armpit of america" etc. etc. So I think the rox should just give up on their fans and be mostly a TV team . I am paying to watch them. As I have had for the past 20 years. religeously. Hell, they did not show up for the Dream's retirement. Now that is a disgrace. I am sure Warren Moon gave him a phone call. So i AM W/ u VERNON........ Bring that team to the Nortwest and I will be there every night. Hell I 'll buy season tickets now that i can afford it. P.S. as I mentioned my comments do not apply for people in these forums, since i already believe in your loyalty. SO DO NOT CRUCIFY ME.
I bet if Yao Ming play more minutes and shoot more, like 20 attempts, compaq center will be stuffed like in no time. For the sake of fans, Rudy please play Ming more.
