I have never understood this. A pretty large city with a great basketball history, home to several current NBA players by birth and even more by choice, on a team with one of the most popular players on the planet, another now annual All Star starter, possessing one of the if not THE most avid and popular internet fan sites, and proud owners of a brand spanking new and reportedly classy arena, and with Tim doing all any human could do to draw interest, and yet still, despite modest gains, a laksadasical attendance rate. Yeah, I know it's smoggy...Enron...pretty high prices...you're a pretty hefty crowd with more to carry to the arena, etc., but come on! I live in Toronto. We often have to go to games through blizzard like conditions. Basketball is new but no longer novel. We get less bang for our bucks, and less bucks to begin with. Oh, and we've sucked for years. And still, the fans come out. Vince Carter's Charity game pretty much sells out every year, and the Raps usually finish in the top 5 in attendance, though it's slipping a tad. If it sounds like I'm disrespecting Houston...well, in a way, I am. Like many out of town fans, I jump through hoops to see Rockets games. When i was about 13, my Dad drove me to Hamilton, about 3 hours away, for a pre-season game between the Rockets and Pistons as a birthday present. I am considering flying down to Texas this year to catch a few games. And people who actually live there can't get off their duffs and go and support the hometown team?!? Come on! I challenge you! Use this trade as a reason! The Rockets have repeatedly made bold trades for star players that make many other cities fans green with envy, but if none of them ever result in ticket sales, at some point the well will run dry. Please. I challenge. I appeal to your sense of civic pride. I cajole you. I beg you. Go to some damned games. I realize that to many in this site I am preaching to the choir, but to those who settle for tv games, remember, it can't go on like this ( low attendance/moves to acquire stars) forever. We are now possibly THE favorite in the West. If not, we're one of them. We possess the youngest superstar in the game, and the next great center. This is the time to get a buzz going and keep it going. Don't wait till we win, get in and be part of the ride.
Actually... our Lower Bowl fans pretty much suck...not all of them but a large percentage...they get tickets through their businesses...they drink and and laugh and don't know what the hell is going on... The Upper Level fans are the best...they are always yelling and getting loud(not to mention drunk)my dream is to become like Sacramento fans...loud and crazy...but i know that is impossible...
Raptors wer 8th in attendance last year and 10th in 02-03. Pretty good though. I have to say Rockets games were pretty boring last year. I watched most of them and went to several games, but most were disappointing, unfortunately. But I think the whole atmosphere will change with T-Mac. I can feel the energy at Texans. With Clemens, you can feel it at Astros games. The Rockets are next!
Yeah, they dropped 2 years ago with Carter out. Before that, I believe, top 5 for a few years in a row. Considering that this is hockey country... BTW, is 'Houstonians" the correct term?
Houstonians are band-wagon fans... that fact will always hold true (unless you're talking about football, then you have a little leeway). But, if you put a product on the court that's either exciting, or successful, then you will see sellouts. See the Astros right now... an exciting bunch (who hopefully will be successful) with Clemens and Pettite. See the Rockets of 94 & 95... a successful bunch, who's sellouts were purely the product of championship runs. See the 97 & 99 Rockets.. teams that weren't as successful, but added big names in the offseason (Barkley and Pippen) and thus sold out every game. Unfortunately, the Rockets of the last few years met none of these standards... of course had Yao been a "known" commodity, you would have seen sellouts from day one. Next year, expect big crowds throughout... and if this team is as successful as they can be, expect sellouts. I don't gurantee every game will sellout, but I do bet that the attendance will be MUCH higher than last year.
When I go to Rockets games I get corporate tickets through my father. 11 rows up at half court. People are really boring down there. I always bring loud and crazy kids though and we go nuts.
