Do y'all see the irony here???? If you don't go to games how can you b**** about attendance? If they did allow people to move from the upper deck down...y'all wouldn't be able to take advantage of it anyway!!! You're not there! Peopkle come to see a winner, people come to see players they look up to, players they can relate to. The fact is the people or companies that can afford the "good" seats use them as a business tool whether you like it or not and if you think it that's not the case in every other NBA city, you're sorely mistaken. People will come out when the team is winning consistently.......bottom line.
Compaq Center had a built in parking that was free because the area surrounding it was closed down at night... offices near by, and everyone had left work, thus emptying the parking garages. Toyota Center is in downtown where there are constantly people working, etc. Plus the overall space is limited... you can get cheaper parking the further away you get from TC, which is just like Minute Maid Park for the Astros.
What is that going to change? Perhaps you think the new owner would be kind enough to pay for our parking, lower the price of tickets, and maybe even lower the price of water from $3.75?!?! Or are you still pissed about Hakeem and Rudy? I went to my first game last night. I liked the new arena. I could not believe how empty the thing was though. Overall I like it better then the Compaq. The only thing that bothered me was how steep the upper deck is. And the food absolutely SUCKED!!!!! I got the chicken basket for seven dollars. Next time I would not eat that thing if they gave me seven dollars.
The parking is not that bad I suppose. I found parking for five dollars and had to walk less then I would have at the Compaq. Of course there were less then 10,000 people at yesterdays game. I dont know how parking will be like when we actually sell out.
You guys don't know how lucky you are to have three great major league sport franchises in town... I'm stuck in ABQ, NM ("BFE") and the closest thing is Lobo Football (High School ball) and the Isotopes (AAA Marlin's club)... When I come in for Thanksgiving, I'm going to the UH vs. UAB game on Saturday and the Texans vs. Falcon's on Sunday... Come on and show your team's how grateful you are for them to be hear...Remember when the Oilers left and how bad it sucked in H-town... Spend a little and splurge on some nose-bleeds...You won't be dissapointed...
every NBA city is bandwagon...every single one...dallas couldn't move seats when they suck...now you can't get a ticket to see them play...the bulls have lots of empty seats right now...you couldn't dream of getting a seat when MJ was in town... we have this perception that there are cities out there selling out year in and year out for teams that don't make the playoffs...that's just not so. plus...i believe houston is one of just a few teams that televises all of its games...and that will always be a reason not to plunk down $40 to sit in the rafters.
When will people realize that people aren't going to waste their hard earned money to watch the Rockets play a crap team on a Tuesday or Wednesday night? Are you the same person who complained about the attendance at the Tuesday night game with Miami?
No I am not the same person, but thanks for asking... Quit bringing up this crap about bad teams and the game being on a week day. According to this people would only go to weekend games or when good teams come in and the rest of the time the arena will be empty. Really smart...
I agree with everything you said here, except replace " Hardcore" with "fairweather". DO so, and you have the definition of fairweather fans...Hardcore fans, also by defnition, come because the team is there to watch, not because it's winning.
The Bulls are 1-6 at home...their last home game, against Seattle, the attendance was over 22,000. Perhaps they're not a good example... While every city may be bandwagon, the Rockets have been at the very bottom of the league in attendance the last 4 years. That means there have been quite a few teams with worse records (playing in smaller cities) that have drawn more fans over that time period.
This is exactly what happens, and the exact reason I posted. Houston is a network of suburbs, and not a proper city. Most people aren't too interested in driving 30 miles on a weeknight to watch the Rockets play down agaiunst the Heat or Warriors on a Tuesday night and the get home at like 11 when they could just watch the game on tv and then go to sleep. That doesn't make us any less of a fan.
Which leaves me to question, what is the capacity of the United Center? I talked to my son after the Bulls game, and he said that there were tons of empty seats when he went to see the Rox play. According to him, the Bulls arent selling to good right now since they have been sucking for so long. not doubting your numbers...just providing some insight from a Chicago based Rockets fan.
4 real its crazzy!! They shold have somthing like the Grizz have 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, & 4 drinks for ONLY $48 !! NOW THAT IS A DAMN GOOD DEAL!
Just to chime in here about fair-weather fans. I think all fans like to support a great team (after Rockets won championships - how many games did the Compaq sell-out their tickets?). The Knicks were thought to be impervious to this, but actually the past season or two it has been much quieter and easier to get tickets. I get tickets to see the Rockets game every year (via Ticketb*****d, and this year has got to be the easiest. In fact, I actually got called by a Knicks season ticket rep trying to get me to buy season tickets or ticket packages! First time that has ever happened. Not to mention it was funny because the salesperson was a bit rude (maybe first time they ever had to call their "fans" to come to MSG in a long time). Anyway, another desolate place is the Continental Arena. I mean the Nets have been to the finals the past 2 seasons, have a pretty exciting and interesting team, and yet the home attendance is perhaps comparable at times with Houston and other teams that are struggling to fill their seats. I say start winning games and the fans will eventually come back. However, I really don't see this happening until a trip or possibly even two to the playoffs. We shall see. I just wish I still lived in Houston, so I could check out the new arena...
What's wrong with people in Houston? Even i am not in H-town, even I am in a city whose NBA team is rocking at the bottom of eastern conference, I still at least go to the game which our team hosted rockets...
The Price of going to a game (tickets, parking, etc....) is really, really expensive. It's not like people do not want to go, it's just most would probably want to spend the money on seeing good, exciting teams when they come to the TC. I spent quite a bit of money on the Memphis game and the experience was bad (not just because we lost, but the parking was expensive, the intro almost ruins the experience, and the announcer is so dull. Everybody wants to the get the TC rock'n, but the TC has to get Houston rock'n first. My suggestion (if anybody in the Rockets organization is reading this) is: 1. New introduction, the drums are lame and boring. 2. PLEASE get a new announcer, I'm sure T-Gray does a wonderful job at 97.9, but he is one horrible announcer. There was nothing wrong with the old announcer, bring him back.
