What happened to those hordes of people ready to jump ship for not taking Bush/Young? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May 7, 2006, 1:25AM Fans may vent, but Texans still the ticket You're mad as heck ... and you are going to take it some more By MEGAN MANFULL Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle A week ago, thousands of fans were outraged at the Texans organization. They were furious that Reggie Bush would not begin his NFL career in Houston. They burned up radio lines and filled up message boards, venting to anyone who would listen. A slew of season-ticket holders went straight to the source with their anger, calling up the organization to complain. The majority of the calls to Reliant Stadium ended the same, however. The season-ticket holders said they would be back in 2006, leaving little doubt the Texans will sell out their stadium for the fifth consecutive season. Jamey Rootes, the Texans' president of business operations, was prepared for the worst when the Texans decided to bypass Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California, to select North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the No. 1 pick. Rootes quickly realized, however, that the fans just wanted someone to hear them out. In the past week, fewer than 10 people canceled their season tickets and received refunds. As season-ticket renewals continue to be processed, at least 85 percent of fans from a year ago have renewed. The Texans' waiting list currently holds around 6,000 fans — and is growing. (MadMax, how many of those 10 people were your friends you mentioned?) "They voiced more shock and concern than anything," said John Schriever, the Texans' vice president of ticketing and event management. "The calls were higher last Saturday and Sunday. Now, people are warming up to our picks and our direction. As the shock has worn off, (the calls) have lessened considerably." Schriever and Rootes were originally concerned, however, especially as the draft-day party arrived. Because the Texans signed Williams on the eve of the draft, fans arriving for the team-hosted party already knew Bush wasn't going to be the No. 1 pick. Still, nearly 8,000 people turned out at Reliant Park. Various chants, including "Reg-gie! Reg-gie!" were heard when the Texans made their first pick. But there was little drama after that. The Texans didn't expect everyone to celebrate their decision, especially after a four-month national debate over whether they should draft Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young. When the Texans went a completely different direction, the organization was prepared for the backlash. "Of course we are concerned about our fans," owner Bob McNair said. "Like always, they are important to us. But we have to do what our coaches and personnel people think gives us our best chance to win. "And we think the fans' (disappointment) will be temporary, because everyone will be excited when we win." Rootes is appreciative that the fans supported the team throughout its 2-14 campaign last season and then through a busy offseason. Indeed, in a business where winning is the bottom line, Texans fans have continued to support a franchise that has posted only losing records since its inaugural season in 2002. The Texans have attempted to make major changes this offseason in hopes of turning those fortunes around. They made key moves by trading for three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Eric Moulds and signing free-agent defensive end Anthony Weaver, an experienced pass rusher who will be an anchor on the defensive line. Their draft, which shocked and disappointed many because of the selection of Williams, wound up being widely praised by analysts because of the help they acquired on defense and along the offensive line. How long fans are willing to continue paying for a struggling product remains unknown. But it is clear that with the changes so far this year, including a new, young coaching staff, the majority of the Texans' fans are willing to give the franchise at least one more chance. "I think that's why people are hanging with us," Rootes said. "They know our heart is in the right place as we try to become a winning team." LINK
I was about to post this article myself. I'm glad it's already been noticed. The argument that the Texans should take Bush for business was and is ridiculous. This is a franchise that's sold out every game in its history. This is a franchise with a waiting list for season tickets. This is a franchise with the third highest revenue margin in the league. It's not the Arizona Cardinals or the New Orleans Saints. They don't have to factor in ticket sales into their drafting. They're simply worried about putting the best team on the field. Now, I know what's coming next. A couple of Bush/Young supporters will come in and inevitably claim that if the Texans don't win, eventually the seats will be empty. But there are several things wrong with that analysis. First, it hasn't happened to this point, not even during a 2-14 season. Second, why plan based on the worst case scenario? If you do what you think gives them the best chance to win, Houston fans will be there. I think we can all agree on that. Besides, the expectations for Bush and Young are out of control, and I say that as a Vince fan. If the Texans didn't win immediately with either of those, Houston fans would jump off the bandwagon, declare them busts and the hysteria would fade... it's a lot to live up to. In either scenario, the key to keeping the stadium sold out long-term is to win games, so for business, the top priority needs to be selecting the players who give you the best chance to win games. Again, I'm a Vince fan, so don't think I don't see the possible merits in taking Young or Bush. There are. But when you guys complain, it needs to be about the merits on the field. All the talk about how they needed to make a decision "for business" and that it was a poor "business decision" gets old really quickly, because there isn't and wasn't a business problem to begin with. Thus, it all goes back to picking the player that makes you the best team on the field. If y'all disagree with that, fine, debate their on-field merits. But the business debate is silly.
Yeah, I guess those tens of tens of casual Texan fans on this board who vowed never to watch a Texan game ever again had about zero effect on the bottom line. What a shock...
As everyone knows, I think they made a mistake, but I admire the way they are sticking to their plan and going forward. Hopefully it will work out for everyone, and the Texans will start winning, because there is a honeymoon period, and too many 2-14 seasons will wear thin fast. People are excited about what Kubiak can bring, and should be....hopefully Mario will turn out to be another Bruce Smith, and the Texans and Titans can battle it out for years to come. DD
How so? I don't want them to fail, and I like Kubiak a lot. Also, I admire people who stick up for their beliefs when everyone else thinks they are wrong. I like risk takers......which is so...anit-Capers it is funny. DD
If anything, the extreme publicity (and subsequent anger) that was created by this year's draft only proved what many people already knew... that Houston is CRAZY about Football. The talk that people were "disinterested" in the Texans is pure hyperbole. Frankly, if that many people were "crushed" that the team didn't take RB/VY... the interest in what the Texans do could not be greater.
They may have sold out every game but the stadium was at least 1/2 empty the second half of last season. Luckily with the offseason comes renewed hope. Let them start 0-6 and see how many empty seats there are.
Again, though, what does that matter (in terms of business) if the seats are sold? The entire stadium could be empty, but if every seat is sold, Bob McNair is happy as a businessman.
How many people dropped tickets BEFORE the draft when it was announced we wouldn't take VY? I know someone who did that and was asked why by the operator why. He said it was because of the draft decision. The woman on the other end became enraged (his word) because she had been taking calls all day citing the same reason. The big question is how many people will show up. I'm not saying it affects business because the tickets are already sold. However, if we're discussing support, it's a fair question.
Every person who walks through the door spends at least $10. if 30,000 people stay home because the team sucks that is at least $300,000 in lost revenue. Ask a businessman how he likes the thought of that type of revenue loss if things start to go south.
There will always be no-shows, or people refusing to come down to their seats if the team isn't good... EVEN if they had ended up drafting RB/VY. The novelty of ALL unique players, in ALL sports, wears off after a couple of months of seeing them. Here in Houston, everybody was interested in the Rockets after Yao arrived... but as that team faltered down the stretch, less people would show up, even if it was just to see him. When the team started winning last year, people started to come back... and when the losses piled up, people abandoned them... even as that unique player was going thru his most dominant stretch of his career. Likewise, if the Astros hadn't turned their seasons around the last two years, those sellouts for Clemens' starts would have started to dwindle. In a city that bandwagons as much as Houston does... NO one player can simply cause sell-outs all by himself... especially in a sport where its hardest for just ONE player to make a difference all by himself.
That's a pretty big assumption. I'm a season ticket holder, and for most games, I spent no money on concessions or anything else. Also, the key phrases... "if"... and then "the team sucks." It goes back to the original point of my post, which was that the true determinant of whether drafting Mario was good for business is whether it was good for the football team. It's not separate like it has to be for some teams. In the end, the only factor the Texans considered (and should have considered) was which player made them best on the field.
you may not have spent 10, but the guy next to you might have spent 20, i think he was averaging it out..
Well, let's see. If there were fewer than 10 that dropped when we didn't take Bush and there are currently 6,000 people on a waiting list (and growing per this article), I would venture to guess about 3 or 4...
I usually buy a few of their 20oz beers. That's 20 bucks. Then there's the 3 other people. Oh and then there's food. It's not surprising to spend an occasional C note.
