Your insight could be a logical explanation of Tim's stats: Individual game ticket sales are up 60% through the first 5 games. Game 6 (vs. the Wizards) will sell out ... expect that percentage to increase. We do have fewer full-season ticket holders. But the number of unique visitors we've had is way up. It's all part of laying the foundation for the future. I knew a lot of people who went to games on season tickets that were provided by company or employer. Nowadays, you gotta pay your own way to see the games and given ticket prices, you want the option to be picky about the games you go to. Makes sense to me.
http://www.nba.com/mavericks/matchu...on_preview.html -Game Preview from the Mavericks point of view... ************************************************************ check out this preview and notice the excitement and anticipation that it stirs! that's part of what houston is missing. there is a certain drabness and lack of enthusiasm when it comes to talking about the rockets. hell, even the freakin broadcasts have a drab gray/yellow tone to them. ever notice how other teams courts and game broadcasts actually *look* brighter? on a separate note, i do like the drummers, and i hope the marketing department is attempting to go for more of a college type atmosphere. anyone that has been to a college game will tell you that those are much more exciting than nba games. this also, of course, means that ticket prices will have to come down so that the corporate stuffed shirts won't grab all the bottom seats. also, on a separate note, living in san antonio has made me aware of the power of the media. san antonio media brainwashes people into believing that every player they have is #1 in the league. in fact, the rest of the league sucks! i find them infinitely annoying, but i see what they are trying to do: they are appealing to the lowest common denominator - the idiot fan who will believe that manu ginobili will win ROY...that "jesus" parker is the next jason kidd, etc. these are the rabid, blindly faithful bodies that fill the seats of the SBC Center. and you know what? they are loud...rambunctious...damn good supporters of their team. maybe houston's sports media should take a few pages out of san antonio sports media's book of tricks?
I also think when the team won the Championship the Rockets took their fans for granted(1993-1999). Basically, the "tickets were going to sell themselves" and there was no need for outside marketing and sales because eveybody wanted tickets. They didn't take into account what was going to happen when they stopped winning. This brings us to right now! The Rockets have brought in a whole new sales/service, marketing etc... to help bring it back to where it was in the mid 90's. If you know anything about sports franchises, you know you're not always going to be good/bad (unless you're the Cincinatti Bengals ) It works in cycles. This is the upward swing of that cycle and will continue to move that way. With the players we have and the new front office staff thinks will be ok...it's just going to take a little time. Thanks
That's a good point. Back in the early nineties, my friends and I used to go up to darn near front row and nobody would notice. Winning fills seats, unless you have a team of rich tradition like the Packers or the Yankees. That's not to say Houstonians don't have pride in their teams, but we are relatively new professional sports compared to teams that always fill seats regardless of their record. another worth mentioning are the Texans. They aren't doing well obviously, but this is a football town. They will take some fans away from the Rockets until January. With the economy and the holidays coming up, your average fan will not support both venues. I just went to my first Texan game last week, and no offese to the Rockets, I'd chose the Texans over the Rockets simply because I cannot afford to go to both.
Socrates, Such wisdom. I've attended games during and after the streak. You are pissed after spending $100 to see Rudy go to the left side again and again. Dribble, Dribble, Dribble. I've yet to see the Rox guards pick up full court to change the pace of the game. Not in shape, apparently. 3 on 2 fastbreaks that result in turnovers. People don't want to watch 2 players go at each other and 8 are on the other side of the floor. Rudy needs a playbook that involves 5 players during the 24 second shot. Dallas has no problem filling their stadium. They move the ball. This is entertainment!
I'm a native Houstonian, and I'm proud of my hometown. Over the years, I've tried to explain and give excuses for Houston fans. But the reality is, Houston is a 'front-running' city when it comes to sports. If the Rockets are still humming along come Jan. or Feb., their games will start selling out again.
I know this has already been said, but the economy has affected us all. The business I work for is small...not Enron or anything by any stretch and we had some great season tix for years...finally last couple of years we were even able to get the $59 per tix down in the lower level. Well this year...none at all. Times are tough and luxuries are the first thing to go. I couldve never afforded those tickets myself. Benefits at work have been cut and my salary hasnt gone up...so Ive been hit by the economy too. I too must cut back on luxury items. Season ticket packages offer hardly any advantage over buying individual tickets. I think something should be done there. If you buy in bulk it stands to reason you should get a volume discount. In addition, I think tickets should be discounted across the board for the time being since sales have slumped. It just might help...and it certainly wouldnt hurt. As it is now, I go to the game when I can, and I buy the cheapest individual tickets I can that are decent. I only do it because I am a die hard fan. I love to be there, and if I could afford it I would go more often. After food and beverage there really isnt a way to get out of there cheaply. The view from home is better than those seats though...and my wife doesnt get nearly as mad about me watching on tv as me going to 4 games a week and spending loads of cash. The games I do shell out my hard earned dough to attend are going to be special...not week night games against the Cavs.
Tim's post is probably the most intelligent post I've ever seen in my life. The one thing I think would really kick ass is if, after the third quarter, the hype really increased in the arena to get people to be loud. On TV it's pathetic how quiet the crowd sounds. I've gone to games with friends, and they'll attest that during the 4th quarter we go batty. That's when we're loudest and we lose our voices. Guaranteed. Of course, when you're up on the second deck, it's hard to psych the other team out (though I've seen it done, hehe). The solution to all this? At the end of the 4th quarter, the PA announcer should say, "All right, everybody move in as close as you can, and if you have seats up close, DON'T GO ANYWHERE!" Man, there'd be a rush, but people would move to the lower bowl fast and I would think the volume would definitely increase. Besides, don't y'all think that it's kind of lame that the Rockets make one token nose-bleeder move down (and it's always the same f'in section!)? Give everybody the opportunity - is someone really going to magically show up in their seats for the fourth quarter? (Naturally, the actual ticket holder would have precedence, but we're all civil, right?) Just my two cents. Thanks again, Tim. Wow - congrats - those stats are wonderful to hear. Too bad I'm in Austin now.
EXACTLY. Houston proves time and again that it is the WORST sports city in the country. The Astros had like the best record in baseball throughout the 90s, but were always near the bottom in attendance. Marketing? Marketing? Come on. No marketing team could be THIS BAD. It's not marketing. The economy? Yeah, Houston is the ONLY city that is experiencing economic woes, right? The Texans? Yeah, Houston is the ONLY city that has both a football and basketball team, right? I guess Houston is so small that every sports fan must choose EITHER football or basketball. They're only the 4th-largest city, afterall. I can't get over this 'blame it on the marketing' thing. Was it a lack of marketing that caused the Rockets to not even come close to selling out a conference semi-final playoff home game? Is it marketing that causes the people that DO go to the games to sit on their hands and not make a peep? To me it's naive to think people don't realize there's an NBA team in Houston. That people are waiting for a catchy commercial before they head out to a game. All you have to do is pick up a sports page or turn on the news to see that yes, Houston does have an NBA team, and they have a winning record to boot.
Texas, Common sense to play Ming. 5 people involved is better than 1. Uptempo play is more exciting to watch.
Yeah, nothing new. Remember how well tickets were selling towards the very end of Hakeem's final year when we made a push for the playoffs. Houston has always been fair-weather, and will continue to be. Side Note: What in the Hell is New Jersey doing at #26? You have Kidd(should have been co-MVP last year), a team that comes to play every night, as well as a continuous flow of basketball with fastbreaks, good shooting, and constant motion.
Thanks Tim for the reply to many of thre concerns posted here. You guys are definitely on the right track. I'd like to give my 2 cents as a longtime Rockets diehard who yearns the days of rowdy sellouts in the Summit. 1. Ticket prices: Yes, they're way too high. It's understandable to some extent b/c we don't have the luxury suites others have, but it's also counterproductive if nobody is willing to buy those seats. The ticket prices became inflated during the championship and playoff years because we were winning and selling out. With demand down, I lowering the prices across the board would get more people in. That being said, not many Houstonians can complain about $10 and $13 seats. You can see fine from up there (that's my 2nd home) and the atmosphere is more dynamic. Plus, there are a lot more cheap seats available this year than last. Advice: But the nosebleed seat and move down if no one else is there. 2. Concessions: It's the reality of sports today. We shouldn't complain about the the prices any more than we do about the Texans' or Astros' exorbitant food/drink prices. Plus, the Summit (will always be) has some of the best food selection I've ever seen at an arena. If it's still too much, then load up before the game, wait til you get home to eat again. Not that bad. 3. Atmosphere: Too often, it's unbelievably sterile in that place; it's just not the same as it used to be. I think it reflects the composition of the crowd (business guys from corporations who don't value the experience). Ticket prices once gain factor in here. I think music and exciting fan interactive promos during timeouts can help out. It's sad, but the loudest the crowd gets is when they're throwing free t-shirts into the stands. Pump up the music at key moments too, like when we make a run or in the closing minutes. I yearn to return to the days of stomping my feet and yelling "We Will Rock You." 4. Team bonding: Even though we all love this team, there seems to be a disconnect between the average houstonian and the Rockets. Solution: bring the players to the fans. have more occasions when the players come out and sign autographs. There's nothing more memorable and exciting for a young fan than meeting the players on his team and getting an autograph. I know meeting Akeem (back then), Ralph, Rodney McCray, and Sweet Lou as a kid made me a fan for life. It's a pain for the players, but fans of all ages really cherish such an experience. There's so much more to say, but this post is already too long. I really hope we can get back to the days when the Summit was loud and rocking, and I think it's coming sooner than we all may think.
Tim, thanks for the stats..they at least show a glimmer of hope. I'd like your tak on the lack of mass media ads/hype.. It seems like every channel on radio and tv..especially news broadcasts...do a very short sports segment..and when they do, it's normally about 1) Texans 2) Astros/baseball 3) other sports items of note.. If there is a mention of the Rockets, it normally last s but a second.. Back in the championship years and afterwards...the media helped get the word out and increased the exposure of the team...I see NONE of that these days...Is there anything that can be done to get the tv and radio news outlets to run more stories? Also..as has been posted already, the only time I see ads on tv is during the games..how bout running some at other times and on other channels? One more thing, how long where the billboards supposed to be up? The one over here by the San Jacinto River bridge on I-10 is already gone..replaced by some crappy lawyer ad.. One thing about going to the games that is weird to me..I finally got good tickets to a Rox game..and man!..I had forogtten how lame the suits on the lower level were.. we kept gettin the dirty looks for yelling during the game...really pissed me off...but hey, at least I got to sit 30 feet away from the ROckets bench..what cool seats those were!..Thankfully, some companies still buy season tickets!
Nice post Tim. I wish I could be going to the games. They need alot more media coverage. Its like some people in Houston might not even know that we have an NBA team here. I think that the rocks organization, particularily the owner (i guess), should fork up some more money for media coverage, or have guys spend more times, show up on a morning show at rock 101. or have stuff on 93.7...and those other stations.. The only ads i have seen were during games, and then other than that there are none. And then on the radio they have their shows and advertising on 610 (i think) am and at times that only diehard fans tune in. It seems that ...(is the owner?) Les Alexander (?) is in it for the money only, and not for the sport itself. Hard trying to explain myself.. I am in fortworth and I see nothing but Mav ads here on their UPN 21 channel. and fssw. all the local channels play a clip trying to get fans out to the arena. Cuban is doing so much for this team. I am tired of hearing all about it. Hope the rockets win tonight.
Living in NY and dealing with the crappy knicks and their $60 a ticket...WHAT IS WRONG W/ PPL IN HOUSTON!!....I would kill to watch the most exciting team in the NBA!!
Live, what do you think of the statement that Houston is a football town? I think it's funny that city reps brag about how Houston is the 4th largest city in the USA. Yet, they are unable to sell out in football, baseball, and basketball. Double-standard (excuses). That's like saying, "We have the most people that don't come to the games." I think we are the largest city in the USA, with the largest fair-weather percentage. That's why Houston is overlooked to Miami, Philly, Dallas and Atlanta. Some people think that Dallas is bigger than Houston (or Miami).
The "experts" on ESPN's Around the Horn were discussing the worst sports towns in the U.S./Canada earlier this afternoon. Among the top two from what I gathered, meaning the worst ones, were Atlanta and Houston. Others to a lesser extent are L.A. and Cleveland. Besides the fanatics who discuss on the BBS regularly, the word is just not getting out about how giddy it makes us to think of the possibilities the Rockets can bring, and to go out and buy some damn tickets!
I agree with that. I felt like with the Texans in town that the Rockets and Astros were going to have a rough time if they weren't winning. The Rockets are getting that now. I went to the Cleveland game and saw all the empty seats. It was a fun game, but. The empty house really was a downer to me. I am not calling anyone out for not going. In a city this big, there is not a problem of just "Not enough good fans in Houston". That is BS. The fact is that the Houston fan has not seen anything that they want to spend the money to go see yet. Also, the marketing is not where it needs to be. Season tickets are not going to sell right now. The Houston Economy is shot and the people who would by tickets have bought Texans tickets. You should make people aware of upcoming games and tell them about how to get tickets so you can increase walk-up sales. The fact that the front office didn't make a big deal about Hakeem retirement was a shame. I can't believe we didn't have commercials about that game all over the place. I mean ESPN Classic hyped it more than the Rockets. I think that Les & Co. haven't gotten out of the mindset the team was in when they won the championships and the tickets sold themselves. Actually, I think they are just waiting until next year and assuming the new arena will sell tickets for them. It worked for the Astros, so it should work for the Rockets too. And to call Houston a fair-weather town is BS. Have you seen Miami games the past 3 years? Did you see Dallas before they started winning, Cleveland sucks and no one goes to their game, Atlanta can't even sell out their new arena, The United Center has plenty of seats available as well. Do not act like only Houstonians want to see a winning team, please. That is a trend around the country. Who wants to go see a team that is most likely going to lose? It isn't like they discounted the tickets when we were a lottery team. It is just that this year, the Texans are here and our city has been hit HARD with layoffs and companies struggling to keep the lights on. Those lower prom and courtside tickets don't have companies to pay for them anymore. I just see people thinking that Houston is not a sports town, when it is. Every city has attendance problems when their team is going through rough times. It is going to take a playoff run to get the masses interested in the Rockets again. The Mavs couldn't draw flies when they were bad. Same with the Rockets.
I'm sure some of the explanations in this thread are the right ones, but because I'm worried the lack of attendance will eventually hurt revenue and the ability of the Rockets to re-sign free agents, I'll throw in a few more ideas. I've just about run out of explanations for why Houstonians don't support teams. When the Aeros of the WHA played here, they always had a good team, but they only drew during the seasons Gordie Howe was here. I think they didn't know anything about hockey, but having Howe and the media circus here made them feel self-important. The Comets, on the other hand, have real basketball fans who treat the players as part of their community. It's not an affluent community, though. Comets crowds are pretty darn working class, thankful for the lower ticket prices in the WNBA. Which takes me to the subject of whether Houston is a good basketball town. In the mid-'90s, I thought Houston was turning into some kind of Gulf Coast basketball mecca. Not just the Rockets and UH, but Fonde Recreation Center, great high school teams, having three teams in NCAA Division I. Then came the arena votes. You might recall that it took massive minority support to finally win the 2nd vote. The votes revealed the deep division between older, whiter, affluent, football-mad suburban Houston and urban Houston. In Houston we focus on making money and refuse to discuss conflicts. The people who live in Texan suburbs aren't like suburban Philadelphians. In San Antonio the lack of pro and college football forced enthusiasm to turn to the Spurs. In Dallas, to put it bluntly, they're just like us, but they have more egotistical billionaires who will do anything to buy championships, and Texans worship billionaires even more than they do football. A lot of suburban Houstonians even opposed the football stadium. They're fundamentalists who want you to spend all your free time with God, or consider cities to be enemy zones, or just shun anyone who is different than themselves in any way. They're also old as hell. Not too likely to support basketball in the Age of Iverson. Too bad they have all of the money. Our affluent urbanites are few and haven't much cohesion. Maybe they will rally to the downtown arena. So why did people used to come to Rockets games? See Gordie Howe, above. The media told everyone Olajuwon was great. Given that he followed Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone, I guess suburban Houstonians think basketball is all about the big guy and physical play. You know, like football. Most of Houston is out of touch with the guard-oriented basketball culture that Jordan memorialized. They don't get Francis and Mobley. I don't know if they're gonna get Ming either, but if he's tall and TV heads from NY and LA say he's cool long enough, he's at least got a chance to save the Rockets.
When I was younger I used to think that Rockets fans were far greater than the smavericks fans. Well, over the past few years I have realized that Rockets fans are almost as fair weather as Dallas fans. It really hurts.
