The NBA Is Struggling To Survive In Both Houston And Indianapolis

I think I heard 13 the other day? Not sure.

Anyway, the point is that the capacity of an arena, or overall number sold, isn't that reflective of fan interest. You'll notice, for example, that nearly every arena built since 2000 is in the bottom half of the league in terms of capacity. Even the Lakers, who could probably sell 30K a night if they wanted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_arenas

That's because the modern trend is to promote "intimacy" and push fans toward higher-dollar tickets. If you look at a typical mid-tier Rockets game, the cheap seats are usually sold out. Where you see gaps in tickets sold is in the lower level behind the baskets and occasionally the edge of the upper sidelines. If the Rockets wanted, they could easily expand TC behind the baskets in the upper deck (where it's smaller, relative to older venues like the United Center) and pack in a couple extra thousand "cheap seat" fans per game. They're not, because that's not where the money is.

That's why percentage of capacity sold gives you a much more accurate picture of how "interest" is than sheer volume.

 

The way Crane sounds, he couldn't care less.

 

first, stop calling it a stadium.. its an arena.. if theres something Houston fans are guilty of, which i cant stand, is the late arriving crowd. being in TC its pretty packed. no way you see how crowded it is on tv, the tv doesnt do a great job showing the density of the upperbowl.

 

If I was in Houston I would attend rocket home games.

 

too bad nba league pass and streaming does not count, rest assured there are much more than 70k viewers watching the Rockets home game just for Lin alone.

 

No duh... What did anybody expect when 60% of the Houston population can't watch them on tv. As for attendance, I think it's picked up considerably this season now that the team is winning and has a superstar in Harden.

 

The NBA expects a temporary dip in attendance numbers coming off a lockout and the NBA is aware of carriage situation in Houston. Not worried...Rockets aren't going anywhere.

 

What are the ratings when the Rockets play on ESPN?

 

Let me tell all you direct tv suckers... I like my Comcast! Works great,even when there is a thunderstorm....

 

dude is set trippin with comcast. no one is change their provider to get the rockets and if you're with direct tv you're in a contract. you have comcast great no need to hate

 

Last GS game that was on ESPN got a 2.3 Nielsen rating versus 1.3 on Comcast. Now someone tell me what that means lol

 

And please explain how/why/what they would do to go about that?

Punish the ones that are paying the most money? LMAO get real...

 

Yes there must be a huge drop off of Rockets game attendance and viewership compared to last season.:grin:

 

Struggling to survive? That's just ridiculous.

 

The LOFs don't contribute to Toyota Center attendance cause they don't live in a 9000 mile radius of Houston nor do they have the money to buy the $5 french fries.

 

Or the $10 Papa John's which I always regret buying afterward because I finish in like 3 bites

 

Actually, Chicago is still the 3rd largest city. Houston is 4th ... but growing much faster in population and economically.

This is why the NFL teams share profits ... else how can the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, or Jacksonville Jaguars compete ?

 

But they still spread the money to the NBA, Rockets, and directly to Morey's pocket. You'd be surprised how many are in a radius of less than 1,000 miles of Houston. I don't live in Houston, or in Texas, but have traveled to Houston to watch the Rockets played twice this season already.

 

its easier for the nfl to share REVENUE, not profits. They share TELEVISION CONTRACT revenue because all their contracts are league wide, unlike other sports where teams have their own tv contracts