i feel fortunate to love one of the better run franchises in sports but the empty seats are REALLY embarrassing. they put together this great team and on television it appears as though no one cares. why do you see so many more real fans (screaming, banners, jerseys) at other arenas? i was able to sit maybe 10 rows from courtside my first game at the summit in 1993 and i was blown away by the apathetic knee-crossed business class who were barely in attendance while the rest of the stadium was much more crowded (and louder). i really wish the execs would try somehow to get some crazy fans down there.
It would be awesome if they started some program for moving folks in the upper seats down to the empty lower seats at halftime. That way, the real fans could get loud and excited and the claymation yuppies could continue talking on their cellphones and being nonchalant. It might even look like some actual people showed up for the game! And they actually care about the Rockets! Imagine that. But it'll never happen. So as far as the upper seats go - if they can't afford the corporate tickets, then **** 'em, they got nothing to offer the Rockets organization.
That's what I want to know. How do other teams seem to not have a problem with this issue, but the Rockets can't put enthusiastic fans in the lower bowl. Is our culture so different?
it was a fun game for the family when the family had enough money to fund the game. Now its just more obvious that its about the money.
Well I was at the game again last night and I will admit that someone actually came 1 section closer to my section throwing out shirts!! Also, this person threw them in every direction so at least we had a chance. Of course everyone around me was standing up except for me because I'm just convinced that there's no chance one is coming in my direction. I will admit tonight there was that slim chance, but still no good. I'd say he threw out about 10-15 shirts in both sections around him so it was definitely an improvement. Does anyone else love to look at the fans in the upper sections start to cheer when they do that crab race? If only they knew that if they're color did win they aren't going to get anything. I remember a couple of times last year someone came and threw 3 or 4 shirts to the side that won, but I'm still waiting to see that this year. I guess in order to do that they people throwing out the shirts would have to know in advance which side will win because it would suck to be on one side of the building only to have the other side win and have to run all the way over there, run to the bottom of the stairs, only to throw out 4 shirts. Keep trying Rockets! Pugs
Near the end of the game last night they brought out 800? t-shirts and put them in the center of the floor then proceeded to throw them out, it looked to me just to the fans in the lower bowl. They had one guy with a slingshot but he wasn't doing a great job of getting them up top.
I was at the game last night and the pathetic thing to see was the people in the lower bowl leaving the game when the score was 88-87 with a little over 2 minutes left. What is that? Why pay all that $$$ to sit close to the action and then leave when the game is still undecided? How about actually supporting the team, or actually chanting "Defense"? It's just kinda sad that we have are lucky to have an NBA team that is competitive every single year yet we have one of the worst home court advantages during the regular season. I know it's only the regular season but isn't the point of going to the game to cheer and be a part of the atmosphere and help the team win not to show up to be seen and make an appearance? I don't know, I guess it will never be like the NFL or Soccer around the world where it's always rockin no matter how important the game. Peace.
In three seasons you've only gotten one prize?!?!?! I've been going to games for twenty years, our tickets are always in the lower bowl, for the last five years or so they've been at half-court ten rows up and I've never once gotten a prize. Come on, man. They throw what? 20-30 of those out a game when there are 10-15 thousand people in the place? The odds of getting a prize are ridiculously low.
Well when they throw out 800 shirts and 98% of them are to the lower seats which are barely half full I'd say you have a pretty good chance at getting one. Maybe you just don't want one, or you simply don't try. I don't see how after 20 years of sitting down there you couldn't have got something by now. Like I said, obviously if you haven't got anything then obviously you don't want anything. Pugs
To answer the question: win games. That's how Les has always seen it. I don't think he minds the other entertainment stuff, but he's always been about trying to win games. As for the class thing, well that's Houston folks. It's a business decision and even though basketball is a sport, the NBA is a business. Are Htown's lower bowl fans the worst in the NBA? Somebody tell me that, cause I don't know. I figure Laker's lower bowls are just idiots who are there to be seen. Atl doesn't have many fans, but that's understandable. It's impossible to be like Sacramento, because that's their culture. Who do the Rockets organization try to compare themselves to when it comes to fan support? Cause it is insane if they believe the Rockets corporate fans are doing a good job, cause it certainly doesn't look that way on tv? Maybe Dallas. Are they a good role model in terms of ticket pricing, entertainment at games, and ultimately getting all fans involved? Dallas isn't too far away, and the socio-economic structure of that city isn't too different from Htown. Maybe the Rockets org should be more like the Mavs, or am I off here on calling them more successful at promoting their team and getting fans involved?
