http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062902945.html Story from yesterday's Wash Post about the problem of unused tickets at the Nats games - Nats give out official attendance figures based on Ticket Sales, NOT Turnstile count - Comparing the two, the reporters notice the much larger percentage of no-shows at Nats games compared with stats from other teams and sports - And why its a problem for DC Govt which depends on tax revenue from concessions, parking, etc - Plus some reasons why Anybody have stats for DC United and other MLS teams - I would think that stats for DCU esp would be much better 1) Nats tickets are under-priced or lots of give-aways - MLB is trying hard to promote the Nats in town and are offering cheap underpriced tickets (SEVEN DOLLARS for Sect 400) and promotional give-aways - If you've paid so little for a ticket you're more likely to not go if minor problems or if you're leery of other big costs at the stadium 2) DCU tickets are $18-24 - Not exorbitantly expensive, but if you've paid this much you're definitely going to the game 3) DCU's more restrictive ticket exchange policy for this year - Last year esp was really loose - And resulted in huge (and hard to control) crowds at the single Will Call ticket window - Great policy for the fans who could save up unused tickets for end of the season - But difficult to manage, and difficult for security to control - So now when you buy a season ticket, you're less likely to save it for an exchange and more likely to go to the game Anybody with comparisons of other MLS teams and their MLB counterparts? - SSS venues versus big shared facilities (Columbus versus DCU)?
More restrictive ticket policy is right: I found out the hard way. Used to be you could just mail your unused tickets in advance, specify your needs and they would take care of it. This Spring I ordered a 4 game package where you get the first two home games and two I select. Well, they sent me the incorrect games and I couldn't make them due to family commitments. I called and left a message. No one called back. So I mailed the tix back with a note explaining my situation and how someone in their ticket department screwed up my order. That was in early May when I did this and I didn't hear from anyone. I'll just go and buy walk up from now on. Between ordering a scarf and tickets, I am not having much luck this year. Back on the subject, the article says that once school is out the Nats reps think there will be a lot less no shows for Nats games. The team is 4.5 games in first and you have to think they can contend (if Chad Cordero's arm doesn't fall off) the rest of the way. Pretty damn exciting considering the team lost 95 games last season. I would hope the number of unused tix for Nats games would drop and more people would go.
MLS Attendance figures are based on ticket sales and not actual game attendance, which is why it looks pathetic that KC announces 8000 and only 2500 show up. I'm sure MLS keeps stats on purchase vs. actual attendance but its probably kept under lock and key somewhere in MLS HQ. I'd venture to say that while the city is dependent upon concession sales for tax revenue the higher announced attendance helps more than it hurts. Which is as true for MLS as it is MLB.
All sports do this. They all like to promote the bigger number, because, heck, it looks better. I have an additional theory as to why the Nats have no-shows. People got caught up in all the hoopla of MLB coming to town and got tix, then realized that 81 games is a HUGE commitment. Especially when you consider that you're talking about 6-10 game homestands. Contrast that to United, where in a good MONTH, we have 3 or 4 matches, and they're not on consecutive nights.
For a real look at this, take the NBA's policy and look at the trouble they are having post Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. Apparently the NBA will allow owners to sell tickets to the owners charity and get redistributed in some way so that all off night/off opponent games have good attendance numbers. I don't remember the exact details on this one but I remember reading the article on ESPN.com one day and going "Wow, what a pile of crap owner George Shinn is...he lies to Charlotte, lies to the NBA and now everyone knows exactly why he was run off and that New Orleans really doesn't like basketball...they just had suites in an empty stadium"
The big reason that Nats actual attendance is so different from their paid attendance is because so many people jumped on the bandwagon and purchased season tickets and it wasn't just businesses. I don't know about you, but I don't have the time to go to 84 games. If you go to e-bay and look up Nats tickets there are tons of individual games being sold by season ticket holders that can be bought for really cheap. My dad buys Nats tix that was all of the time and he can usually get a pair in the upper deck for $5-7. It's the season ticket holders tht aren't using their tickets.
From my experiences with the Nats baseball I can say their ticket selling is completely fvcked up... For example IF I go to a baseball game I want to get above average seats. This means I might have to shell out a few dollars but I dont mind... But from what I have seen dealing with them I cant. If you try to get your tickets for the Nats via TICKETBASTARDS.com they will only sell you the $hit upper deck seats... No matter what game you want to go to.... No matter how far ahead. They seem to be the only seats alloted. I can improve to decent seats thru the Nationals IF I were to try to get a 20 game or up package (fvck that) Now I am sure at some point you may have been able to get better ones, but even with no shows and sales there are plenty of seats (and good ones at that) available when you actually go to the games. For example, I took my girlfriend to a game and ordered ahead. I got crap upperdeck seats at $15. HER girlfriend and date on the same night decided to try their luck at walk up... They had their pick of seats and were able to but premium seats rigth behind home plate... In the end I jsut ended up moving down into the lower section behind homeplate with them and not paying for the expensive seats but sitting there anyway. (The empty seats in the lower bowl fill up as the game goes on very Barra Brava style)
I'm going there next Thursday for the game against the Mets. It's a company outing thing. You wouldn't believe the hassle it was to get tickets. I really wanted seats under cover because it's freakin' July afternoon but there were none available anywhere at any price. We ended up getting tickets on the third base line from some third party service but they're gonna suck because we're going to bake to death.
If you are lucky maybe a little rain will cool things down. You will be there for 6 hours, but you wont bake to death. Seriously, I hope you have a good experience. There is no way I would buy tickets several days in advance without a good idea of the weather. I remember sitting for 1 hour during the Lights Out game for KC and was miserable. Waiting 2+ hours for a rain delay is not something I or anybody I know could stomach.
Oh, yeah, I roasted big time along the 3rd baseline last week. Fortunately, I was close enough to home plate to get shade by the 3rd inning, but, let me tell you, we were hot as hell til then. Hats or no hats, the sun was baking us big time.
This is the God's honest truth. Two people in my office bought season tickets without realizing that 81 games is a helluva lot of baseball. I've been to 9 games already this season and each ticket I've gotten has been from a season ticket holder giving up seats he or she can't use.