Empty Stadium Seats

[pgt_rob]

1 hour ago, Gramz said:

My son (who btw, attended UT at the same time as Peyton) shares the same sentiment as your father-in-law.    When Peyton went to the Broncos, my son followed, and remains a Bronco fan now.     

 

No secret here,  I too was a huge Peyton fan, and was maybe a bit more into the games when he was around,  hard not to be...  He made it exciting.    The days of  Peyton, Marvin, Edge, Reggie, Dallas, Jeff, Brandon,  and the list goes on......   were some great times.   I absolutely loved being at the games watching all of them.       

 

Yeah and I tell him that at least Peyton got to choose a team and win another championship there. He most likely wouldn't have won it again with the Colts. So it was a good thing. He still doesn't buy it. He absolutely despises Jim Irsay and the whole "front office" as he says. The fair weather fans are the worst. They are always there to see them win but will give up on the team when they're losing. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

The team was just fun to watch when Peyton played, even the casual fan would want to watch him (or go to a game) because he was like a surgeon on the Football field. The way he changed plays and used his mind to beat people was intriguing to most people. 

[Steamboat_Shaun]

 

13 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

Before Manning how many black out games did the Colts have?  As I recall not too many if any.  I know my memory on those things may be hazy but I still don't recall it was a problem. 

But you are 100% correct with winning puts butts in the seats.

 

 

I've always been critical of our fans, & they never fail to let me down in regards to being one of the more apathetic fanbases in the league. It's lame.

[2006Coltsbestever]

50 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

 

I've always been critical of our fans, & they never fail to let me down in regards to being one of the more apathetic fanbases in the league. It's lame.

It's just not our fanbase. It's easy to focus on ours because we see it every week. If your team is not winning about 80% of fanbases are fair weathered fans. It's like that in every sport. Yeah there are maybe 4 or 5 fanbases that are really diehard win or lose (like GB, KC, and Pittsburgh) but not many. Half the stadium was empty when we played at Washington for example.

[HOF19]

53 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

 

I've always been critical of our fans, & they never fail to let me down in regards to being one of the more apathetic fanbases in the league. It's lame.

You are so Colts rah-rah ( as are most moderators on the internet ) .  (To me ) that is why on all message boards I put more value on regular fans opinions than moderators. I know of one circumstance where a moderator admitted his first job was to not have the board shut down. Have you noticed that MLB.COM ( which most likely means MLB ) shut down ALL the message boards attached to team websites. #1 I value objectivity. Don't seem to get that from moderators.

[Chrisaaron1023]

5 hours ago, gnet550 said:

This is so true....I have been to two games at LOS and one time the tickets were given to me, the other i found $100 lower bowl tickets the day before the Bengals WC win a few years back.  It is hard to find any tickets that are decent price.  I can't make myself purchase tickets $120 bucks to sit in the second deck or higher, it is just silly, I can see it better on my TV.

Mmmhmm. I've only been to two NFL games in my life. The last one would've been awesome, if I could actually see it. MY uncle took me to the Pats vs Broncos 2013 game. We were sooo far up I couldn't see anything. Just reacting to the crowd. I felt so disconnected from the game. No announcers, no camera angles, no replays. Then we left at halftime. It was freaking freezing, and windy. I was dressed like I was going snowboarding. AND I was still frozen. Now i'm aware you take the weather factor out of it when you can see a dome team. But the other factors still apply. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, HOF19 said:

You are so Colts rah-rah ( as are most moderators on the internet ) .  (To me ) that is why on all message boards I put more value on regular fans opinions than moderators. I know of one circumstance where a moderator admitted his first job was to not have the board shut down. Have you noticed that MLB.COM ( which most likely means MLB ) shut down ALL the message boards attached to team websites. #1 I value objectivity. Don't seem to get that from moderators.

I was wondering why I never see comments on the Cubs website, that stinks.

[aaron11]

3 minutes ago, HOF19 said:

Have you noticed that MLB.COM ( which most likely means MLB ) shut down ALL the message boards attached to team websites. #1 I value objectivity. Don't seem to get that from moderators.

espn and nfl.com did the same.

 

its looking like all of the sports comment sections that were tied to facebook closed up shop.  i read somewhere those sites didnt feel the comment sections were worth what they had to pay for them.

[HOF19]

5 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I was wondering why I never see comments on the Cubs website, that stinks.

 I have been searching any type of baseball news on the internet for months trying to find out what got Major League baseball angry enough off to shut down the boards.………. Not a hint .

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 minutes ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

Mmmhmm. I've only been to two NFL games in my life. The last one would've been awesome, if I could actually see it. MY uncle took me to the Pats vs Broncos 2013 game. We were sooo far up I couldn't see anything. Just reacting to the crowd. I felt so disconnected from the game. No announcers, no camera angles, no replays. Then we left at halftime. It was freaking freezing, and windy. I was dressed like I was going snowboarding. AND I was still frozen. Now i'm aware you take the weather factor out of it when you can see a dome team. But the other factors still apply. 

Yeah I have only been to one road game and that was in 2004 at Chicago, it was freezing but I had fun because Manning tore Chicago up. That was a fun venue and I like Chicago, have relatives that live there so I had fun with their fans. They have a nice stadium.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, HOF19 said:

 I have been searching any type of baseball news on the internet for months trying to find out what got Major League baseball enough off to shut down the boards.………. Not a hint .

Yeah that is strange. I would love it if the Cubs had a website like this, they don't though to my knowledge. I have looked around too.

[buccolts]

6 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yeah that is strange. I would love it if the Cubs had a website like this, they don't though to my knowledge. I have looked around too.

 

I'd have to believe there is one. It may not be on an official Cubs site, but I just found an unofficial Pirates forum.

 

Maybe through a local paper, like the Colts used to be(?).

[pgt_rob]

9 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yeah that is strange. I would love it if the Cubs had a website like this, they don't though to my knowledge. I have looked around too.

 

There's a decent sized Cubs section on Reddit. 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cubs/

[Gramz]

7

 

5 hours ago, Gramz said:

We don't go to as many games as we used to, but still try to make it over for at least  2 a year.  We usually just make a weekend out of it.   I understand what many are saying about the expense, but that is true with many forms of entertainment or livelihood.     Concert prices are crazy $$ nowadays too..   

 

For me........Nothing beats being at the game.  

 

 

I wanted to add 2 more photos. One from start of game, the other is Adam kicking FG to break NFL record!  These are just a few of the things I love about being at the game, and viewing up close and in person.

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

8 minutes ago, buccolts said:

 

I'd have to believe there is one. It may not be on an official Cubs site, but I just found an unofficial Pirates forum.

 

Maybe through a local paper, like the Colts used to be(?).

Yeah there probably is, we should be grateful we have this here. This place is always busy and even has a Baseball Thread as you know.

1 minute ago, pgt_rob said:

 

There's a decent sized Cubs section on Reddit. 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cubs/

Thanks I will have to check that out.

[DougDew]

5 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

It's not just the Colts, it's all across the NFL. When the cameras do show the crowd, it's bad for all teams. 

 

These refs are killing games, and games around the NFL are being decided by them. It's almost like they are either getting paid, or getting a call from HQ saying, this team needs to score. (Philly game left a horrible taste in my mouth but that's not the only game by far it's happening in) 

 

This whole roughing the passer garbage is just another bad "rule" the NFL is shooting itself in the foot with. Same with the head to head rule. I'm all for safety, and call it here and there but the inconsistency between calls is atrocious. 

 

Look, I don't like or get into politics, but anyone who says the "protesting" or "kneeling" doesn't have anything to do with people not watching the NFL anymore are kidding themselves. I hear people at work, the gym, the bar, all over the place talking about they don't watch it anymore for that specific reason. Sucks, but it's reality. 

I agree with all of this.  The issue with politics is not so much the specific political stance, its the fact that preaching to fans about anything is a turnoff.  Fans don't want to be preached to, especially from players who really aren't experts on much of anything.

 

The NFL brings us information about their players to make them seem more personal, hoping we like them more.  But be careful, because a big percentage of the fans might like them less the more we get to know them.

[dgambill]

I watch on NFL game pass and I watch parts of all the games between commercials etc. All the games have the same thing. I'm sure a lot of it is the selling of more and more tickets to corporate partners etc. If you are a salesman for the team which is a bigger bang for your buck? Sell out a whole section of tickets or risk having to sell them individually. Add to the inconvenience of going and the expenses and changing priorities of people it isn't just football it's baseball and other live sports too. It's just not as attractive as it once was.

 

I do feel like the team's performance also plays a part as well. I think we are all fooling ourselves if we try to compare the Luck teams to the Manning teams. We were a great team...a favorite to win...those teams had a good chance to win it all almost every year for a decade there. With Luck even getting to the AFC Championship game we felt like we overachieved...at least it felt like that for me....and the inevitable happened...we got slaughtered as we knew we would. The biggest difference....is the Colts were just better entertainment in the 2000's...Manning was must watch tv....you might see something you would never see again. He put on a show and it was amazing. No offense to Andrew and I'm glad he is our qb and he is probably the nicest guy you'd hope to meet and a great teammate but I've never once watched him and thought WOW!!! That right there is something I will tell my kids about or say I will likely never witness that again. At least not on the level or scale that we had with Peyton. Again I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for this but Luck just doesn't play the same type of game that Peyton did. That's ok too...he can still win SBs etc but its just different and that is fine! The style of football and the way we played was very watchable football indeed. I've never worried now that if I go to the bathroom I'm going to miss something I'll regret....it just is the way it is and I think to us Basketball loving Hoosiers it isn't NEW anymore....we've seen it before...and it was a better show if you will.

 

Just an honest Colts fan....who yes does not plan to go to any games this year like in the past as it just isn't worth it to me like it was before. I enjoy my hunting, and I have my Sunday School class to teach now, and a child on the way and honestly the Colts are just way down my priority list if I was to decide a game to go to at this point. Like others things are changing...and if the Colts change then they may become must go to in person again.

[dgambill]

1 hour ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

 

I've always been critical of our fans, & they never fail to let me down in regards to being one of the more apathetic fanbases in the league. It's lame.

I don't think that is true. I think they are for the most part very grounded. A few loose cannons for sure but they are polite to opposing fans, respectful, and yes they won't pay for an underperforming product...same with the Pacers. I think Indiana folks for the most part are pretty supportive folks....and if you give them something to cheer for they will go to the moon and back for their teams...and if you put a half baked product out there...they will quickly let you know about it. I think that is very reasonable. It puts pressure on ownership to make changes and give the fans what they want (because it's entertainment and we are the ones who are being entertained). I appreciate how passionate Irsay is....he values winning...which is why I still support the team and watch the games...but I don't think that blindly supporting ownership that doesn't care about his product on the field is helpful in any manner. It's our money and I see no problem putting it to where we get the most enjoyment out of it. I'm glad we hold their feet to the fire and keep them on their toes to earn our support.

[Coffeedrinker]

What's really funny about this is the OP has mentioned several times that he is talking about teams from around the league but most people keep wanting to discuss it as if he's talking about just the Colts.

 

So @Alex22 to answer your original question. 

 

Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with the kneeling but not just the kneeling players but how the league and the broadcast stations and the talking heads dealt with the kneeling.  TV viewship is down because of that, it's not hard to imagine that attendance would be down as well.

 

2nd.  The product is not as good.  You a lot of colleges going to a spread system which affects the olineman and the QB positions.  And we all know all teams are looking for a franchise QB and they becoming more rare and success begins up front and it's becoming harder and harder to find guys that can handle blocking in NFL schemes.

 

3rd:  Games are just not as fun to watch anymore because (whether perception or reality) the refs seem to be playing a bigger role in the outcome of games.  So much so that it seems like games are fixed.  They probably have always been fixed but now they don't try to conceal it.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, dgambill said:

I don't think that is true. I think they are for the most part very grounded. A few loose cannons for sure but they are polite to opposing fans, respectful, and yes they won't pay for an underperforming product...same with the Pacers. I think Indiana folks for the most part are pretty supportive folks....and if you give them something to cheer for they will go to the moon and back for their teams...and if you put a half baked product out there...they will quickly let you know about it. I think that is very reasonable. It puts pressure on ownership to make changes and give the fans what they want (because it's entertainment and we are the ones who are being entertained). I appreciate how passionate Irsay is....he values winning...which is why I still support the team and watch the games...but I don't think that blindly supporting ownership that doesn't care about his product on the field is helpful in any manner. It's our money and I see no problem putting it to where we get the most enjoyment out of it. I'm glad we hold their feet to the fire and keep them on their toes to earn our support.

I love this Post. This may be the best you have ever made on here 

[Case]

It’s league wide.  I saw tons of empty seats during the Rams game and they have a legit shot this year. 

[Reality Check]

3 hours ago, The Fish said:

I had some ball on last sunday when my 72 year old Grandpa dropped by for a few. He couldn't stop talking about how little he watched anymore, but he was still "into it" in so far as he was entertained by a few plays, but his general take was there's too many con's attached to the NFL right now to invest hours on Sunday watching. I don't totally agree, but it's not hard to see how the officiating, politics and ancillary issues stemming from those two points are hurting the popularity.  

You and your Grandpa represent the difference between generations with regards to your differing views of the NFL.

Beyond some of the logos, today's product hardly resembles what I used to watch on Sunday afternoons.  In large part, it is not really enjoyable any more.

 

Just one person's opinion....

[dgambill]

19 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I love this Post. This may be the best you have ever made on here 

Thanks...I just think that blaming fans is not a good thing. I don't think there is a bad fan...wheher they are bandwagon fans or disappointed fans or loyal fans they still root for the Colts and that is what matters to me. If you build it they will come. It's not my job to buy your product...it's your job to convince me I can't live without it and that I want it. Everyone's threshold will be different on that meter....but just because Indiana fans need extra convincing to me doesn't make them bad...just makes them more cost sensitive...and not just cost of money but cost of time and other opportunities. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, dgambill said:

Thanks...I just think that blaming fans is not a good thing. I don't think there is a bad fan...wheher they are bandwagon fans or disappointed fans or loyal fans they still root for the Colts and that is what matters to me. If you build it they will come. It's not my job to buy your product...it's your job to convince me I can't live without it and that I want it. Everyone's threshold will be different on that meter....but just because Indiana fans need extra convincing to me doesn't make them bad...just makes them more cost sensitive...and not just cost of money but cost of time and other opportunities. 

I am out of LIKES but I agree with you 

[dgambill]

5 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I am out of LIKES but I agree with you 

Thanks....and I do honestly go back to the Peyton thing....Peyton was the first to do it great here in Indy....we had never witnessed greatness like that before first hand...and the ball he and Polian brought to Indy was fun likable football. Peyton well.....was just more entertaining to watch. He did it better and he was unique. Again...this isn't to belittle Luck because I love the guy...but his play and the style the Colts play...it isn't going to bring out the same fans. I watch Luck and I think he is great player...but when I watched Peyton....well I was watching greatness.....it was almost like artistry...anyways hard to explain and it wasn't always just Peyton it mostly was but it was also the guys around him too but it is not hard to see why some fans just don't see the Colts the same way.

[2006Coltsbestever]

5 minutes ago, dgambill said:

Thanks....and I do honestly go back to the Peyton thing....Peyton was the first to do it great here in Indy....we had never witnessed greatness like that before first hand...and the ball he and Polian brought to Indy was fun likable football. Peyton well.....was just more entertaining to watch. He did it better and he was unique. Again...this isn't to belittle Luck because I love the guy...but his play and the style the Colts play...it isn't going to bring out the same fans. I watch Luck and I think he is great player...but when I watched Peyton....well I was watching greatness.....it was almost like artistry...anyways hard to explain and it wasn't always just Peyton it mostly was but it was also the guys around him too but it is not hard to see why some fans just don't see the Colts the same way.

Yeah I had Posted earlier that Peyton would even make the casual fan watch because of the way he played the game. The way he changed plays at the line and beat teams with his mind was unreal and intriguing. It was just different and neat.

[TheMarine]

18 hours ago, buccolts said:

I've never had a bad time at a game.

 

I, uh... had seats in section 127 which should be fantastic. Well, halfway into the 1st quarter the couple come in to sit in the seats next to me and my dad. They smelled like straight up bad MJ, BO, and cheap booze.

 

We left 5min before the half and finished watching the game at my place.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, TheMarine said:

 

I, uh... had seats in section 127 which should be fantastic. Well, halfway into the 1st quarter the couple come in to sit in the seats next to me and my dad. They smelled like straight up bad MJ, BO, and cheap booze.

 

We left 5min before the half and finished watching the game at my place.

Wow that would suck! I have never had that happened and have been around to 50 games in my day. That is terrible luck. I have been around drunks but not stinky people  

[tucky89]

20 hours ago, jskinnz said:

 

Do you live in Indy?  Do you go to the games?

No. But one poor season (2011) after a decade plus of excellence led to the threat of TV blackouts in 2012. They've been unable to consistently sellout playoff games.

[Rally5]

22 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

The last FIVE YEARS OR SO?

 

Does,  "or so" mean less?

 

12:     11-5

13:     11-5

14:     11-5

15:       8-8    With Luck missisng 9 games

16:       8-8

17:       4-12

 

At best,  you have 3 years of "floundering" and that's if you don't allow for Luck missing more than half a season.    Otherwise.........

     

Indy is a great football town when we are a Super Bowl contender if not, this is what you get.  We're not elite fans...

[Rally5]

3 hours ago, TheMarine said:

 

I, uh... had seats in section 127 which should be fantastic. Well, halfway into the 1st quarter the couple come in to sit in the seats next to me and my dad. They smelled like straight up bad MJ, BO, and cheap booze.

 

We left 5min before the half and finished watching the game at my place.

C'mon man, you're a Marine and left a game at the half because of BO?  That's why God gave us elbows!

 

[jskinnz]

27 minutes ago, tucky89 said:

No. But one poor season (2011) after a decade plus of excellence led to the threat of TV blackouts in 2012. They've been unable to consistently sellout playoff games.

 

Green Bay, who have a generations long season ticket waiting list, had trouble selling out a playoff game a few years ago.  Other teams have the same affliction.

 

And while you could be right on what happened with blackouts in 2012, I have zero memory of that,

 

The characterization of Indy having a spoiled fan base is misguided as well.  Consecutive years of mediocre to poor teams in other markets would lead to the very thing that Indy has right now. 

[TheMarine]

1 hour ago, Rally5 said:

C'mon man, you're a Marine and left a game at the half because of BO?  That's why God gave us elbows!

 

 

Marine, yes.

 

Sitting next to people literally giving you a headache with how bad they smelled during the beatdown the Jags gave this team last year?

[The Old Crow]

Some of you too young may now understand what happened in Baltimore. Nine out of twelve losing seasons , trading John Elway for a #1 and an offensive linemen, inept ownership, general hopelessness. Attendance went from 30 years of sellouts to 25 K a year by 1983. 

 

Losing equals down attendance. That being said, you have Andrew Luck versus Art Schlichter and Marty Domres. 

 

Not quite as bad as it was then. 

 

 

 

[deedub75]

If the stadium didn’t have a roof, there would be even fewer fans at the games. 

[aaron11]

14 hours ago, Rally5 said:

 We're not elite fans...

no one should expect that either, the colts dont have the long term history like say the bears and packers.  the fact that they moved and the way they moved definitely made an impact on the fan base

 

heck the rams are super bowl contenders this year, and they have a lot of empty seats too  

[pgt_rob]

32 minutes ago, deedub75 said:

If the stadium didn’t have a roof, there would be even fewer fans at the games. 

 

Interesting but could possibly be a true statement.

[The Fish]

1 hour ago, pgt_rob said:

 

Interesting but could possibly be a true statement.

It's totally true, but I'm not overly sure I blame anyone. Winters around here are uniquely soul crushing. 

The Black Hole, Indy fan is not. To be honest, it's a lot of middle age, professional types who go to games (and have the cash handy) here. It's not a rowdy crowd in the least. I'm usually more annoying than most fans at games and I'm nothing compared to your run of the mill Bills fan you can meet at a sports bar.

[King Colt]

On 10/1/2018 at 9:41 PM, jvan1973 said:

Before manning,  quite a few.   This is a fickle fan base.   

Losing*

Since you are again checking spelling:

"manning" should be spelled with an uppercase "M"

No space after your comma and no double space between sentences. 

[deedub75]

3 hours ago, The Fish said:

It's totally true, but I'm not overly sure I blame anyone. Winters around here are uniquely soul crushing. 

The Black Hole, Indy fan is not. To be honest, it's a lot of middle age, professional types who go to games (and have the cash handy) here. It's not a rowdy crowd in the least. I'm usually more annoying than most fans at games and I'm nothing compared to your run of the mill Bills fan you can meet at a sports bar.

 

There are places with open stadiums that have worse weather than Indy. We’ve been spoiled with a roof all these years. It would be hard to go without.