Empty Seats at Lucas Oil?

[WoolMagnet]

On 10/21/2019 at 4:21 PM, Dingus McGirt said:

League-wide, it looks like to me.  The NFL may have peaked, and priced itself out of many people's disposable income.  It's hard for some to justify paying so much money for tickets, etc.,  so that players can be paid so very well for what amounts (thanks to the CBA) to not much more than part-time commitment.  JMO.

Its hard to beat viewing at home with bigscreens, hi-def, replays, and the COUCH!  Not to mention the food is better at home.

AND.....: I pay about the same for Sunday Ticket as i'd spend going to ONE game.

  The commute every Sunday from Pennsylvania would be a pain too i guess.  Maybe i should move to Indy.

[ColtStrong2013]

8 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yeah I am just getting older. I used to love the atmosphere of a game, especially when Peyton was here. Nothing like it really. 

 

That atmosphere sucks the energy out of you, regardless of age. Especially for true fans that engage and take the losses personally, like myself. I tear up in the pregame during the national anthem and when the starting lineup is introduced. I'm not sure why, but I am almost too emotionally invested in this team and the games they play. The drives home after losses are some of the worst few hours of my life (which I have to remind myself means I have a pretty damn good life).

 

There was nothing like Peyton's years. I love Lucas Oil and the experience, but the RCA Dome was unbelievable. I often wish the city never moved on. 

[superrep1967]

On 10/21/2019 at 4:21 PM, Dingus McGirt said:

League-wide, it looks like to me.  The NFL may have peaked, and priced itself out of many people's disposable income.  It's hard for some to justify paying so much money for tickets, etc.,  so that players can be paid so very well for what amounts (thanks to the CBA) to not much more than part-time commitment.  JMO.

I could not agree more they priced themselves out of most common peoples wallets no doubt. The league will really start to feel this for years to come no doubt. 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 minute ago, superrep1967 said:

I could not agree more they priced themselves out of most common peoples wallets no doubt. The league will really start to feel this for years to come no doubt. 

 

I know this is commonly discussed, but the NFL won't feel this for years to come... they will adapt if it gets worse. Supply and demand means lowering the prices to get more people in the stadiums and spending money on merch/food. It will eventually happen if it needs to. If it doesn't, it means the league is content with the billions they are bringing in. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

That atmosphere sucks the energy out of you, regardless of age. Especially for true fans that engage and take the losses personally, like myself. I tear up in the pregame during the national anthem and when the starting lineup is introduced. I'm not sure why, but I am almost too emotionally invested in this team and the games they play. The drives home after losses are some of the worst few hours of my life (which I have to remind myself means I have a pretty damn good life).

 

There was nothing like Peyton's years. I love Lucas Oil and the experience, but the RCA Dome was unbelievable. I often wish the city never moved on. 

LOS is an awesome stadium but the RCA Dome was a true home field advantage. I loved that stadium, it was so loud. In the Peyton years we were unbeatable there. Losses still bother me but they used to ruin my day when I was younger so I know what you are saying.

[csmopar]

On 10/21/2019 at 4:04 PM, TrueBlue4ever said:

I truly hope so, we have an amazing organization that has had its setbacks, but I remember what happened when fans stopped showing up at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. 

 

Same thing happened in 2017. We’ll be fine. The band wagoners will be back in droves the higher our record is

[TrueBlue4ever]

11 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

That atmosphere sucks the energy out of you, regardless of age. Especially for true fans that engage and take the losses personally, like myself. I tear up in the pregame during the national anthem and when the starting lineup is introduced. I'm not sure why, but I am almost too emotionally invested in this team and the games they play. The drives home after losses are some of the worst few hours of my life (which I have to remind myself means I have a pretty damn good life).

 

There was nothing like Peyton's years. I love Lucas Oil and the experience, but the RCA Dome was unbelievable. I often wish the city never moved on. 

Great Post! You are not the only one that has this dilemma. Thanks for sharing ! But when you beat the Chiefs and Texans and sit in first place in the AFC South, life is a whole lot better!! We don’t have Peyton, but we do have a Rock Star - GM, HC and Big Q!!

[2006Coltsbestever]

17 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Great Post! You are not the only one that has this dilemma. Thanks for sharing ! But when you beat the Chiefs and Texans and sit in first place in the AFC South, life is a whole lot better!! We don’t have Peyton, but we do have a Rock Star - GM, HC and Big Q!!

Even Brissett may sing a hit solo if he keeps up his play 

[IndyD4U]

Much rather have those fair weather/bandwagon fans stay home. There was nothing more frustrating when I had season tickets than having the people behind me talking about stupid shtuff all game long, playing on their cell phone and getting mad at me for yelling and standing up cheering.

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Losses still bother me but they used to ruin my day when I was younger so I know what you are saying.

 

I can accept a loss. It's a long season, as we well learned last season. But home field advantage in the postseason is underrated. There's a reason the only two superbowl appearances we have had here came through Indianapolis in the AFC championship game. We are building a team better suited to win on the road under the conditions we lost in the past, but we are still made to play in Lucas Oil. So every game is meaningful in that regard. But as long as we get better each week, make good moves as an organization and make the playoffs, I can accept losses. 

[a06cc]

Those season ticket holders have all right to not come to game. You can all them what you want. 2 season of lies being told to them. 

[TrueBlue4ever]

18 minutes ago, a06cc said:

Those season ticket holders have all right to not come to game. You can all them what you want. 2 season of lies being told to them. 

You seem to have a point not made on this thread, could you please be more specific?

[King Colt]

18 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

Indy doesn't have an XFL team 

Yeah......, I was telling a funny  

[TrueBlue12]

On 10/21/2019 at 7:24 PM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yesterday's game was considered sold out. If it wasn't the game would've been blacked out locally. We haven't had a blackout here in a long time.

The NFL held to its blackout policy through 2014. Since then the NFL has suspended its policy each year. They decide whether or not to suspend each year. They chose to suspend it again for 2019.

[jvan1973]

1 hour ago, King Colt said:

Yeah......, I was telling a funny  

It didn't work

[EastStreet]

So long as the team wins, and JB improves, nothing to worry about in terms of attendance. There will always be fans that prefer high flying offense, but winning and playoff progression is enough for most. Last week was big and went a long way to erasing the loss to the Raiders last month. And JBs performance last week is a good start to changing fan's confidence level. All that said, I can understand why some fans are a bit exhausted by the drama, and still have a level of disappointment. Winning and JB continuing to progress can cure all of that.

[Valpo2004]

I just generally watch on TV.  I've been to 2 Iowa games and no NFL games.

 

1. It's hard to justify the expense, especially now with 3 kids on one income.

 

2. I can see better on TV.  

 

3. My recliner is more comfortable

 

4. I don't have to travel.  Indy is a 3 hour drive and getting to a parking spot would likely take a long time.

 

[deedub75]

I was out of town as it was fall break so I sold my tickets.  I’ll be honest in that I don’t like attending the games as much as I used to and it has nothing to do with the team. 

The city has done a terrible job with traffic management down there. I used to be able to get to the stadium and leave the stadium pretty quickly. I used to live on the south side of town but I moved to Fishers 3 years ago. With all the roads that are blocked it takes an hour and a half for me to get there and get parked. If I stay for the entire game it takes forever to leave the stadium. I hate leaving early. 
 

We leave the house at around 11 am and don’t usually get back home until after 5 pm. It makes for a long day especially if I have the kiddos with me.  My health isn’t as goo as it used to be either. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

33 minutes ago, deedub75 said:

I was out of town as it was fall break so I sold my tickets.  I’ll be honest in that I don’t like attending the games as much as I used to and it has nothing to do with the team. 

The city has done a terrible job with traffic management down there. I used to be able to get to the stadium and leave the stadium pretty quickly. I used to live on the south side of town but I moved to Fishers 3 years ago. With all the roads that are blocked it takes an hour and a half for me to get there and get parked. If I stay for the entire game it takes forever to leave the stadium. I hate leaving early. 
 

We leave the house at around 11 am and don’t usually get back home until after 5 pm. It makes for a long day especially if I have the kiddos with me.  My health isn’t as goo as it used to be either. 

I hear ya man. When I was in my 20's and 30's I used to go to 2 games a year at least. As you get older (I am nearing 50), fighting the traffic and crowds of people just isn't my cup of tea. Why pay 7 bucks for a beer when you can buy 6 pack for 7 bucks and sit on your couch at home (relax) and watch on a 50 inch TV. The young gals/guys now have to carry the torch.

[Restored]

As someone else pointed out, this is a league-wide problem. Yes, games are still being aired and are officially deemed "sold-out" but actual in-stadium attendance is not full.

 

I believe this is for a few different reasons:

 

1. Lack of QB Star Effect: This season so far been made out to be the year of the backup quarterback. Between Luck's retirement and a slew of injuries to other marque quarterbacks, the enthusiasm for many casual fans just isn't as strong as it with having these players in the lineup. As such, fans don't feel as motivated to go to games if these star players aren't playing.

 

2. Cost of Attendance: Going to NFL games can be quite expensive for the average attendee. Between the cost of tickets, food and drinks and parking and other associated costs, many people simply can't afford to go. And with these prices steadily rising each and every year, this isn't something that appears to be changing any time soon.

 

3. Burnout: Games are played 3 days a week, social media is constantly digesting and discussing the game and 24/7 sports television make it to where the coverage and analysis never fully stops. Many fans don't have a chance to "miss" the game, even in the offseason which leads to fan exhaustion.

 

I also believe that many people have been turned away for political reasons as well as broadening awareness of the physical effects of the game, especially in youth. 

[King Colt]

9 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

It didn't work

It did for me

[CanuckColt]

Andrew's retirement was a real jolt...haven't been watching the Colts as much on TV...watching more of the other games on Sunday Ticket.

 

[LuckyHorseShoe§]

On 10/21/2019 at 3:46 PM, TrueBlue4ever said:

Huge game yesterday and so many empty seats?? As a Colt’s fan who lives in Florida, I don’t get it. What is ultimately going to put cheeks in the seats?? 

I hope Winning is the answer!

I’d be there every weekend if they didn’t charge $60 for a nosebleed. Which is better? Cracking out the binoculars and driving three hours, or sitting in my recliner being able to watch the Colts while keeping tabs on our division friends?

The NFL needs to stop charging so much for tickets.

Comparatively, this last year I could get a nosebleed for the Cincinnati Reds for less than $20. Granted, they suck and they play way more games, but still.

[ColtStrong2013]

6 hours ago, LuckyHorseShoe§ said:

The NFL needs to stop charging so much for tickets.

Comparatively, this last year I could get a nosebleed for the Cincinnati Reds for less than $20. Granted, they suck and they play way more games, but still.

 

You pretty much just walked yourself in a circle on this post. You can't compare hamburger to filet mignon on the market place, so why compare the Cincinnati Reds nosebleed tickets, which you had about 81 opportunities to get, and the Indianapolis Colts, which gives you 8 home games a year... To be able to go to half these home games for $250 bucks is more than reasonable. There are people paying 3k plus for a single season tickets.

 

Supply and demand. The demand is still pretty damn strong. 

[RyanThomas97]

On 10/22/2019 at 11:53 PM, AwesomeAustin said:

It’s a combination of a few things:

 

1. It’s just too expensive and honesty incovenient when I can watch with my friends on my 70” tv. We usually “tailgate” at each other’s houses and the kids can come. Coming from West Lafayette it is 6-8hr venture that will end up cost close to $500.  I can take the family out of town for the weekend for close to the same. 

 

2. This team is exceeding expectations but it was looking pretty bleak at the beginning of the season. I know a lot of us were talking about this season being a train wreck when expectations were so high in the off-season. 

 

3. This team has no identity or house hold names. Yes us that get on the forum can name the majority of the players on the roster but most fans can not. Star players fill seats. This is a deep team and outside Hilton, not a lot of star power.  Sad but it’s reality.

 

4. Media coverage is ruining football.  Everything turns into some sort of mini controversy and is repeated over and over and over and over until something else happens.  

As a fan in the UK I’m m very grateful for the media coverage - without it, needless to say it would be very difficult to stay updated with the Colts. 
 

I’m currently building up my savings so hopefully I’ll be able to fly out to see a game in the not to distant future. 

[TrueBlue4ever]

I have 2 games to look forward to this year, going to see them in Tampa and Jacksonville. I’m also hoping to hit the trifecta and be going to see them in Miami. We do love to play Super Bowls in South Florida. 

Winning this next game is the most important thing and I truly believe Winning will excite the fans enough to get to the stadium and enjoy the complete game day experience. There’s nothing better to be in the presence of Colts fans and cheering them on live! 

[gspdx]

On 10/22/2019 at 4:45 PM, IndyD4U said:

Much rather have those fair weather/bandwagon fans stay home. There was nothing more frustrating when I had season tickets than having the people behind me talking about stupid shtuff all game long, playing on their cell phone and getting mad at me for yelling and standing up cheering.

 

How dare you enjoy the game!  You are just the kind of fan that makes the experience miserable for someone that doesn't like football.

[HOZER]

I’ll there this Sunday to watch them battle the Broncos. This will be my third game this season, I try to go to as many games as I can, I’m only 45 mins from Lucas.

 

That being said, I don’t think it’s fair to call fans “fair weather” because they don’t fill the seats. Would it be awesome if the place was completely full every game? Of course it would, but people have different reasons for not being there. Some people work, have other plans, some people can’t afford it and others don’t want to spend their hard earned money to go which usually involves more than just the price of the tickets you have to include travel and parking and food a person could lose quite a bit in one day, only to watch them lose.

 

Of course we should always support our team if we can, but I get it some people work hard for their money and want to see a quality product on the field. I have sat in pretty much every area at Lucas except for the suites(Irsay, if you’re reading this, hook a brother up,lol) and the prices are dramatically different but it is my opinion that you get a pretty great view pretty much anywhere in the stadium other than the few seats that are behind Columns and You have to either stretch your neck around them or watch the TV that they have above you.

 

I just checked ticket prices again and they start at $30 in case some of you Non fair weather fans are wondering!

 

GO COLTS!!!!!!

[OffensivelyPC]

On 10/22/2019 at 6:59 PM, superrep1967 said:

I could not agree more they priced themselves out of most common peoples wallets no doubt. The league will really start to feel this for years to come no doubt. 

No that will not be the case.  Ticket sales comprise of less than 10% of their profits.  It's the TV deals with NBC/ABC/FOX/ESPN that bring in the vast majority of money.  Why do you think they always show sold out (or nearly so) on the bottom line but you can clearly see that there are so many seats available?  That's because of the blackout rule.  They make more buying the unsold tickets to prevent a blackout than they would not buying them and blacking the game out.  NFL teams buy the tickets themselves and/or have deals in place with local media and businesses in which they purchase unsold tickets at 34 cents on the dollar.  

 

Ticket sales  help pay the cost of business, but the real money is in the TV deals.

[LuckyHorseShoe§]

9 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

You pretty much just walked yourself in a circle on this post. You can't compare hamburger to filet mignon on the market place, so why compare the Cincinnati Reds nosebleed tickets, which you had about 81 opportunities to get, and the Indianapolis Colts, which gives you 8 home games a year... To be able to go to half these home games for $250 bucks is more than reasonable. There are people paying 3k plus for a single season tickets.

 

Supply and demand. The demand is still pretty damn strong

This doesn’t work because one man’s filet mignon is another man’s burger, and vice versa. An example of that is I’d take a hamburger over filet mignon any day of the week because I don’t like steak very much. It’s called preferences, and it’s the main thing that shifts demand. Also, no the demand for Colts tickets is not strong, because there are empty seats. That’s how demand works.

Unless you’re buying all of them?

In which case, I’ll take three, thanks

 

[ColtStrong2013]

2 hours ago, LuckyHorseShoe§ said:

This doesn’t work because one man’s filet mignon is another man’s burger, and vice versa. An example of that is I’d take a hamburger over filet mignon any day of the week because I don’t like steak very much. It’s called preferences, and it’s the main thing that shifts demand. Also, no the demand for Colts tickets is not strong, because there are empty seats. That’s how demand works.

Unless you’re buying all of them?

In which case, I’ll take three, thanks

 

 

Yeah, you perfectly displayed you preferred the hamburger and Cincy Reds tickets for $20... I prefer the less supplied and more expensive Filet and Colts tickets. And you are way off... demand at Lucas Oil is very strong. They technically sold out. There are empty seats, and there's also hundreds of people who have seats that stand in the bud light zone (which someone already mentioned), and likely more like thousands that stand at the pub tables and hangout areas throughout the stadium. Empty seats don't equal less ticket sales. It's a change in attitude of a different generation that goes to games and socializes around the game versus sit in the seat and watch like the older generation (and true fans) do. 

[ColtStrong2013]

3 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Empty seats don't equal less ticket sales. It's a change in attitude of a different generation that goes to games and socializes around the game versus sit in the seat and watch like the older generation (and true fans) do. 

 

It's why Las Vegas resorts have completely shifted away from casino's and to the giant pools and nightclubs that a younger generation enjoy over gambling. We will see Lucas Oil and NFL stadiums adapt to the Millennial and younger generations, which will mean less butts in seats, and more bodies in areas like the Bud Light Zone. 

[jvan1973]

20 hours ago, CanuckColt said:

Andrew's retirement was a real jolt...haven't been watching the Colts as much on TV...watching more of the other games on Sunday Ticket.

 

You must be an incredible fan if you have Sunday ticket and still don't watch the colts

[LuckyHorseShoe§]

28 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

Yeah, you perfectly displayed you preferred the hamburger and Cincy Reds tickets for $20... I prefer the less supplied and more expensive Filet and Colts tickets. And you are way off... demand at Lucas Oil is very strong. They technically sold out. There are empty seats, and there's also hundreds of people who have seats that stand in the bud light zone (which someone already mentioned), and likely more like thousands that stand at the pub tables and hangout areas throughout the stadium. Empty seats don't equal less ticket sales. It's a change in attitude of a different generation that goes to games and socializes around the game versus sit in the seat and watch like the older generation (and true fans) do. 

Fair enough, although I will correct you in that while I do prefer the hamburger, I never said that I prefer the Reds tickets to the Colts tickets; I’m not choosing either because I don’t have the money for either. I was just noting that baseball tickets are cheaper, which makes me more likely to go to a Reds game. That doesn’t mean I prefer or will absolutely take the baseball tickets, but I am more likely to.

 

[ColtStrong2013]

54 minutes ago, LuckyHorseShoe§ said:

Fair enough, although I will correct you in that while I do prefer the hamburger, I never said that I prefer the Reds tickets to the Colts tickets; I’m not choosing either because I don’t have the money for either. I was just noting that baseball tickets are cheaper, which makes me more likely to go to a Reds game. That doesn’t mean I prefer or will absolutely take the baseball tickets, but I am more likely to.

 

 

That's also fair. My fault for putting words in your mouth. 

 

As someone said above, tickets are $30 for Sunday's game.

[HeSoColt]

I flew in from Virginia for this game and that was one of the first things I noticed was the amount of empty seats (especially in both endzones). Further... while the crowd was loud at times, I got told that I was "cheering too loud on easy 3rd downs."

[TrueBlue4ever]

10 minutes ago, HeSoColt said:

I flew in from Virginia for this game and that was one of the first things I noticed was the amount of empty seats (especially in both endzones). Further... while the crowd was loud at times, I got told that I was "cheering too loud on easy 3rd downs."

What’s an easy 3rd down?? Simply ridiculous, that’s when the team needs us the most. Some of these folks need to stay at home and head to the library! 

[HeSoColt]

12 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

What’s an easy 3rd down?? Simply ridiculous, that’s when the team needs us the most. Some of these folks need to stay at home and head to the library! 

That was my exact thought. It was a 3rd and 2 I believe, cannot remember specifically. But, the man behind me, tapped me and said that "that cheering was a bit loud on an easy 3rd down"

 

I was baffled... but it made me cheer every more loud on every play that I could.

[HOZER]

6 minutes ago, HeSoColt said:

That was my exact thought. It was a 3rd and 2 I believe, cannot remember specifically. But, the man behind me, tapped me and said that "that cheering was a bit loud on an easy 3rd down"

 

I was baffled... but it made me cheer every more loud on every play that I could.

That man was a fool. I’ve had opposing fans switch seats because I was cheering too loud for my team and hurting their feelings, but a Colts fan? I would have told him to kick rocks!

[ColtStrong2013]

6 hours ago, HeSoColt said:

I flew in from Virginia for this game and that was one of the first things I noticed was the amount of empty seats (especially in both endzones). Further... while the crowd was loud at times, I got told that I was "cheering too loud on easy 3rd downs."

 

So you cheer louder... 

 

I have had people in front of me complain before about my loudness... So they get my handclapping, which can be obnoxious, on every single down... right behind their ears. I've also had people complain about me standing, which I only do on 3rd downs and when the people in front of me stand. It's remarkable, really.