LeonardSankar 434 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I just tuned into the Tampa game and I noticed all kinds of empty seats and am wondering why? What happens when they move to the new arena? Is this a result of basically not being a Cup contender since 2009? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Wing 1,644 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I just tuned into the Tampa game and I noticed all kinds of empty seats and am wondering why? What happens when they move to the new arena? Is this a result of basically not being a Cup contender since 2009? It's a Tuesday night game and judging by when you posted there was only a couple minutes left in the 3rd period. People leave early. It's not that unusual. 3 MrazekFanBoy, wingsfan4795 and Hockeymom1960 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kickazz 5,459 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Most of those lower bowl seats are corporate/company bought and a lot of people just don't end up going to them due to busy lives. The upper bowl is usually packed. 2 Hockeymom1960 and MrazekFanBoy reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sleepwalker 512 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Not to mention a lot of the best lower bowl seats are owned (via season ticket packages) year to year by corporations and millionaires who only use the tickets a few times a year, leaving the seats empty for the majority of the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeonardSankar 434 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Wouldn't it be a good idea for those corporate seat owners who don't use the tickets to just sell them so someone can make use out of them? Or if they can afford to not use them just give them away for free so they don't go to waste? Also fyi I tuned into the Tampa game with about 5 minutes remaining and only up by a goal and from what I remember of the Wings recently that is not a safe lead by any means. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I thought it looked half full 10 puckloo39, MidMichSteve, Izzy24 and 7 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kickazz 5,459 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) Those tickets are worth like thousands of dollars. A lot of them actually are up for sale on Stubhub. Edited October 14, 2015 by kickazz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ToledoWingsFan 8 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I thought the arena was actually pretty full. But the lower bowl emptied quickly towards the end of the game. I don't know why those people decided to leave, but it was mostly full earlier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vladinator16 236 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 The Joe was just as full as Ford Field was for the final 10 minutes of the Cardinals game and the Joe actually houses a winning team. More people would rather pay to watch the dumpster fire that is the Lions than the Red Wings, I don't get it. The Joe looks like this every year with the exception of weekend games, big market games (Tor, Mon, Chi), and of course the playoffs. As previously said it's the corporations that own season tickets in the lower bowls that never use their tickets except for the type of games I just mentioned. Frankly I would love to see the ticket representatives start cracking down on this practice and start revoking season ticket plans for the seats that are constantly empty, it's a black eye to the franchise when you play in an arena that looks as empty as the Panthers standard home games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drwfan1916 1 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 As others have already mentioned - much of the 'lower bowl' seats in any pro sports arena are season tickets for companies who have the means to renew them year after year. Personally - I wish the execs who hold onto these tickets would give them away if they cannot make it...I'm sure some secretary, mail clerk, janitor, etc would love to catch a free game, and an opportunity to take a friend, or family member with them. This Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,803 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 It definitely doesn't look good on TV. Corporate or not, I don't remember there being so many empty seats in the lower bowl when Yzerman and Fedorov were playing. I think it's fair to say the interest has dropped over the years. Maybe not for the hardcore fans, but it has for those corporate ticket holders. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt198913 932 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I was there Joe was pretty full. 2 Barrie and puckloo39 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SFwingsfan 23 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) It did not look good on TV that's for sure. I was waiting for the seats to fill, but it never happened. I know these seats are "sold" but it's so frustrating that some people are so wealthy that they don't even think to give them away. It's so easy now to transfer tickets via email... Edited October 14, 2015 by SFwingsfan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Internet.Unknown 422 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Wouldn't it be a good idea for those corporate seat owners who don't use the tickets to just sell them so someone can make use out of them? Or if they can afford to not use them just give them away for free so they don't go to waste? Also fyi I tuned into the Tampa game with about 5 minutes remaining and only up by a goal and from what I remember of the Wings recently that is not a safe lead by any means. I worked for a company with season tickets. Anytime one of the CEO's or salespeople couldn't use the tickets, they always gave them to a cubicle employee (often me). This whole "millionaires don't use their tickets" could be a myth. It certainly was where I worked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wings1110 184 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Just because its a sellout doesn't mean everyone who buys a ticket shows up. The fact that bathrooms, concessions, and just getting around the joe takes forever results in a lot of people waiting in lines as opposed to being in their seats. Also lower bowl is a lot of corporate seats that either people don't show up for, or have a smaller group than the company has seats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyphoenix 153 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I was there last night and it took the entire intermission just to go to the bathroom and get a Coke. It was probably one of the most packed early season games I've ever been to that wasn't the home opener. A lot of people seemed to leave with about 6-7 minutes left but the arena was pretty full and it was hell trying to get anywhere on the concourse. 1 Barrie reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toggers 3 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Reminds me of the fan who would read his Wall Street Journal all game, only looking up when the fans cheered.Tthat's the typical fan around here. Or the fans who didn't support the Vipers. This is definitely NOT "Hockeytown!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigWillieStyle 662 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 There wasn't a seat to be found in the "Canadian Club", er, Olympia Room. What a lot of people don't understand, is during the 90's, times were pretty good in Detroit, and all the small shops that did work for the auto companies were the ones that were buying season tickets. With the success of The Wings, tickets became more of a valuable commodity, and people used tickets as gifts, to help schmooze buyers from the Big 3. Right around 2000, 2 things happened. The first, was the Big 3 telling their employees that they could no longer accept "gifts" from suppliers. (It still happened, and still does, just a lot fewer purchasers, and even more playing within their companies rules.) The second, and more important part, is in late 2000, the local economy was getting shaky, especially in the auto industry. Over the next 5-10 years, most of these small suppliers went out of business, or were purchased by larger companies, and they no longer had the need, or the funds, to continue purchasing tickets. (A quick drive up Groesbeck Hwy, will be a quick reminder of how many small businesses, disappeared.) During this time, The Wings remained competitive, and tickets were still in demand. Ticket brokers started snapping them up, several of them from out of town. The Red Wings organization was happy to be replacing their lost customers with new ones, and wasn't all that concerned about the addresses of the new owners. Plenty of locals still had extra money, and would pay for these "broker" tickets, to go see a game. When 2007 came around, even more jobs were gone, and discretionary spending for a hockey game was nonexistent for the average fan. This is around the time that the sellout streak ended. I'm pretty sure, that the 07-08 season, was the first in 15 years that wasn't all sellouts. The year we win The Cup, and we can't sellout the barn. Tough times indeed. Even more people gave up season tickets, and even more ticket brokers bought them up. Now, there are so many season ticket packages that are owned by brokers, that places like StubHub, and Ticketmaster, are full of seats that go unsold, especially during weekday games, and less desirable teams. The only times The Joe gets really full, is on weekends, for high demand teams, and for the playoffs. A quick look on StubHub, shows several tickets in the lower bowl available for Friday night against Carolina. Some people even wanting $1000 per ticket, but several priced around double face value. For Carolina. I'm sure that I'll once again have plenty of room to spread out, Friday, as the tickets, both in front of me, and next to me, are owned by the same broker from New Jersey, and I doubt that their secretaries will want to make the trip to Detroit, to see Carolina. 1 Jacksoni reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeymom1960 5,107 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Reminds me of the fan who would read his Wall Street Journal all game, only looking up when the fans cheered.Tthat's the typical fan around here. Or the fans who didn't support the Vipers. This is definitely NOT "Hockeytown!" Were you at the game? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number9 3,297 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) I just tuned into the Tampa game and I noticed all kinds of empty seats and am wondering why? What happens when they move to the new arena? Is this a result of basically not being a Cup contender since 2009? Simply put, yes. Despite 20+ years of consistent success and Michigan pumping out hockey players, it turns out it was all just one long bandwagon ride for Detroiters. Those fans are now off cheering on the successes that are the Lions, Tigers, and Pistons. This is definitely NOT hockeytown. Edited October 14, 2015 by number9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richdg 267 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Many reasons for this. 1. Lower bowl are season tickets, so even if they don't go the RW's are being paid. 2. Tuesday night games. All mid week games draw lower turnouts-always have. 3. October. There are so many things going on right now: Baseball playoffs, college and pro football, last few days/weeks of nice weather, etc... 4. RW tickets are very expensive. The economy is not strong at all. Many fans simply don't have $75+ per seat to go to a game. A family of 4 is $300 + travel costs, + food/drinks, on a school nite to boot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nyqvististhefuture 1,002 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 I was thinking the same thing while watching the game , couldn't believe all those empty seats ... Asked around if the game was sold out on twitter and was told it was ... Most likely people with season tickets who don't go which is sad to think you wouldn't wanna go see a wings lightning matchup regardless what day of the week it fell on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kickazz 5,459 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Its been bad this year and last more so than previous Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Learn2LuvIt 246 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 Simply put, yes. Despite 20+ years of consistent success and Michigan pumping out hockey players, it turns out it was all just one long bandwagon ride for Detroiters. Those fans are now off cheering on the successes that are the Lions, Tigers, and Pistons. This is definitely NOT hockeytown. Thanks for weighing in Buffalo, NY. One long bandwagon?? How could our bandwagon fans be cheering the successes of the Tigers (they're done playing - didn't make playoffs), the Lions (worst team in football), and the Pistons (ummm, self explanatory)???? That makes zero sense. I've been to early season October games in the past in Toronto, Montreal, Nashville, Tampa, and NY. It's really not that unusual. Even Montreal (who this is their only sport) wasn't even close to full when i was at an Oct game a few years back. I was given tickets to Rangers game last year at MSG by our hotel concierge, I'm guessing (judged by my eyes)... it was a bit over 1/3 full. Another factor to this reality is that it's hunting season here in Michigan. My cousin sent me a picture from a popular restaurant near Burt Lake/Douglas Lake (up North) on Sat night, it was packed with hunters/Wings fans who came to watch the Canes came. Packed. Go Wings! Loving the make-up of this team thus far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndrewK80 39 Report post Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) I was at the Tampa Bay game last night.. Place seemed full to me. "Half empty" is QUITE the exaggeration. Its been bad this year and last more so than previous We've had two home games. It's "been bad this year"? Edited October 14, 2015 by AndrewK80 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
