With the economy in a nose dive and prices rising on everything, the professional sports industry is entering uncharted waters. Only time will tell if professional teams are able to count on fan attendance when disposable income is now a luxury more than a reality. The truth is, as long as there are televisions, it really doesn’t matter what happens to attendance.
Owning a sports franchise is a good business to be in no matter what the economy does. Just think; 60 years ago, there were just over 100,000 television sets across the entire nation. Now, every household has 2.3 television sets (the .3 must be new TV options on cell phones). With nearly 300 million television sets, no matter how bad the economy gets, professional sports will always be available to John Q. Public via the airwaves. If the attendance at games drops, television ratings will go up. Since the majority of the revenue teams make come from broadcasting rights, having fans in the seats is just gravy for the goose. And how can you blame fans for not flocking to games?
A recent Team Marketing report shows that it costs more than ever to attend a professional sports event. According to the report it takes about $400 for a family of four to attend an NFL game, $282 dollars for the NBA and $192 for MLB (and that doesn’t include gas). The popular saying “show me the money” has a brand new meaning. Common sense would dictate that when given the choice of going to a game or buying groceries for the family, the family should always win.
Remember the old Saturday Night Live skit on “Da Bears?” Fans were crazy back then and the true heartbeat of the franchises. Let’s face it, those days are gone. Going to a game nowadays is a luxury in and of itself to many of us normal Joes. When the broadcasting money started coming in, professional sports teams started to follow the money scent and began catering to the needs of corporate America rather than the average fans. The results ranged from corporate sponsorship of stadiums, construction of luxury suites and in park
advertisements galore before, after and during games.
Fast forward to today. I think the new Miller beer ad hits the nail on the head. The beer truck driver is delivering beer to a luxury suite at a baseball game. When he walks in he notices all these suit types using their PDAs and talking about work. “What’s the score?” he asks. No one has a clue, so he takes the beer away and brings it out to the nosebleed seats where the “real fans” were sitting. I’m not saying you can’t be a corporate type and love the game. You just won’t see many guys in suites with their bodies painted and wearing funny hats.
Winning teams will have no trouble filling seats and those seats are going to be expensive. It’s a simple result of supply and demand as everyone wants to see a winner. In that regard, Falcons tickets and UGA tickets will be at a premium this year. I hope the Thrashers, Hawks and Braves get off to good starts in their upcoming seasons because if not, there’s going to be plenty of leg room in the stands. In the long run, pro teams should always remember that the fans built their league and that if the fans stop watching the games on television, the leagues will sink faster than the Titanic.
But that’s just my opinion.
Dankosky can be reached at kdankosky@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
