Nashville - Poor Playoff Attendance and OLN Blackout

[kdb209]

This is not meant to fire up another non-traditional market relocation thread, but I find this kind of sad for the current and future state of hockey in Nashville.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060427/SPORTS02/604270452/1028

Game 5 blackout probable
Will happen only if tickets go unsold

By JOHN GLENNON
Staff Writer


SAN JOSE, Calif. — Predators Vice President Steve Violetta said the team will exercise its right to black out Sunday's playoff game on local television in Nashville unless about 1,600 tickets are sold by tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Game 5 of the Predators-Sharks playoff series is set for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in Gaylord Entertainment Center, and is scheduled to be televised by OLN.

But Violetta said the Predators still had about 2,600 tickets remaining to the game as of yesterday afternoon. He wants 1,600 sold by tomorrow at 11, when he has to notify OLN and the NHL of the team's decision.

Apparently Violetta was interviewed on tonite's Nashville broadcast. Summary from a thread on the Nashville board:

For those that had the sharks announcers, Violetta was ineterviewed by Wrigley during the 2nd intermission.

He called out the Nashville corporations and also praised Bridgestone, Pepsi, and Taco Bell for buying tickets. He implored any area CEO's who were watching the game to get off their couch and order tickets for their company. He cited the corporations that had reg season tickets that didn't buy playoff tickets as the main problem and said the regular fans have been great. I think he said 1500 of the 2000 available tickets are in the lower bowl and are seats corporations usually buy.

and a quote from the Nashville GDT:

Everybody watching the FSN telecast hear Violetta call out the Nashville business community for their lack of support.....priceless

Click to read more...

 

[Falloooooon]

Sounds like Nashville is stuck with one of those extortionist front offices. Sad, and not the way to build a strong foundation in the area. I read another post on their board that said something about the front office/ownership saying ticket prices had to be higher because of the players they got like Kariya. Which is just an out and out lie if that is what they told their fans. Ticket prices are set based on what the team thinks will make it the most money. If all other things were equal, and Nashville's players had average salaries of $50K, ticket prices would be the same.

 

[Stuy*]

I thought Nashville was one of the more stable new markets..

 

[HABitual]

I thought Nashville was one of the more stable new markets..

apparently, that's not the same as a market that has a strong hockey fanbase

 

[Sotnos]

apparently, that's not the same as a market that has a strong hockey fanbase

What part of "it's the business community, not the fans" did you not understand?

 

[mr gib]

well we're back in the 70's -

 

[triggrman]

Bottom line, Violetta is doing a horrible job with corporate sales. With so many new companies relocating headquarters here (dell, Nissan, etc.) this should be as much of an issue as it is.

 

[OG6ix]

This is not just Hockey in Tennessee, have you ever seen grizzlies games in memphis? It is the same thing small markets not being able to sustain good attendance. The grizzlies should not have moved from vancouver in the first place in my opinion.

 

[Old Hickory]

The grizzlies should not have moved from vancouver in the first place in my opinion.

We've been over that a ton of times. The Grizzlies had awful attendance and if fans in Vancouver wanted a basketball team they should have gone to the games.

 

[OG6ix]

We've been over that a ton of times. The Grizzlies had awful attendance and if fans in Vancouver wanted a basketball team they should have gone to the games.

Well I went to a few blazers road games in the Grizzlies early years and it was pretty full. I mean that team was horrid, they set all time low records that will never be broken. Ever seen the grizzlies on tv lately? They have blocks of seats full. The difference is that team makes the playoffs every year. You can say it all you want, but in my opinion it was stupid.

looketh attendance speaks for itself.

This years memphis attendance average for the grizzlies comming off a playoff birth last season is 15,793.

Vancouver Grizzlies Attendance:
1998-99 417,966 16,719
1997-98 660,457 16,109
1996-97 679,422 16,571
1995-96 704,489 17,183

Why did they move again?

 

[mr gib]

boy are you guys mis-informed - 8000 a game paid - they comped the rest -

 

[BlueAndWhite]

Bottom line, Violetta is doing a horrible job with corporate sales. With so many new companies relocating headquarters here (dell, Nissan, etc.) this should be as much of an issue as it is.

Neither Dell nor Nissan America have their headquarters in Nashville IIRC.

 

[OG6ix]

I doubt it takes corporations to sell out playoff games. I mean if you look at a place like buffalo I want to know how many corporations they have and they sell out. Even other southern teams like the stars and even canes seem to be in good shape. Does Raleigh have a lot of businesses in the area?

 

[nomorekids]

Neither Dell nor Nissan America have their headquarters in Nashville IIRC.

no, but they have huge facilities employing a few thousand employees, each.

As mentioned in the article, Nashville's average attendance increase this year was higher than 23 other teams. The upward movement for the year was there...and it's not a lack of interest from what Violetta calls 'joe and jill fan,' but for whatever reason, corporations that HAVE season tickets...for whatever reason, maybe the vokoun injury\succeeding media statements that the preds had no chance...they opted not to pick up the playoff option. The Preds raised the prices for those sections...and it got a lot of bad press(despite the fact all teams do it,) but I DO think they went too high in those sections, just assuming the corporations would pay it. they didn't,and there's no way a family of four is paying 96 dollars a ticket for those same seats...and here we are. They realize that, too. Look at what Violetta is saying. He's calling out local businesses,and urging them to buy tickets. The fans are there, the business isn't. Same old story, when it comes to Nashville.

 

[Dave is a killer]

Neither Dell nor Nissan America have their headquarters in Nashville IIRC.

Dell HQ is located in Round Rock, TX

Nissan America is moving its Corporate HQ to Nashville this summer - http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006604260426

 

[Motown Beatdown]

What part of "it's the business community, not the fans" did you not understand?

You'd think if more tickets were available, more "fans" would buy them up. But i guess Nashville only has X amount of hockey fans and the Corporations need to pick up the rest of the tickets.

 

[AdmiralPred]

You'd think if more tickets were available, more "fans" would buy them up. But i guess Nashville only has X amount of hockey fans and the Corporations need to pick up the rest of the tickets.

A lot of those tickets are lower bowl $100+ apiece from what I've been reading, and the Corps. did not up their packages for the post-season. Can be steep to up and go to playoff game on a whim - plus to go with a group of people/family and having the seats available that are next to eachother. I'm inclined to think the Corps. decided not to pick up the tab at the last minute based on Vokoun's injury.

EDIT: Does Al Gore like hockey? There could be some tax incentive for individuals and entities who scarff-up remainder playoff tickets. Like the Playoff Ticket Tax Credit to offset a Tenesseean's investment income.

 

[nomorekids]

You'd think if more tickets were available, more "fans" would buy them up. But i guess Nashville only has X amount of hockey fans and the Corporations need to pick up the rest of the tickets.

We're not talking about 30-45 dollar tickets. We're talking about lower bowl, 86 dollars and above tickets. In most American markets, 300 dollars+ for tickets alone for Mom, Dad and two kids...not to mention an additional 100 for food, parking, etc...is simply not affordable.

 

[triggrman]

Neither Dell nor Nissan America have their headquarters in Nashville IIRC.

Dell has a plant here, Nissan has a plant here and is relocating it's North American headquarters here, so there are enough employees at both to push the interest up.

Saturn is the one that ticks me off the most. All those relocated Michigan autoworkers talk the game about being great hockey fans and only show up for the Red Wing games.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

They don't have this problem in Edmonton or Buffalo, 2 small markets with very little corporate support. Maybe there just aren't enough people in Nashville that care about hockey....

 

[triggrman]

FYI, though, according to one ticket rep, it looks as if the game will be sold out....

 

[Stuy*]

Micheal Hisley is such a rat redneck *******...i'm glad he is loosing more money in Memphis.

 

[triggrman]

They don't have this problem in Edmonton or Buffalo, 2 small markets with very little corporate support. Maybe there just aren't enough people in Nashville that care about hockey....

Yes, not selling 400 $115 seats to a game means there aren't enough hockey fans in Nashville.

 

[HeShootseyScores]

They don't have this problem in Edmonton or Buffalo, 2 small markets with very little corporate support. Maybe there just aren't enough people in Nashville that care about hockey....

I've thought this as well, but I've been told that it takes time. More than the 8 years they've been here.

 

[mr gib]

Micheal Hisley is such a rat redneck *******...i'm glad he is loosing more money in Memphis.

he had no choice - the nba and stu jackson jinxed it right from the get go -

heisley opened the books and as i said above only 8000 paid a night - plus the 63 cent dollar and the players boo hooing about not being able to buy grits at safeway -

it'll be back post 2010 if not before - cuban who's on 1040 from time to time mentioned the mavs would haved moved too if he had of listened to the nba about how he should have marketed the team - when he bought them they had two sales people - he hired 38 more - he had sympathy for us grizz fan's - it didn't have to happen - the ball was dropped by everyone involved -