The NFL comes to Winnipeg....

Fenway

HF Bookie and Bruins Historian
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Sep 26, 2007
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The Raiders sold a home preseason game to promoters in Winnipeg - it is not going well

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/packers-raiders-tickets-reduction-1.5242540

The price has been reduced for up to 6,000 tickets for this month's NFL pre-season game in Winnipeg after the promoter put together a sponsorship deal.

The partnership between Canadian-based On Ice Entertainment Ltd. and Molson Coors was announced Friday and affects end-zone seats in the lower bowl for the Week 3 Aug. 22 game at 33,000-seat IG Field between the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, On Ice Entertainment president John Graham said 5,500 to 6,000 tickets have been reduced to $75 plus fees and taxes, taking the total cost to $92. The seats at the home of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers are being called the 'Miller Lite End Zones.' The seats originally were priced at $164 before taxes and fees.

"Obviously for an event like this, there's an opportunity to sell beer and it seemed to make a lot of sense," Graham said.
 

5150

Season started party on
Jul 8, 2007
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The Raiders sold a home preseason game to promoters in Winnipeg - it is not going well

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/packers-raiders-tickets-reduction-1.5242540

The price has been reduced for up to 6,000 tickets for this month's NFL pre-season game in Winnipeg after the promoter put together a sponsorship deal.

The partnership between Canadian-based On Ice Entertainment Ltd. and Molson Coors was announced Friday and affects end-zone seats in the lower bowl for the Week 3 Aug. 22 game at 33,000-seat IG Field between the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, On Ice Entertainment president John Graham said 5,500 to 6,000 tickets have been reduced to $75 plus fees and taxes, taking the total cost to $92. The seats at the home of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers are being called the 'Miller Lite End Zones.' The seats originally were priced at $164 before taxes and fees.

"Obviously for an event like this, there's an opportunity to sell beer and it seemed to make a lot of sense," Graham said.
Sucks for Winnipeg...

Football doesn't need Winnipeg it is no.1 sport in USA huge ratings, could of been a good day out with the family.
 

JetsWillFly4Ever

PLAY EHLERS 20 MIN A NIGHT
May 21, 2011
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Winnipeg MB.
Sucks for Winnipeg...

Football doesn't need Winnipeg it is no.1 sport in USA huge ratings, could of been a good day out with the family.
Doesn't suck for Winnipeg at all.

I can get tickets to a f***ing Minnesota Vikings regular season game for less than these tickets are going. Not paying $150 to go watch starters play a quarter and a bunch of nobodies f*** around for the rest of the game.

Promoters were absolutely out to lunch on these ticket prices.
 

Fixed to Ruin

Come wit it now!
Feb 28, 2007
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Doesn't suck for Winnipeg at all.

I can get tickets to a ****ing Minnesota Vikings regular season game for less than these tickets are going. Not paying $150 to go watch starters play a quarter and a bunch of nobodies **** around for the rest of the game.

Promoters were absolutely out to lunch on these ticket prices.

This. It is cheaper for me to fly to Arizona and get tickets to the Cardinals and Lions than to sit on the sidelines of a ******* preseason game in winnipeg.
 

AdmiralsFan24

Registered User
Mar 22, 2011
14,979
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Wisconsin
A preseason game costs $92 between two teams that the vast majority in the city don’t care about and this is the reduced price, so lol.

I love the Packers and I wouldn’t pay anywhere close to $92 for a preseason game. Now imagine trying to sell that to someone who doesn’t care about the Packers or Raiders.
 
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Mightygoose

Registered User
Nov 5, 2012
5,586
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This boondoggle is worse than the Bills in Toronto series. At least most of those were regular season games.

There are not enough eggs in the world to cover the organizer's collective faces
 

Fixed to Ruin

Come wit it now!
Feb 28, 2007
23,521
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Grande Prairie, AB
In hindsight this article is kinda funny to read. The promoter seemed to be completely clueless.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/nfl-preseason-winnipeg-1.5217883

"We're not trying to suck the life out of anybody," Graham said of the prices. "To bring these teams in and to do the conversion and everything else, that's what a premium sporting event costs."

"Did I think coming out of the press conference we would have stronger sales? Yes," Graham said. "Am I expecting a good push going into the final month? Yes."

"It's fair to say we're bringing the game to you and covering all those costs. And I can absolutely promise you there's nobody walking out of there going, 'Man, we made a gazillion dollars on that event."'

When asked if prices could be cut if a lot of tickets remain unsold closer to the game, Graham said: "It's not in the plans. Those are the prices."
 
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LadyStanley

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
105,742
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Sin City
football is just as good as hockey.

Not in my book. But YMMV.

NFL games seem like 15 seconds of action followed by minutes of review.

Hockey is a fast paced game that keeps moving (and has about 15 seconds of downtime between faceoffs).

(FTR, I haven't watched a NFL game in decades. Like three of 'em.)
 

DannyGallivan

Your world frightens and confuses me
Aug 25, 2017
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They thought we were suckers. We may pay outrageous prices for overrated outdoor NHL games (that actually mean something in the standings) and we may pay the second most expensive average ticket prices in the NHL, but we're not that desperate for "perceived" big city entertainment.
 

blueandgoldguy

Registered User
Oct 8, 2010
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To each their own.

CFL is fine and quality entertainment. I also enjoy the NFL and have gone to many Vikings games in the past.

As for this exhibition game, tickets went on sale barely 2 months prior to the match. Those end zone tickets were actually priced at $240, not $160, prior to the discount. Sideline and corner end zone seats were priced between $330 - $400. There were maybe 1000 seats available that sold for the cheapest price point of $75 in the upper deck. Those sold out right away of course. The rest of the upper deck seats are selling for $170, $240 and $330. Basically 75% - 80% of the seats for this game were priced at $240 or higher.

After over-estimating the market for NFL-at-any-price, the promoters waited until last week (only 2 weeks before the event) to reduce some of the ticket prices, including the end zone seats, from $240 to $95. Too little, too late imo.

While all the suites have been sold out - and apparently too all the suite level club seats, loges and patio and standing room seats, there are still approx. 14,500 seats in the lower seating bowl and upper deck still available...most still at their regular prices.

I had a good chuckle when they were discussing this game a few months ago on TSN 1290 in Winnipeg. The hosts were saying it would be great to have all the Packer fans from Wisconsin and elsewhere heading to the Peg for this game. Same thing for fans of Raider Nation. There was even supposed to be a Black Hole for this exhibition game...not sure if there still will be.

Why would Packer fans even bother coming, especially with the insane prices for this game. I looked at one of their exhibition games at Lambeau and there were seats on stubhub for $6 - $8. Never mind the fact that it would be a long drive and I'm sure there are quite a few people in the US who don't even have a passport. As for Raider fans, yeah, I don't think too many are probably going to make the trip spending thousands of dollars for airfare, hotel and food and then be subjected to gouging for this meaningless match. In the end, I expect a few hundred packer fans and a few dozen Raider fans from the US.

I think this even applies to NFL fans in Canada...Saskatchewan, Alberta, northwestern Ontario. Again, I can't see people streaming in to Winnipeg by the thousands for this "once in a lifetime event" for Western Canada. The prices basically negated any chances of significant outside interest and is almost exclusively a Winnipeg-supported event....and their are only so many people willing to pay an average ticket price of nearly $250 for a game played mostly by backups.

It is amazing that the promoter for this event failed so badly in gauging interest in the market at those prices. Apparently memories are short after the failed NFL in Toronto experience. If a city of 6 million couldn't come close to selling out both regular and exhibition games at inflated prices a few years ago, why did they think a city of 800,000 would succeed?

The good thing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is that they will not be responsible for any potential losses for this event. The rental fee they received for this exhibition game at IG Field is not at all dependent on ticket sales. To the best of my knowledge, the only parties responsible for potential losses will be the promoter and the Oakland Raiders (this is one of their home games).

I will end this by saying that the promoter for this event is the same one who was forced to cancel an outdoor junior hockey game at Mosaic Field between Regina and Saskatoon a couple years ago due to poor ticket sales...attributable to high ticket prices! Some people never learn!
 

AdmiralsFan24

Registered User
Mar 22, 2011
14,979
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Wisconsin
I can get a ticket to the regular season game against the Raiders at Lambeau Field for $136.50, which includes fees. I don't get these one off events that these places do that think they can extort the public into paying these ridiculous prices because it's the only time they'll be able to see them in their hometown, especially exhibition games.

This is even the best case scenario, third preseason game so the starters will be playing the most of any preseason game and it's still generally garbage to watch.
 

BKIslandersFan

F*** off
Sep 29, 2017
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I can get a ticket to the regular season game against the Raiders at Lambeau Field for $136.50, which includes fees. I don't get these one off events that these places do that think they can extort the public into paying these ridiculous prices because it's the only time they'll be able to see them in their hometown, especially exhibition games.

This is even the best case scenario, third preseason game so the starters will be playing the most of any preseason game and it's still generally garbage to watch.
I get it if they were doing this in Europe but Winnipeg is like, an hour away by plane to TWO NFL cities.
 

cutchemist42

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
6,705
220
Winnipeg
Will be interesting to see how they will paper it over the next few days.

At the same time, the NFL never got them to paper it in Toronto when the games failed there.

NHL kinda learned this lesson too by only sending preseason games to the failed China Series.
 

Zenos

Registered User
Oct 4, 2009
2,171
2,380
I think this even applies to NFL fans in Canada...Saskatchewan, Alberta, northwestern Ontario. Again, I can't see people streaming in to Winnipeg by the thousands for this "once in a lifetime event" for Western Canada. The prices basically negated any chances of significant outside interest and is almost exclusively a Winnipeg-supported event....and their are only so many people willing to pay an average ticket price of nearly $250 for a game played mostly by backups

No kidding. I can certainly see some folks from NW Ontario or Sask making the trek. But anything beyond that? I doubt it. And definitely not for a pre-season game.
I used to make the drive from Edmonton to Winnipeg pretty regularly for instance, and that's a loooong drive. If someone in Alberta was really interested in seeing some NFL football, they'd probably opt to visit Seattle (same 13 hour drive) or simply fly. And it's not like Winnipeg is such an attraction either (and I mean no offence by this. I lived there for 4 years, lovely city - but for most outsiders its probably not as intriguing as most NFL-sized cities).
 
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