Talalay: Sports fans staying home
For today’s story about fans giving up their increasingly higher-priced season tickets in favor of staying home to watch sports on increasingly affordable high definition television sets, I heard a variety of reasons to stay home from Dolphins games, in particular:
Higher ticket prices (particularly those new contracts for club seats)
Parking (which is now $30 a game unless you buy season parking)
Blazing sun for those early season games
Small seats with cup holders in your knees
Lines for concessions and bathrooms
The investment of an entire day from tailgating to getting out of the parking lot after the game
Dolphins Enterprises CEO Joe Bailey likened attending a game to being in a parade. “People either watch the parade or be in the parade. When you go to the stadium, you are in the parade. You are part of the entire experience. You are in one sense a performer,” Bailey said. “When you’re at home, you can’t necessarily affect the outcome of the game.”
Are you in the parade? Do you prefer to watch the parade? Do you have other reasons for staying home? Post your comments here, or you can email me directly at stalalay@sun-sentinel.com.
Comments
This from a Dolphin Lifer - and resident since 1990. The reason I stopped going to the game - The team sucks.
I still go to other venues/events. Just no longer going to Fin games. UM vs Texas A&M was fun. Say hi to Wayne for me.
Posted by: Kid Neutron | September 25, 2007 10:50 AM
There's no comparison to watching your favorite teams live in the stadium--even if it is an inferior product, going to the game is about more than just the team. It's about being outside (if it's not a dome) on a beautiful day, hanging out with friends, etc. Yeah, the parking and stuff is a hassle but it's worth it, in my opinion.
Posted by: Jason Peck | September 17, 2007 10:11 AM
nice shiny new stadium eh? Never again….will I attend a game. We were on the main perimeter road at 199th to pull in the parking lot just before game time and they freakin ran out of parking…by the time we reached the ancillary lot east of the Turnpike and got to our seats it was the 2 minute warning orf the 2nd quarter. At halftime I reached the front of one concession stand only to have it close because they ran out of change. Got to the head of the line at the next concession stand, they had run out of BEER. Preseason games are the practice runs, so no excuses will satisfy me this time…taking away a home game is fine, play them all on the road, I’ll be watching this joke of a team on tV- maybe
Posted by: fugeddaboudit | September 17, 2007 8:37 AM
Sarah - great article! Of course I'm a little biased with being one of the people you ar talking about.
As I type this I am preparing to watch the game in HD today and completely enjoy the experience.
I think Joe Bailey gave the "Corporate" answer that they have to give that they have plenty of options for fans, but has Mr Bailey sat in the more "affordable" seats in the top of the upper deck?
Posted by: Robert | September 16, 2007 2:44 PM
You are forgetting the number one reason why people have been staying home: inferior product.
For the past several years the Dolphins, Marlins, and Panthers have put sub-par teams together. With respect to the Phins, if they are asking you to invest over $100.00 and a Sunday afternoon, there had better be something interesting out there. For over five years the Dolphins have put a product that is much worse than just a losing team, they are mind-numbingly boring. I'll stay home, drink my refrigerator -cold beer, and watch entertaining football on the tube.
Posted by: Common Sense | September 16, 2007 1:45 PM