Yes, I obviously was dumb for buying Lions season tickets, and dumber still considering that I drove from Indianapolis, but we digress ... demand in Detroit is somewhat below that in New York.

@spinachdip: A more apt comparison might be to the Red Wings: just over 20,000 at the Joe, and with regular playoff appearances (I hope three more home wins this year, four if they need Game 7), that's around 900,000 seats per season (and the Pistons would be closer to a million with their current playoff success). Despite the success the Red Wings have seen, there are still empty seats during regular-season and playoff games, but the Lions continue to draw comparatively large crowds despite enduring the third-worst era in modern (16-game schedule) times. Only the Bucs (1982-92) and Colts (1980-86) had worse winning percentages than Detroit has seen during the Millen Era. The NFL really does take care of its own.

I don't think the surprise in this story should be that the Lions treated someone like crap. It should be that someone in the ticket office didn't want to treat him that way.

zlionsfan

Why meet the Lions with the same standard of conduct as their own? Accept their offer and apology with grace and aplomb.

twophrasebark

PeanutButter

I know you're kidding, but this actually leads to an interesting point: the teams do need fans to show up, because of the way the TV contracts and blackout rules are constructed. Without getting into too much detail, if a game doesn't sell out, it can't be shown in the local market, which is why people in Arizona sometimes have a hard time seeing Cardinals games on TV. It's never an issue in places like Green Bay or New York, where the stadium is sold out on a season-ticket basis, and if there's a small gap the local station will generally buy out the remaining tickets to ensure broadcast availability, but it's just one more thing the NFL thought of. Say what you want about the on-field product for some of these teams, but it's an incredibly well-run league.

44 in a Row

macinjosh

bodah

Eyebrows McGee

Wormfather

WarOtter

HOP

This team has no penis.

strangeffect

ageshin

P_Smith

mikelotus

dink23

nedzeppelin

cmcd14

Meltdown

rdldr1

If he started with two tickets, then got two more, and then two more, and assuming his family hasn't expanded exponentially. People should be allowed to have that big a block of a season ticket anyway, even if for the lions.

uricmu

mythago

CumaeanSibyl

Though that kinda reinforces your point - it's incredibly hard for an NFL team to lose money. They probably have a sweetheart deal on their digs, their payroll is controlled by the salary cap, and they're guaranteed income through revenue sharing and the best broadcast rights deals this side of the Olympics.

You could pick up a homeless guy off the street and he'd be able to turn a profit running the Lions. Except they might actually win a few more games with the drunk homeless guy in charge.

spinachdip

mad_oak

Sure, that could mean anything. WTF, is Condo Rice working for them now?

QrazyQat

[thinkbeforeyousend.com.]

spinachdip

forgottenpassword

wallspray

Also, the Ford family is very, very busy making sure that people stop buying American cars.

spinachdip

iMe2

Any Lions season ticket holder who doesn't already think that Lions ownership couldn't care less about them is incredibly naive. I'm a Lions fan too and the only parade in the Lions have ever had was a protest parade to Fire Millen. Until that happens don't expect customer service; I'm kind of tired of the awesome sports fans of Michigan being spat upon by the good old Ford family over and over again. I wonder if they're enjoying their summer in the Hamptons while the rest of the local economy turns to sh*t?

iMe2

The last time I was there it appeared that anyone who could afford a couple gallons of gas had evacuated the place.

bdgbill

B

Propaniac

@Buran:
Football benefits from a scarcity of its product. They only play 8 home games a year (because they sure as hell aren't making the playoffs), so multiply that by 65,000 (capacity of Ford Field), that's 520,000 total seats available per season.

Compare that with:
Tigers: 3.3 million seats per season (41,000 x 81 home games)
Pistons: 902,000 seats per season (22,000 x 41 home games)

And the NFL and its broadcast partners do a bang up job of marketing the overall product, so even though the Lions themselves are a shit product, they still enjoy the league's halo effect.

spinachdip

Oooh, feel the sting of truth! FEEL IT!

Applekid

If you're going to make silly legal threats, Tom, at least get the terminology right.

dmuth

That sounds sweet and nice until you consider the Lions. People have been claiming to give up their loyalty to them for years, then a new season comes around and you go just to see the other teams. That's the grip football holds on its fans. It's one thing to have empty seats in a baseball or basketball stadium, but with the limited exposure that fans get to live football it's going to sell out, even with a shitty franchise like the Lions. And as much as I get let down every year, come summertime I have bought into it again and am ready for my Lions to go all the way.

smallestmills

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timstep

GenXCub

highmodulus

Are you perhaps suggesting that Joey Harrington was not a wise use of a first-round draft pick?

44 in a Row

I've changed my mind about who to patronize in the future, in the past, due to bad press and word of mouth.

Buran

Personally, I think it's that William Clay Ford is a closet Packers fan.

44 in a Row

nursetim

APFPilot

ryan89

There's way too much demand in most markets for a team to have to worry about making its season ticket holders too happy. I don't know how it is in Detroit, and I know the Arizona Cardinals aren't exactly a hot ticket, but the waiting list for Giants season tickets is said to be about 25 years, and the Green Bay Packers have been sold out on a season ticket basis since at least the 1960s. Most teams don't lose anything if a season ticket-holder leaves in a huff, because there are thousands of people waiting behind him for an opportunity.

44 in a Row

mantari

CumaeanSibyl

TMMadman