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I think the NBA is a poor product. I would not go see the Celtics or Lakers or whomever is "good" in the 21st century. I do not even know.
Regrettably, there has been nothing done to mitigate that fact, for a father of two, family of four.
It is still expensive.
And face it, marketing to the young, urban crowd is not necessarily attractive to the older, family crowd. Ownership made a huge blunder initially and I doubt they will ever recover.
lln
They are the best players in the world. How is that a poor product?
Expensive? I guess that's relative. I know that with all the deals they run, there's hardly a time when you can't get a ticket for $10. So what that it's in the upper deck. The place is small enough to where every seat is a GOOD seat. Do you really think it matters anyways to a kid?
And how exactly do they market the young urban crowd? By hiring young black players?
.....Tell me what "a family oriented city" has to do w/the NBA? when a former NBA franchise succeded here?
What do you mean exactly?
I mean a place where much of the population has kids and paying what it costs to take a family to an NBA event is more than what most are willing and/or able to pay for a evening's entertainment. It's a broad generalization, I agree, but beyond a few high profile places in the city, much of the metro is made up of families where budgets are tight, very tight. I think it is fair to make this statement since the rationale for having the NBA here was the size of the population.
Shhhhhh! Dont let out the secret! Too many people find out how well we're playing, and the arena will be full every night. This in turn will lead to higher ticket prices, and more people in the parking decks. Lets keep it to ourselves, and enjoy 6 straight home wins!
Hoagie, We're still able to find free parking on the street within 2 blocks of the arena. Shhhhh
I mean a place where much of the population has kids and paying what it costs to take a family to an NBA event is more than what most are willing and/or able to pay for a evening's entertainment. It's a broad generalization, I agree, but beyond a few high profile places in the city, much of the metro is made up of families where budgets are tight, very tight. I think it is fair to make this statement since the rationale for having the NBA here was the size of the population.
I would be hard-pressed to think of any major metro area that has a pro sports team that does not have a large population of families with kids. Pro sporting events are expensive...but it seems that most offer "family deals" where you can get a pack of four tickets at a decent discount.
And here in Charlotte we have the Checkers - tickets are quite inexpensive. For some games every season we sit in the Royal Box seats at the arena - for the Bobcats they are $10k a piece as season tickets, but for the Checkers we can get them for $30 - and those are the expensive seats. You can get good tix for $10-$15 each. So take the kids to a hockey game. They have a very vocal crowd and you get to actually see a winning team playing at the arena.
Location: livin' the good life on America's favorite island
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Going to NBA games comes down to (IMO) the value of the experience for the money. I think prices are too high with half the seats too far away from court . The NFL is where it is at. I'm a longtime Browns PSL owner and even though the teams have stunk for awhile, I believe you get your moneys worth from the game experience (tailgate, energy in stadium, importance of each game). I even believe my NFL seat costs are cheaper than some nose bleed sections in the arena. The NBA plays over 100 games, each game is not that important. I can get a better experience watching the game at a sports bar.....unless Lebron is in town...
I agree with the assessment the NBA isn't much of a product, especially for a family oriented city like Charlotte. I personally think that while a lot of people were pissed off about the arena vote, it happened so long ago that most don't care now or don't know about it. Anyone younger than 27 would have been too young to have voted. Rather, it's a simple matter of most around here not being interested in the NBA product. It's become a metaphor for a lot of what is wrong in American society. i.e. tax subsidies for the wealthy, corporate detachment, overpaid "talent", lots of marketing, little substance.
It doesn't help the only thing Charlotte about this team is the name. The owner isn't local, the players have no connections here, there was no fan participation to score this team. Night and day with how the Hornets were handled. I saw on another blog that the Bobcats even failed to pay it's 2009 property taxes. It's not exactly a way to build good will.
As Winston Churchill might say, "... in a dark cold winter the NBA no longer warms the cockles of one's heart".
Really, I think if you're going to quote something you read on "another blog", that at least you should take the time to verify the accuracy and completeness of that quote. A little research will show that what was unpaid was a (relatively) small amount owed for office equipment. Of course, when trying to make an argument, it is always most effective to only reveal the information that helps support your argument.
If there is one person who was responsible for paying that bill, AND if that person somehow overlooked that bill, is it truly fair to blame that oversight on an entire organization?? Just sayin...
Going to NBA games comes down to (IMO) the value of the experience for the money. I think prices are too high with half the seats too far away from court . The NFL is where it is at. I'm a longtime Browns PSL owner and even though the teams have stunk for awhile, I believe you get your moneys worth from the game experience (tailgate, energy in stadium, importance of each game). I even believe my NFL seat costs are cheaper than some nose bleed sections in the arena. The NBA plays over 100 games, each game is not that important. I can get a better experience watching the game at a sports bar.....unless Lebron is in town...
" I think prices are too high with half the seats too far away from court" Actually, you can sit in the lower bowl for as little as $35. "I even believe my NFL seat costs are cheaper than some nose bleed sections in the arena" Really? Well, I never had to pay to buy a seat before I could buy a ticket (ala "PSLs"). Additionally, if you're paying less than $30 for a Browns ticket, I'm sure you're also paying for a Sherpa to lug your O2 and nose packing. "The NBA plays over 100 games" Actually, they NBA only plays 83 games- its MLB that plays over 100. But, who cares about accuracy when you're making a point! "unless Lebron is in town" Actually, the Bobcats have beaten the Cavs 2 out of their last 3 meetings (1 in the Cavs own arena), and Gerald Wallace has all but owned Lebron this year, so, I have to agree, I love when we play the Cavs!!
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If there is one person who was responsible for paying that bill, AND if that person somehow overlooked that bill, is it truly fair to blame that oversight on an entire organization?? ...
Yes. I paid my property taxes. Billionaires should do the same. Doesn't matter if they have paid someone else to do it for them and then that party failed to do the job.
All pro sports are family orriented. Even the NBA. If you go to the games you see kids everywhere. Often they're the ones who talk their parents into going. With that said, there are several examples of "family friendly" cities where the NBA is huge. Namely Salt Lake City, Oklahoma Ciy, San Antonio, Milwaukee and Orlando...
Don't live in Charlotte, but thought I'd chime in. I hate today's NBA, and won't pay to see it. I grew up in the 80's and 90's when the NBA was at it's peak.......back when 7 footers actually played in the paint instead of sitting at the 3 point line heaving bricks for 60 minutes. Back when guards could actually dribble the ball without blatantly carrying it, and had the ability to pass the ball in ways other than the alley-oop. There are no positions in the NBA anymore. Guards play center, centers play forward, forwards play anything. Very few players give a hoot about making free throws, which are a critical part of a winning strategy in basketball. It's all about tattoos, headbands, and dunks now, and who in their right mind wants to see that junk....especially if the team stinks?
One other thing from an outside perspective: Why on earth are the Hurricanes based in Raleigh instead of Charlotte? Isn't Charlotte the premier city in North Carolina?
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