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We talked a ton about how many fans simply gave up on this Colts team prior to the start of the 2012 season. Many of these people were, in my mind, fickle and fair-weather fans. However, others did not renew tickets because the modern "NFL Experience" is simply not worth the price of admission. The advent of high definition televisions, flat screens, and improved broadcasting technology have made the TV experience as good, if not better, than watching a game in a stadium.
Add to this the NFL making the All-22 game film available, and the old, obnoxious "you weren't at the game and don't know what REALLY happened" line is now completely ignorant and, thankfully, obsolete.
Miraculously, the Colts have been good this year. Andrew Luck has been everything fans could have hoped for, and while Chuck Pagano's leukemia is a very serious situation for the coach and his family, the entire ordeal has helped to galvanize the team and the fanbase that follows them. The result: All home games have been sold out this season, and the trend will likely continue.
Still, as ticket prices around the NFL go up, more and more fans will simply get priced out of attending a game. This is unfortunate, but it is apparently what the NFL wants: Stuffy suits in luxury boxes drinking over-priced well drinks served to them by someone in a tuxedo. If Roger Goodell truly wants NFL stadiums to have a college gameday feel to them, the obvious changes to make are:
- Lowering ticket prices
- Lowering concession prices
- Lowering stadium parking fees
Everything else (free Wi-Fi in stadiums, larger video boards, cheerleaders dancing in cages) are nice, but they aren't worth the price of admission.
So, because we at Stampede Blue aren't all that interested in helping billionaire owners continue to fleece fans, our brother and sisters at SB Nation have a partnership set-up with Samsung to help you win $10,000 makeover for your living room. Hey, if you can't afford to go to a game, why not let a corporate giant like Samsung give you 10K to bring the game to you?
Enter the Smart TV Makeover sweepstakes here.
If you win, please invite me over. I'll bring the beer.