Tag: season tickets

The Lions have sold out all season tickets for 2024

The Lions have sold out all season tickets for 2024 before the team’s schedule is even released

The buzz for the Detroit Lions continues to hum louder and louder. For the second season in a row, the Lions have sold out all season ticket memberships.

Some limited individual single-game tickets will be for sale once the team’s schedule is released later this week, but fans looking for season tickets are too late. That’s an expected development coming off the team’s first-ever NFC North division tittle and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.

“Our Lions Loyal Members are the heartbeat of our fanbase and the true foundation of our incredible home field advantage,” said Detroit Lions Chief Operating Officer Mike Disner in a statement released by the team. “We are proud to have reached a sellout of memberships and want to encourage interested fans to join the waitlist for the best opportunity to attend our games at Ford Field in 2025 and beyond.”

Broncos increasing ticket prices by 7.9% in 2024

Coming off their eighth straight season of missing the playoffs, the Broncos are increasing ticket prices by nearly 8% in 2024.

Despite missing the playoffs for an eighth straight year and posting a losing record for a seventh straight season, the Denver Broncos are raising their ticket prices ahead of the 2024 campaign.

The Broncos started their season ticket renewal process last week and fans were informed that prices are increasing by an average of about 7.9% in 2024, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

This comes after the team increased prices by more than 13% in 2023. So over the last two years, season ticket holders have seen their cost increase by an average of more than 20%.

Some fans have decided to opt out because of the increasing cost.

“I’m out after 27 years. Not renewing,” @bordesa1 wrote on Twitter/X last week. “Small increase here, another there….no big deal, right? Well…since 2016, the first Post-PFM Year of Suck, my cost is up 34%.”

The Broncos, of course, aren’t hurt by fans opting out because the club has a 100,000-person waitlist of fans hoping to one day buy season tickets.

The average price per game for 2024 season tickets is about $143. The average price per ticket was about $132 last year. One day, Denver’s increases might price too many fans out. For now, though, the waitlist demonstrates that the demand is there, and the Broncos will exploit it.

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Should the Commanders’ ownership have raised ticket prices?

It wasn’t a great week to reveal season tickets were going up in 2024.

The Commanders announced this week they are raising season ticket prices for the 2024 season.

But should they?

Yes, upgrades at FedEx Field did not come for free. In fact, the new ownership was said to have to pay about $40 million of the upgrades made to the stadium that some have voiced may be the NFL’s worst.

Washington’s home-field advantage has certainly decreased over the last decade as fans grew tired of losing under previous long-time owner Daniel Snyder.

But the NFL makes so much more money in television revenue these days that ticket sales are not as significant as they once were.

Secondly, Washington’s stadium turnout on game days is embarrassing to repeatedly find as many or perhaps sometimes even more fans cheering on the visiting team.

Those opposing fans are purchasing single-game tickets in such enormous numbers that last week, some Miami Dolphins players voiced they had never experienced so much support from fans when Miami was the visiting team.

Perhaps Mr. Josh Harris and his group are not as concerned after all that many Washington fans are still not coming out to support the Burgundy and Gold home team. As long as there are enough visiting fans in the stands, might Harris only be looking at the bottom line of money?

I realize it is a business, but aren’t there ways to actually raise the number of Commanders season ticket holders? Aren’t there ways to entice more Washington fans to purchase season tickets?

After all, if they are not purchasing season tickets, that means there are going to be more single-game tickets available for the visiting team’s fans.

How badly does the Harris ownership group actually want FedEx to be nearly full of Washington fans wearing burgundy and gold? Well, if they do, isn’t the best way to work toward that end through season tickets?

If there are fewer season ticket holders next year for the 2024 season, it will be understandable. The Commanders just lost their last two games, 45-10 and 45-15. How can the fans receive the news of this increase in season ticket purchases by an average of nearly 9 percent and be excited to make that purchase for next year?

If Mr. Harris wants fewer opposing teams fans in FedEx Field in 2024, shouldn’t he be figuring out how to get more Commanders fans to invest in season tickets?

The team is terrible right now, having lost 9 of their last 11 games! If you want tens of thousands more Commanders fans to be season ticket holders, why not offer them a break? Why not offer them a deal?

Why not offer Commanders season ticket holders a 20% reduction in parking and a card that season ticket holders can purchase all concessions for 20% less? While you’re at it, why not offer season tickets at a 20% discount?

Come on, why not offer Commanders fans something to which they can respond, “Now, that’s a good deal. I need to sign up and take advantage of that deal.”

Reward season ticket holders and you will increase your season ticket members, which will increase your parking revenue and your concessions and stadium store revenue.

Reward season ticket holders, or you will only have more visiting team’s fans in the stadium in 2024.

Commanders to move business operations to University of Maryland

The Commanders moving their business offices to College Park.

It’s not the end of the season yet, but the Washington Commanders are already making changes. On Friday, Washington announced a big change — and no, this doesn’t impact the on-field product. The Commanders are moving their business operations from FedEx Field to the University of Maryland.

Washington’s new offices will be at the Discovery District at UMD’s College Park campus. College Park is less than 10 miles and around 20 minutes from FedEx Field.

The reason for the change is due to increased demand for the suites at FedEx Field. Since the new ownership group led by Josh Harris took over in July to accommodate more fan demand, the Commanders have sold out all six home games thus far this season. Washington has struggled on the field, though, falling to 4-9 after Sunday’s home loss to the Dolphins in a game where FedEx Field was taken over by Miami fans.

Here’s a statement from Commanders president Jason Wright:

“Commanders fans are eager to support their team, and we’re dedicated to ensuring the best experience possible both on and off the field,” Wright said. “Moving our headquarters will provide exciting new spaces to take in home games and will provide for greater collaboration for our business staff and partnership with the University of Maryland.”

Here’s more on the new location:

The location of the new offices on the fourth floor of the building at 4600 River Road was chosen to foster connection between the university, local businesses and community. It is in the heart of the Discovery District, a 150-acre hub of research and innovation on the east side of the UMD campus, whose 60-plus tenants include federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, businesses including Capital One, Adobe and Raytheon, and amenities including The Hotel at the University of Maryland and the Hall CP.

University of Maryland chief strategy officer for economic development, Ken Ulman, welcomed the Commanders:

“The University of Maryland proudly welcomes the Washington Commanders to campus as part of our growing Discovery District,” Ulman said. “The proximity to this new home for the Commanders is an incredible opportunity for our students pursuing invaluable internships and our emerging sports management program. We look forward to all the possibilities for partnership.”

The Commanders are expected to move into their new offices in early 2024.

Commanders raise season ticket prices for 2024

A few days after the Miami Dolphins took over FedEx Field, Washington season ticket holders learned of a price increase for 2024.

The Washington Commanders are winning off the field. Under new owner Josh Harris, the Commanders have sold out all six home games at FedEx Field this season.

Of course, those sellouts come with a bit of a disclaimer, as a late surge by Miami Dolphins fans last week helped sell out FedEx Field. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill were pleasantly surprised by the amount of Miami fans in Maryland.

The “winning off the field” line is a throwback to former team president Bruce Allen, who proclaimed at the end of the 2014 season that the then-Redskins were winning off the field after a 4-12 season. Interestingly enough, the Commanders could be headed to another four-win season in 2023.

Currently 4-9, Washington has lost four in a row and nine of its last 11 games. The Commanders have been outscored 90-25 in their previous two games.

While Washington limps to the finish line of another lost season, season ticket holders received a notice on Wednesday about their 2024 season tickets. And, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, there will be an average 8.9% increase in 2024.

Several season ticket holders posted about the increase on social media.

One fan told Jhabvala it was a bold move by the new ownership group.

“It’s kind of a bold move by Josh Harris,”  20-year Washington season ticket holder Kenny Alvo said. “……..I understand how sports work. Things get pricier. Things get more in demand as every year goes on. But for a franchise that has dealt with what we have dealt with in Washington, it’s a terrible look, I feel, to do it in [season] two of [his ownership].

The Commanders have had trouble filling FedEx Field for years, and if not for the fans of opposing teams, the multiple sellouts likely would not have occurred. While a rate increase appeared inevitable, considering the Harris group’s investments into FedEx Field and the increased demand, the timing isn’t optimal.

In a letter to the ticket holders, current team president Jason Wright outlined the team’s optimism for 2024, noting how the Commanders have five draft picks in the top 100 of the 2024 NFL draft and ample cap space to make roster improvements.

 

Chargers limiting attendance to joint practices with Saints

Tough break for West Coast Saints fans. The Chargers are limiting attendance to this week’s joint practices to their own season ticket holders:

This is disappointing for New Orleans Saints fans in California who were hoping to catch sight of their team at this week’s joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers: the Chargers are only allowing their own season ticket holders to attend practice sessions with the Saints on Thursday and Friday.

Last time the black and gold were in town, Saints fans took over the Chargers’ Hoag Performance Center, and obviously that’s not something the Bolts would like to see repeat. Attendance has been a major problem for the Chargers since team owner Dean Spanos burnt his bridge with San Diego, which had been home to the team since 1961 — fracturing generations of ties to the community and leaving the Chargers with little support in Los Angeles.

Under Spanos’s leadership the team struggled to pack out the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer arena before moving into SoFi Stadium as renters of the Los Angeles Rams, where their home crowd has often been overwhelmed by droves of visiting fans supporting the road team.

The Chargers lost their first home game at SoFi Stadium to the visiting Dallas Cowboys in 2021; afterwards, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy agreed that “It felt a lot of ways like a home game, definitely a home game.”

Odds are good that some enterprising Saints fans will find a way to get into these practice sessions and cheer on their team, and maybe get some autographs after the final whistle. Odds are better that many more of them will be packing the stands at SoFi Stadium when the Saints kick off on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT. The matchup will be nationally broadcast on NFL Network.

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Business has picked up since the Commanders sale

Some good news for the Commanders on the business front recently.

Remember the awkward moment earlier this year when Washington Commanders team president Jason Wright said the team would benefit financially when the Snyder family sold the team? This was when Dan and Tanya Snyder still owned the team.

Specifically, Wright said the Commanders would receive a “significant boost.”

Wright didn’t mean it as a slight to the Snyders; he even noted that they understood a sale would benefit the franchise. Wright knew — and so did everyone else — that once you remove Snyder from the franchise, some fans would return.

The biggest question was how many fans would return.

Snyder had spent 24 years destroying a loyal and passionate fan base. Some fans would stay away until he was gone, while some would never return.

Last week, the NFL officially approved Josh Harris as the new owner. Since that time, Harris has been treated as a hero.

On Thursday, fans packed Ashburn on the first open training camp practice. It was a far cry from one year ago. But has Washington already benefitted financially from the sale?

At Harris’ introductory press conference, Wright said that the Week 1 opener at FedEx Field was almost sold out. According to Matthew Paras of The Washington Times, since Snyder and Harris reached an agreement in the spring, the Commanders have 4,143 new season ticket holders. That’s a pretty considerable jump considering where Washington has been in recent years.

In addition to season tickets, total ticketing and suite revenue has already exceeded 2022. Even more impressive, since Harris took over officially last week, Paras noted that “the Commanders are selling tickets at a rate of eight-to-10 times higher than their normal daily average.”

The truth is Washington would’ve seen an increase regardless of who purchased the team. But Harris is local; he’s an experienced professional sports team owner, hugely successful, and, most importantly, relatable.

Imagine if the Commanders have a successful season.

Auburn less than 300 tickets away from season ticket sell-out

Tigers fans are excited for a new era of Auburn football.

The energy around the Auburn Football program has drastically shifted since [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] took over in December of last year.

After two lackluster seasons, morale was down and Auburn Football, as many people knew, was dead. Six months and significantly better recruiting efforts later, the hype is back and perhaps more significant than ever.

Auburn announced Thursday that it had sold the most season tickets in program history and is less than 300 tickets away from a complete sell-out.

“My favorite thing in the World is about to be back,” said Jack Blanton, a junior at Auburn University and a lifelong fan of the Tigers. “It should be new, exciting, and fresh.”

Excitement is an understatement when describing how Auburn fans feel about the new era of the team.

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The Commanders’ attendance improved in 2022

But it’s not all good news.

For a while in the 2022 NFL season, the Washington Commanders were in an excellent position to earn a postseason berth. When Washington defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 27 to improve to 7-5, the Commanders held the NFC’s No. 6 playoff spot with five games to play — three at home.

When Washington tied the New York Giants in Week 13, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen told fans how much the team needed them in the Week 15 rematch, promising to buy at least 100 tickets for fans.

Allen followed through, giving tickets away to fans on Twitter.

Fans showed up. Unfortunately, the Commanders didn’t, falling 20-12 to the Giants. Two weeks later, Washington was eliminated from postseason contention with an embarrassing home loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Speaking of the fans, Washington’s home attendance at FedEx Field improved by 10.15% from the previous year, according to the Sports Business Journal. That was the third-largest improvement in the league behind the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars.

That’s the good news.

Now for the bad news, 31 of the 32 NFL teams sold at least 92% of their stadium’s capacity. The only team that didn’t? You guessed it, the Washington Commanders, who sold 85.9% of their capacity.

Overall, it was a good year for the NFL.

The average NFL crowd grew by 3.25% to 69,442 per game in 2022, the second-largest figure in the last 19 years, according to an SBJ analysis of published box score attendance.

Throughout the year, Washington was encouraged by the increase in ticket sales. The Commanders also honored multiple stars from the past, including Sean Taylor, The Hogs and Sonny Jurgensen during games, hoping to encourage fans to return to FedEx Field.

With a potential new owner in 2023, it will be interesting to see if that translates into more fans returning to support the franchise.

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Commanders use Taylor Heinicke’s image at FedEx Field in ads for 2023 season tickets

Taylor Heinicke is not under contract in 2023, while Carson Wentz is.

The Washington Commanders have five home games remaining for the 2022 regular season. However, that doesn’t mean the Commanders — and every other NFL team — aren’t already preparing for 2023.

The Commanders, advertising season tickets for 2023, used a curious image to promote those packages. Washington used a photo of quarterback Taylor Heinicke on the season-ticket promotion.

Nothing wrong with that, right? After all, Heinicke is the current starting quarterback, while Carson Wentz remains out with an injury.

What makes this curious is Heinicke isn’t under contract for 2023. Wentz, the injured starter who is eligible to return by Week 11, has two years remaining on his contract.

Was Washington telling us something with this advertisement?

Likely not.

Head coach Ron Rivera is the team’s head of football operations. He hired general manager Martin Mayhew. And it is doubtful that the business office checked with Rivera on whose picture to use in advertisements for season tickets.

Rivera has more important things to worry about than who buys season tickets.

As for Wentz, he was on the field before Washington’s Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings, testing his injured finger.

If Heinicke continues to play well, it’s unlikely Rivera will bench him when Wentz is ready to return.