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NHL » Attendance issues in Winnipeg?

Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830264]	Tue, 27 February 2024 22:05

inverno76
Messages: 2340
Registered: September 2005
Location: Prince Albert, Saskatchew...

2 Cups

Why do the Jets have such poor attendance? 13k a game in a barn that only holds 15,225. Rink is right downtown and has more going on around the rink pre and post game than lots of other markets. Team is battling for the top spot in the NHL and the population base is 75% of Edmonton’s.

Seems odd. Last time I was in the Peg I couldn’t find a ticket unless I wanted to pay 1.5x above retail.

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830265 is a reply to message #830264 ]	Tue, 27 February 2024 23:18

smyth260
Messages: 1080
Registered: November 2007

1 Cup

I would be curious to know the cost of tickets, beer, concession.

I have read that they don’t have a lot of corporate season ticket holders.

Clean house or bust

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830266 is a reply to message #830265 ]	Tue, 27 February 2024 23:37

Kr55
Messages: 10769
Registered: May 2002
Location: Edmonton

6 Cups

smyth260 wrote on Tue, 27 February 2024 23:18

I would be curious to know the cost of tickets, beer, concession.

I have read that they don’t have a lot of corporate season ticket holders.

Jerk faces should have just traded Helly to us. Who had the genius idea to toss the moon at guys last summer. Just accept being a sad budget team.

I'm joking about Helly of course. No way Holland even tried or considered doing such a thing. To busy being satisfied about increasing our Orange Beards/60 stat.

"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013

"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015

5 x $5,000,000

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830268 is a reply to message #830265 ]	Wed, 28 February 2024 05:28

NZ Oiler Fan
Messages: 1189
Registered: October 2006
Location: Kensington, PEI

1 Cup

smyth260 wrote on Wed, 28 February 2024 02:18

I would be curious to know the cost of tickets, beer, concession.

I have read that they don’t have a lot of corporate season ticket holders.

No idea about ticket prices, but I heard they have the cheapest beer by far (IIRC it was under $10)

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830280 is a reply to message #830265 ]	Wed, 28 February 2024 17:34

inverno76
Messages: 2340
Registered: September 2005
Location: Prince Albert, Saskatchew...

2 Cups

smyth260 wrote on Tue, 27 February 2024 23:18

I would be curious to know the cost of tickets, beer, concession.

I have read that they don’t have a lot of corporate season ticket holders.

Could they be much worse than Edmonton? I’m sitting here swilling on some cheap $6 beers in the Molson House and trying to justify one $15.50 beer once I cross through to the concourse. I got lower bowl seats for $100 but only because ticketmaster resale. What’s full price for a lower bowl seat in Edmonton?

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830291 is a reply to message #830264 ]	Wed, 28 February 2024 19:05

PlusOne
Messages: 1594
Registered: July 2006
Location: Regina, Sask

1 Cup

inverno76 wrote on Tue, 27 February 2024 23:05

I can touch on this from a personal POV;
I was part of a group of 10, here in Regina, that had 2 season seats. We had them from day one until 19-20. Over those 9 seasons a number of factors changed and led to us cancelling.
At the start, when we had 82 tickets/~ 10 games each it was all excitement. I didnt care if it was the Devils on a Tuesday, or the Penguins on a Sat I was pumped up to go. After a few years the 5 hour, each way, drive, night in a hotel, using vacation time from work, etc got tedious. As years went on there were less of us willing to take on those mid week/non interesting team options.
I have heard this from a number of other Sask people, the novelty wore off and it just wasnt worth it. I have family that farms near the Sask/Man border that had a combined 6 season tix. They are down to 2.
This leads me to selling tickets. Early on we had a lot of people hitting us up for tickets. Our excitement was high so we didnt want to sell but if for some reason we did it was an easy deal to make.
As years went on this became harder and harder and by that last year we could barely give them away, even to locals.

The next issue was the attitude of Jets fans. The first three years it was a big family in the stands, no one cared where you were from or even who you cheered for, they were so happy to have a team back that they appreciated everyone.
Semi related story as it lends to the cheap beer and the good natured relationship with Jets fans; I was at my 2nd or 3rd game of year one. The pairs on both sides of our seats were Jets fans, from Winnipeg. Its a midweek and I bought a round of drinks. One of the guy besides be says "what is the deal with these season tickets, its always 2 different guys, cheering against the Jets, and the drunkest guys in the building" I am not sure if we were the drunkest but we drank the same amount whether it was a Tuesday or HNIC.
By the end the fan experience changed if you werent cheering for the Jets. I had a guy burn a hole in my Fuhr jersey. Another guy had beer dumped on him while cheering for the lighting, there were stories online, quite often, of negative fan experiences.
I took my then 14 year old son to a game, wearing Leafs jerseys. A guy a couple rows back yelled homophobic slurs at the Leafs and their fans for the entire 1st period. He was ejected between the 1st and 2nd after other Jets fans reported him.
My group had fans of different teams and one one Jets fan. I had a deal with every guy that if they provided the jersey I would wear it and cheer on that team as long it wasnt a Flames or Canucks jersey. It was an interesting experiment hearing the thoughts of Jets fans towards different fan bases and how it changed over the years.
What was good natured fan fun turned ugly as time passed and while non of us ever got into fight every one of our group has stories about having to de-escalate a potentially violent Jets fan.
It is important to note that LOTS of the Jets fans were awesome. Many I am still in contact with. As always, a few jerks can have a big impact and unfortunately the jerk numbers grew to a point the fan experience became worse.

Third, and this was lesser than the first two, ownership/management. Right from the start ownership had a pompous air to them. They knew the market was excited to have the teams back and in our groups opinion they took advantage of that. Prices went up, restrictions went up, in stadium experiences went down. It started to feel like a budget experience at a premium price (more on that in the next point). Every year come renewal time the tone became more condescending and often threatening. This isnt unique to the Jets but as the first two issues grew this one got more annoying. Every time a renewal email demanded more while offering less it became a tougher bill to pay.
In addition, and this didnt matter to us, but the constant exit of players previously sold by the team to fans as cornerstones, got tiring to Jets fans. They always seemed to be good but not good enough and in the offseason a premium piece of that team would leave.

I mentioned the premium price above. I am not saying they were outrageously priced but it definitely wasnt cheap. I just meant that going to a po sporting event is a premium expense for most people. I think when they started they were in the lower third of the NHL scale and last I heard they had crept up a few spaces but still not above the median.

I know my story is one set of tickets but there are a number of stories like ours, people that had tickets, that drove in for games, that dont anymore. What overall effect that has on the revenues or current issues I dont know but it obviously doesnt help.

The corporate money issue is a big one but it shouldn't be a surprise. It was considered one of the biggest issues to the Jets coming back and I am sure the downturn in the economy hasnt helped.

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CrusaderPi wrote on Thu, 30 January 2020 12:21

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #830315 is a reply to message #830291 ]	Fri, 01 March 2024 06:34

inverno76
Messages: 2340
Registered: September 2005
Location: Prince Albert, Saskatchew...

2 Cups

That makes a lot of sense. I can confirm that while many Jets fans are great, it was the worst away rink to visit in my experience to wear an opposing teams jersey. The outdoor classic a few years back was a rough environment.

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #834647 is a reply to message #830291 ]	Tue, 21 May 2024 13:26

halfafrog
Messages: 63
Registered: March 2006
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

No Cups

Interesting.

It could be worse, I was a season ticked holder in Phoenix for 12 years and they made the playoffs once I think. But hey, at least they won 2 rounds the one year. Better than Toronto has done since what, 1993? Arizona lost to the Kings who won the cup that year.

So this is what hope feels like?

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #833840 is a reply to message #830264 ]	Mon, 13 May 2024 22:33

Casade
Messages: 5
Registered: May 2024

No Cups

Wasn’t attendance the reason they left for Phoenix the first time?

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #833859 is a reply to message #833840 ]	Tue, 14 May 2024 10:33

CrusaderPi
Messages: 7803
Registered: December 2003
Location: AB Highway 100

6 Cups

Casade wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 22:33

Wasn’t attendance the reason they left for Phoenix the first time?

Attendance, weak Canadian dollar, TV market size, corporate ticket base, bad building, Winnipeg makes people sad.

Please do not feed the bears. Feeding the bears creates a dependent population unable to survive on their own. Bears.

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #833903 is a reply to message #833859 ]	Tue, 14 May 2024 17:54

Casade
Messages: 5
Registered: May 2024

No Cups

CrusaderPi wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 11:33

Casade wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 22:33

Wasn’t attendance the reason they left for Phoenix the first time?

Attendance, weak Canadian dollar, TV market size, corporate ticket base, bad building, Winnipeg makes people sad.

All of those factors are exactly the same now, except for the bad building.

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #834031 is a reply to message #833903 ]	Wed, 15 May 2024 12:18

oilfan94
Messages: 408
Registered: June 2006
Location: USA

No Cups

Casade wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 19:54

CrusaderPi wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 11:33

Casade wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 22:33

Wasn’t attendance the reason they left for Phoenix the first time?

Attendance, weak Canadian dollar, TV market size, corporate ticket base, bad building, Winnipeg makes people sad.

All of those factors are exactly the same now, except for the bad building.

I hear that Phoenix is looking at getting a team again in the next few years...

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #834032 is a reply to message #834031 ]	Wed, 15 May 2024 13:20

CrusaderPi
Messages: 7803
Registered: December 2003
Location: AB Highway 100

6 Cups

oilfan94 wrote on Wed, 15 May 2024 12:18

Casade wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 19:54

CrusaderPi wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 11:33

Casade wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 22:33

Wasn’t attendance the reason they left for Phoenix the first time?

Attendance, weak Canadian dollar, TV market size, corporate ticket base, bad building, Winnipeg makes people sad.

All of those factors are exactly the same now, except for the bad building.

I hear that Phoenix is looking at getting a team again in the next few years...

Please do not feed the bears. Feeding the bears creates a dependent population unable to survive on their own. Bears.

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Re: Attendance issues in Winnipeg? [message #834661 is a reply to message #834032 ]	Tue, 21 May 2024 20:21

Oscargasm
Messages: 5911
Registered: May 2009
Location: YEG

5 Cups

CrusaderPi wrote on Wed, 15 May 2024 13:20

oilfan94 wrote on Wed, 15 May 2024 12:18

Casade wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 19:54

CrusaderPi wrote on Tue, 14 May 2024 11:33

Casade wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 22:33

Wasn’t attendance the reason they left for Phoenix the first time?

Attendance, weak Canadian dollar, TV market size, corporate ticket base, bad building, Winnipeg makes people sad.

All of those factors are exactly the same now, except for the bad building.

I hear that Phoenix is looking at getting a team again in the next few years...

Holy crap. Lol

Jets 2.0 become the Coyotes 2.0 lmao

Survivor CHAMP S52 | S66
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