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February 19, 2011Quicken Loans Arena still has been an excellent atmosphere for the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers this year, but one must wonder how long that will continue.
If everyone recalls, season ticket renewals began in May 2010 in order for fans to guarantee their seats for the playoffs. A marketing gimmick that the team’s front office has used since LeBron James joined the team in 2003, it enabled the Cavs to stay afloat in terms of attendance for at least this season.
Entering the All-Star Break, Cleveland ranks third in the NBA in paid attendance with 20,343 per contest. With season ticket renewals already distributed to fans however, it is an interesting study to see how far that could fall for 2011.
Both our very own Brendan Bowers and Scott Sargent have reportedly recently at Still WFNY about how impressive the Q has been this year, but who knows if this will really last according to a few crucial fan voices.
A CNBC report via Cleveland Scene’s 64 and Counting interviews a Cavs season ticket holder who owns more than 300 lower-level seats. Mark Klang, who said he pays more than $1 million for his tickets as a part of his involvement with Ohio-based Amazing Tickets, estimated the following has happened to the Q:
“Gilbert has that hustler sense to him, that’s how he was raised,” Klang said. “It’s tough for him to admit when his product isn’t good, so it’s just not his mentality to own up to it. He believes there is an entertainment value to the team and there is when they are winning, but there’s clearly not when they aren’t.”
Klang said his ticket prices were slightly reduced from $158 to $155 for next season, and that will likely drastically alter his purchasing plans. He said to CNBC if the team dropped prices by an drastic 30 or 40 percent, that he would maybe maintain his ticket purchases in the hundreds at least.
In discussing the Q’s upcoming ticket crisis with a long-time lower-level ticket holder over dinner Thursday night, he also mentioned how shocking resale values were for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Cavs managed to pull off the shocking upset, the best available online offer for $250 seats were around $50, but last year would likely have pulled off at least $750.
This ticket holder said he is likely going to cut his individual season ticket plan in half, and rattled off another half dozen friends in his ticketing area that will do the same at least. He said that there are likely four players tops on this current Cleveland roster that deserve to stay for the long-run, and it could be another long rebuild for Gilbert and company.
With those testimonies in hand, Klang estimated a 50% drop in season ticket holders next season for the Cavaliers. Be mindful that the New Jersey Nets currently rank last in NBA attendance right now with 13,113 per game, and a drop to that level would equate to a 35.5% overall attendance fall for Cleveland.
I’m not even sure if it will be that drastic, but it could be close. The Indians ranked last in MLB paid tickets this past season with 17,435 per game, and that constitutes a fairly dramatic 36.2% drop since the 2008 season alone. The Browns will always be the toast of the town, but only placed 20th in the NFL at a 66,116 average.
Is this as bad as it has ever been for Cleveland sports fans? Do you think attendance numbers could drop in half at the Q next season? What would entice you to renew?
(Photo above via AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
5 Comments
I live 3 hours away. Last year was my first season as a Browns season ticket holder, I got Indians season tix for the first time this upcomming season, I would love to get Cavs tickets, but I would like to see a larger price drop for the product that will be on the court for the next few years.
I’m an 8 year season ticketholder and don’t plan to renew. I can only generally make 30% of the games and have always sold the rest to be able to afford my seats. This year I’ve lost thousands on games I can’t make and have to sell. The only game I didn’t lose money on was the Cavs-Heat game.
What makes me most unhappy is that Dan Gilbert kept our prices for 2010-11 the same despite losing salaries of Lebron James, Shaq, Ilgauskas and others off of the team payroll. Maybe Mr. Gilbert should have spread some of those savings to his loyal season ticketholders instead of just banking that money if he wanted us to renew for 2011-12?? Just a thought…..
I was looking on Stub Hub the other day at Cavs tickets b/c I was thinking about making the trip up to LA for the Cavs/Clippers game and they have courtside tickets for $219. Ridiculously cheap for courtside tickets.
As A long suffering Cleveland fan, myself and my other long suffering friends are in agreement that this IS the worst it has ever been. And I am going back 50 years. The Cavs might not be a contender for the next decade. (See Chicago Bulls post Jordan) The Indians aren’t done sliding. They will be playing to an empty stadium by June. The Browns are the closest but still are a few years away. But hey,maybe DiMora will get 50 years in prison!!
My tix would be 10% lower next year than this year … still not renewing though. I’ll still go to quite a few games, but I’ll hit up Stubhub or Flashseats and pay WAY below face value. Retail price far exceeds market price, and Gilbert will figure that out the hard way next year. It’s bad business.