WHY THE BUCS WILL HOST THE BEARS IN LONDON IN 2011

[PewterReportSR]

PewterReport.com can confirm that the Bucs intend to host the Chicago Bears in London should there be a 2011 season upon the completion of a new collective bargaining agreement. Find out the reasoning why in this article.

http://www.pewterreport.com/index.php?option=com_k2&Itemid=20&view=item&layout=item&id=6864

[cyberdude558]

Hey... at least the game will be on TV now.

All your couch potato fans can finally watch a "home" game.

[Tampa Bay Todd]

Just curious Scott, who picks up the tab for the team to travel to London and play? To secure getting a game in London every year, does the NFL pay all expenses? Another question, what's the compensation, if any, for all of the gameday employees for the Buccaneers who now will have one less home game to make money?

[PewterReportSR]

I'm pretty sure the NFL pays for travel and the loss of home game revenue, which could have been one of the reasons why the Glazers were open to hosting another London game. Perhaps they will make more money than they would have made with 55,000 in the stands for the Bears game.

My guess is that most of the game day non-Bucs employees are independent contractors through the Bucs, so there likely wouldn't be any compensation - but I could be wrong.

[Tampa Bay Todd]

Hmmm...interesting. That's kind of what I was thinking as far as the London game. Appreciate the info. Also heard on ESPN 1000 in Chicago that if a deal isn't done by July 1, the NFL would scrap the London game. Any info on that you've heard of?

[bucs63]

If their trying to sell out the stadium, how do the season ticket holders feel about paying for 2 preseason games and only 7 real games. What briiliant marketing plan have they implemented for selliing tickets besides reducing prices? Have they added anything to make going to the game more  of an event? Free big name concerts or club-like lounges or such like Dolphins have done for instance? And I'm not buying the premise that there's no money in Tampa. Or the Orlando area, which is close enough to go to a game.


Playing away from Tampa is the plan for national exposure and getting a game on TV in the the local market? That's sheer genious. If it works, maybe they can get 2 or 3 more games played out of the area.

[BTownBucFan]

I HATE the idea of NFL teams playing regular season games in London.

[tatmanfish]

Playing away from Tampa is the plan for national exposure and getting a game on TV in the the local market? That's sheer genious.If it works, maybe they can get 2 or 3 more games played out of the area.

ticket sales havent improved much, so can you blame the Bucs or the NFL? London games are ALWAYS nationally televised. Right now, the Bucs have a preseason game and the London game in the national spotlight and Bucs fans arent buying enough tickets. What do you want?

You want nationally televised games that are really played at home, try to find people to go to games so they arent blacked out. Hard to televise a game nationally with no one in the stands.

It makes perfect sense and it is GENIUS!

[cyberdude558]

You wont get Sunday or Monday night home games when half the stadium is empty.

I will be shocked if there is a Sunday or Monday night game in Tampa this year unless the Glazers promise to buy up the remaining tickets.

And its not about the media or the league hating the Bucs. It's 100% about attendance. No one goes to the games. The Bucs could not even sell out that Atlanta game despite a push by the media and team.

[JDog]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Glazers move the team to London permanently.

[bucs63]

Playing away from Tampa is the plan for national exposure and getting a game on TV in the the local market? That's sheer genious.If it works, maybe they can get 2 or 3 more games played out of the area.

ticket sales havent improved much, so can you blame the Bucs or the NFL? London games are ALWAYS nationally televised. Right now, the Bucs have a preseason game and the London game in the national spotlight and Bucs fans arent buying enough tickets. What do you want?

You want nationally televised games that are really played at home, try to find people to go to games so they arent blacked out. Hard to televise a game nationally with no one in the stands.

It makes perfect sense and it is GENIUS!

So playing games away, and playing fewer home games, will put butts in seats for games at  Ray Jay? It will improve ticket sales? It makes local fans want to buy season tickets because they watched the Bucs play in London?

Oh, ...I thought it just meant that the Bucs will sell more tickets for the game in London and the local fans get to see another "away" game. The national exposure of the London game though, is sure to turn things around for this beleagured franchise. 

[ras01]

It is what it is. Oh well Maybe it be a September game, me and my mom roasted last year .

[cyberdude558]

Playing away from Tampa is the plan for national exposure and getting a game on TV in the the local market? That's sheer genious.If it works, maybe they can get 2 or 3 more games played out of the area.

ticket sales havent improved much, so can you blame the Bucs or the NFL? London games are ALWAYS nationally televised. Right now, the Bucs have a preseason game and the London game in the national spotlight and Bucs fans arent buying enough tickets. What do you want?

You want nationally televised games that are really played at home, try to find people to go to games so they arent blacked out. Hard to televise a game nationally with no one in the stands.

It makes perfect sense and it is GENIUS!

So playing games away, and playing fewer home games, will put butts in seats for games at  Ray Jay? It will improve ticket sales? It makes local fans want to buy season tickets because they watched the Bucs play in London?

Oh, ...I thought it just meant that the Bucs will sell more tickets for the game in London and the local fans get to see another "away" game. The national exposure of the London game though, is sure to turn things around for this beleagured franchise. 

Probably because now the season ticket price for 2011 is even cheaper.

The game is also a "home" game. So the stadium is pimped out in Bucs logos and Bucs players and history is shown on the jumbotron.

Glazers trying to internationalize the Bucs fan base. Glazer would do this every year if the NFL lets them. And that stadium will sell out every year.

[britbuc14]

My loyalty with this issue is very divided due to the fact i live across the pond.

on one hand, i get to see the Bucs play again, and after going to the last game (i was the offender in the #2 Simms jersey) the atmosphere really is amazing; this however brings me to...

while the Buccaneers have a HUGE UK fanbase, it's still not 90,000. you go to this game and can be sat next to casual fans who support whatever team (i was sat next to a 49'ers fan in full getup) and being casual fans dont know the players, formations or anything about the teams they are watching. (said 49'ers fan had NEVER heard of the Tampa 2)

THEY ARE ONLY THERE TO SEE AN NFL GAME!!!!

what burns me most about this is it's classified as a "HOME" game!

I've been lucky enough to watch a game in Tampa and this wont shock you, London is NOTHING LIKE Tampa.

on the train to the stadium i was lucky enought to meet a family from Tampa, and i'll end my rant with this...

3 generations of this family had travelled to London to see the game, and while these were great, fun people who i enjoyed my brief time with, one thing shocked me about what they said.
as the game was not at Raymond James, they not only had to "rebuy" their ticket (season ticket holders). But also had to pay for travel and a hotel... FOR A HOME GAME?!?!

Surely this would be addressed as the one thing that made the game were the fans from Tampa, and i enjoyed meeting a talking with them but sadley don't see too many making this comitment for a game that should be played in Tampa.

[Morgan]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs refund the Bears game to season ticket holders in way of vouchers for concessions, parking,  or Buc gear. They're that type of ownership.