No one wants to go a game with me anymore. Why?

[Balls Out]

I think this is an accurate observation.  Dominick has stressed the whole "have patience, we are building for the future" mantra to the point that fans are convinced we are nowhere near ready to compete.

This combination of a cheap reputation, a refusal to even consider free agency options, and this team's demand to make its fans wait years for a truly competitive team is asking simply too much.

Football is too volatile of a game. Too much changes from year to year and fans know this. They aren't willing to sit on their hands while an inexperienced GM is asking for years of patience in anticipation that one day he will field a competent team.

What's so incompetent about a 10-6 team, that just happened to be the youngest team in the NFL to boot?

[futureTBdynasty]

SOME BUT NOT ALL OF YOU Whiny behind fan base that continue to make every excuse for why they cant attend a Bucs game. So pathetic.  Its hot, im broke blah blah...Yet can support USF...Lets face it..for some of these folks its better to go 5-11 with Opie Taylor and Andy Griffith then Raheem and Josh and their hip-hop talk.  Even though Josh Freeman, is all one could ever-ask for in a franchise QB.  But he doesnt fit into some Bucs fans little boxes of what a franchise QB should look like...Same folks that stare and interracial couples, imo.  GET OVER IT.....EBT's huh? Thats a nicely veiled reference. All one can do is surmise is a lot of Bucs fans feel out of touch with the ever-growing diversity that is impacting their everyday world.."We're losin the country..I mean look at our team". ..But let's be real...Folks can't relate to Raheem and Josh...because they don't represent them. I just don't understand this fan base..It's just excuses to me.  where was the outrage when Gruden brought on Darrell Russell and Jerramy Stevens.. oh that's right if you're a scumbag that actually is a good player than add that to the list of excuses. ..Or maybe time, and repeated 10 win seasons will suffice.  history shows that when economic times are tough people  tend to segregate. All im askin is stop with the lame excuses. If ur broke, ur broke.

[Beatles123]

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times...it's a number of things, but as this team proves itself, and the FO proves the blueprint to work, fans will come back.

Too hot? How long have we HAD Rayjay, and sold it out for years before this? Sure, you can say we didn't have HDTV or streams back then, but there are teams with outdoor stadiums besides ours and just because we're in Tampa doesn't mean they don't get hot too. Why do THEY sell out then?

One way or another, when we prove ourselves consistently, people have to at least have an improved outlook on us, yes? That's a first step, let's work on that for now and the rest will come after.

[JDouble]

Another reason, which has been touched on, is that people don't like each other. It's sounds silly, but I think it is a big part of it. I've been a Bucs fan for 15 years, but never lived in Tampa until recently, and I gotta be honest....not liking it. There is a huge population of ignorant ass people here. I personally don't talk to anyone at the games and it does partly make me wish I could just watch the game in a bar rather than be surrounded by the drunken idiots that fill the stadium.

I'm going to every game I can afford cause I just love watching the game live, but I can see plenty of reasons why people aren't going.

[ryder004]

This thread is sad(reading all the responses)

I faithfully try to go to a game every 2 years(went last year).

I know that does not sound like much but I live in Cali so going to the game for me requires...

a $600 round trip plane ride
$130 Hotel for the night
$50 Transportation
$250 Ticket(If im going that far im usually on the 50 or 40 about 1st or 2nd row)
$50 Food
And im a college student so I dont have money to blow

On top of that I always go to the game alone because all my friends are casual chargers fans and would not put out that kind of money to go see a game. thats not really a problem I always make friends at Ray J stadium...

But point is if I lived in Tampa or near I would at LEAST go to 3 games a year

[Morgan]

Another reason, which has been touched on, is that people don't like each other. It's sounds silly, but I think it is a big part of it. I've been a Bucs fan for 15 years, but never lived in Tampa until recently, and I gotta be honest....not liking it. There is a huge population of ignorant ass people here. I personally don't talk to anyone at the games and it does partly make me wish I could just watch the game in a bar rather than be surrounded by the drunken idiots that fill the stadium.

I'm going to every game I can afford cause I just love watching the game live, but I can see plenty of reasons why people aren't going.

Yep

[Morgan]

This thread is sad(reading all the responses)

I faithfully try to go to a game every 2 years(went last year).

I know that does not sound like much but I live in Cali so going to the game for me requires...

a $600 round trip plane ride
$130 Hotel for the night
$50 Transportation
$250 Ticket(If im going that far im usually on the 50 or 40 about 1st or 2nd row)
$50 Food
And im a college student so I dont have money to blow

On top of that I always go to the game alone because all my friends are casual chargers fans and would not put out that kind of money to go see a game. thats not really a problem I always make friends at Ray J stadium...

But point is if I lived in Tampa or near I would at LEAST go to 3 games a year

Do you live in/near SD? Do you attend Charger games? How many?

[Skull and Bones]

  where was the outrage when Gruden brought on Darrell Russell and Jerramy Stevens..

there was plenty of it.  as much as you think Morris gets picked on Gruden probably got it just as bad if not worse.

[JDouble]

Too hot? How long have we HAD Rayjay, and sold it out for years before this? Sure, you can say we didn't have HDTV or streams back then, but there are teams with outdoor stadiums besides ours and just because we're in Tampa doesn't mean they don't get hot too. Why do THEY sell out then?

It was 110 in the stadium for the Lions game. Die hard fans don't care, but fair weather fans (which describes Tampa perfectly) are not going to go deal with that heat unless the team is nationally hyped and expected to go deep in the play offs. What happened in the past doesn't matter. This is now and the fan base has turned fickle.

Bottom line is you have to be a die hard fan to go because other than watching the game live, it is not a good experience. It's hot as hell, you are surrounded by drunk idiots, everything is expensive from parking to water to their ridiculously salty hamburgers. If you aren't a die hard fan....then why go? The Glazers need to get creative if they want to bring people back. Live music, cheaper better food, things for the lesser fans to do like games or internet, cover the end zone areas to provide more shade, have a pool? I don't know, but they need to try and make it more enjoyable for all types of people.

[The Shadow]

I think this is an accurate observation.  Dominick has stressed the whole "have patience, we are building for the future" mantra to the point that fans are convinced we are nowhere near ready to compete.

This combination of a cheap reputation, a refusal to even consider free agency options, and this team's demand to make its fans wait years for a truly competitive team is asking simply too much.

Football is too volatile of a game. Too much changes from year to year and fans know this. They aren't willing to sit on their hands while an inexperienced GM is asking for years of patience in anticipation that one day he will field a competent team.

What's so incompetent about a 10-6 team, that just happened to be the youngest team in the NFL to boot?

I think it's a perception issue more than anything else.  Dom hasn't specifically said "wait til next year" but it is what's being heard by many in the fan base who are reading between the lines of the teams perceived inaction on the free agent front, dwindling ticket sales and the general tone of the discussion. Personally I like some of what I see (Freeman especially) and some I don't, though I think our ceiling is way up there for the next 3 seasons. I'm not sure if we aren't a piece or two shy right now but this is our hand and we have to play it.

[Beatles123]

Don't expect it to stay that way forever, JDub...remember, there are good people in this state and city, and you're one of them. We Tampa fans are all fans one way or the other, and that's what counts... Personally, even though I've never been to a game, if some fat guy was making a fool of himself, twirling his shirt hooping and hollering for Tampa, I'd say let him. We're all fans of football. It's when people start being mean to YOU that I can understand, but I feel that even if they are Gruden supporters, they are still fans...as long as we keep a sense of equality and don't point fingers at each other, I feel the fan base will survive.

We are going through tough times all around in Tampa..When the regime gets familiar with the people, and the team has an identity again, things will rebuild for us.

I know it's a lot of "If"'s and "When"'s but...I feel in my heart that someday soon, it will all work out. 

Hope springs eternal, right?

[futureTBdynasty]

To people who dont like sitting next to ppl.if the stadium is 40,000 to 45,000 full..how hard is it to move a couple seats down.

[FinkleisEinhorn]

This thread is sad(reading all the responses)

I faithfully try to go to a game every 2 years(went last year).

I know that does not sound like much but I live in Cali so going to the game for me requires...

a $600 round trip plane ride
$130 Hotel for the night
$50 Transportation
$250 Ticket(If im going that far im usually on the 50 or 40 about 1st or 2nd row)
$50 Food
And im a college student so I dont have money to blow

On top of that I always go to the game alone because all my friends are casual chargers fans and would not put out that kind of money to go see a game. thats not really a problem I always make friends at Ray J stadium...

But point is if I lived in Tampa or near I would at LEAST go to 3 games a year

I think you might be misinterpreting some of these responses.  Not everyone here is just making excuses.  I, for one, am going to the game this week.

Many of these responses are from die-hard fans and ticket-holders that are simply trying to pinpoint the reason for the lack of attendance. We're not making excuses, we're trying to find answers.  We are not personally saying why we are not going to the games, but why is nobody else?

[Morgan]

Exactly - trying to find reasons why the fringe fan doesn't come to games anymore.

We have a smaller fanbase who will go to games no matter what.

It's the fringe/casual fan that the Bucs need to find a way to attract to come to the games and spend $80-100/ticket/game.

Glad I'm not in their marketing department. It is a very tough task.

[JDouble]

They need pools at both end zone areas. People like my wife would love to go to the game with me if she could lay out by the pool and jump in to cool off when she gets too hot. Plus guys would love all the T&A in bikinis.