BUCS-CHARGERS ON TV NOT LOOKING GOOD

[Pewter Pirate]

Been saying it for a while. The TB fanbase is **CENSORED**ty. One of the worst in all of sports.

Good case study for what sports franchise owners shouldn't do to screw-over a very good fanbase. Buc fans showed their support for years with sell outs and great homefield advantage crowds, but the ownership tried to squeeze too much out of them (price increases) while putting a crappy product/coach on the field. Now they're having to work doubly to get those fans back.  It isn't pretty is it? Maybe the Glazers are learning their lesson not to take fan support for granted.

This is exactly the problem.   The Glazers tried to screw over the long time season ticket holders (people who had season tickets even before the Glazers owned the team) by raising prices for the tickets in the lower level (where the long time ticket holders from the old sombrero were sitting) by 35% in one year but not increasing the other areas anywhere near that much.      As much as I complain about the recent moves like hiring Raheem, I actually cancelled my season tickets prior to the 2008 season due to that unethical 35% raise in ticket prices at the end of 2007.     The Glazers have no respect at all for the fans and just make any move they think they can to bleed the fans of whatever cash they can.    It serves them right what's happening now.   It's their own fault.

It's called moving on, and not living the present while dwelling on past .  A child dwells on the past transgressions an adult is man enough to move on and stop whining.   Glazers screwed up, but are trying to make it up.  Sit in the corner, pout, and hold your ball while the men go to the game.

[Morgan]

Too bad businesses don't work like that.

If McDonalds feeds customers sh!t-burgers for a few years, and they've become known for their sh!tburgers, do you expect customers to suddenly come back when it looks like they might have improved their menu?

[jhop88]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say nearly (if not every) franchise in the 4 major sports has gone through a rough time whether it be in the form of losing and/or increase in costs to fans. In which case, why should fans of ANY franchise ever "come back?" Should Bucs fans just hold a grudge forever? This franchise has put out a lot of garbage teams, but this current product is pretty exciting to watch IMO which should make fans appreciate it even more.

Stop w/the excuses. It's not like the Bucs are the only franchise in Tampa that struggles to get people at the games. It's a brutal fanbase...right up there w/Atlanta IMO as one of the worst in sports. Tickets start at what, $30?! Give me a break.

[Morgan]

You ever think that this region shouldn't have professional franchises with it's population?

[Bucpride5]

Kind of hard to sell out the stadium when Buc fans are the minority in their own city. Pathetic.

[GameTime]

Morgan eats sh!t-burgers!

[bucs63]

The Bucs aren't the only team that have not been selling out, but are the ones allowing blackout to stand. Maybe the Glazers need to find a way to accept EBT cards.  Or just keep letting them watch the Dolphins on TV.

[Morgan]

Morgan eats sh!t-burgers!

Not surprised a moron like yourself would take a metaphor literally

[Chief Joseph]

You should try veggie burgers, Morgan. They're kinda lame but they gotta be better than what you've been eating.

[Morgan]

When in Japan, try to steer clear of this new delicacy the **CENSORED** burger. Yes, that's exactly what Mitsuyuki Ikeda, a researcher from the Okayama Laboratory, is calling his new creation.

He came up with the concept after Tokyo Sewage asked him to find a way of using up the city's waste. Ikeda found that human excreta which filled up the system, was packed with protein because of all the bacteria." His research team extracted the proteins to create an artificial steak, which is turned red with food colouring and flavoured with soy.

[Chief Joseph]

And here I thought the Japanese had plenty of hobbies to keep them busy.

[X-RayCat57]

On Sunday morning I was out and about at a few places and I saw more Steelers, Giants and Packers gear. I saw only one other guy wearing anything Bucs that day. My car was the only one with anything Bucs related on it. Saw plenty of car flags, magnets and bumper stickers with other teams on them. When you drive past sports bars in the Tampa bay area you see them advertise being the home of the the Bears, Steelers, Patriots, ect... Very few bars have signs that support the Bucs. The second the Bucs started losing years ago all the bandwagon fans jumped back to thier old teams. The problem with Tampa isnt the population or economy. Its just a really bad sports town. Hell, im the only person at my office who is a big Bucs fan. A few people are diehard fans of other teams and they were born and raised in Pinellas County. Its BANDWAGON BAY.

Most of the people that go to the games leave early no matter the score. Durring the Saints game the stadium was 25% full on the last play. Pathetic! Do you people leave a movie with 15 minutes left just to "beat traffic"

[X-RayCat57]

If you buy your tickets on Stub hub or from a scalper your not "doing your part" to have the game sell out. Your simply buying tickets that have already been sold.

I have season tickets so i dont care that the game is not on tv. What sucks is no sense of pride in the local teams here in Tampa. No energy in the stadium like in thje past. I feel like an outsider wearing Rays or Bucs gear around town.

Im from St. Louis and never do you have to ask someone who their team is up there. Its just assumed in other cities outside of Florida that you root for the local team. You think in Philly there are sports bars that claim to be the home of the Bears? Its rare someone likes a team from another city, unless your in Tampa. Then its rare if you like the local team.

[Chief Joseph]

Everyone should be obligated to support the teams you like. Let's pass a law. We'll call it the "I'm such an officious prick I think I should get to decide who you root for" law.

[JavaRay]

This franchise has put out a lot of garbage teams

And I was there for all of the garbage teams as well as good teams 1978 through 2007.    I can deal with bad teams, but that move the Glazers made screwing over long time ticket holders with a 35% increase in one year was unethical.

It's a brutal fanbase...right up there w/Atlanta IMO as one of the worst in sports.

All through the 80's and early 90's, the Bucs sucked.     They were the losingest franchise in the history of ANY pro sports franchise during that period.    Yet, there was a core of die hard fans who bought season tickets during those years.   It was only about 30,000 people, but they were such loyal fans that they always remained loyal and faithful buying those tickets.    Guess which 30,000 people the Glazers screwed over at the end of 2007 when they raised ticket prices 35%?    Yep, those same loyal fans who had been there all those years.   Biggest mistake the Glazers ever made.   You don't stab your loyal fan base in the back just because you think they are so loyal that you can do anything you want and they will still buy tickets.   They have now lost most of those 30,000 fans (including myself) due to their own greed.   The Tampa Bay area has a lot of bandwagon fans when the team is winning, but there has always been that loyal core of fans who come no matter what.   The Glazers destroyed that.   The last thing you want to do as an owner is piss off the fans who had been loyal since day one in a town where, as you mentioned, there is a brutal fanbase of mostly bandwagon fans.