Sporting event attendance declining? wondering why?

[LovesTimone]

DH and I used to go to alot of sporting events, Buc's games, Jaguar Games, Gator games! When we lived in GA... We love to go to the Braves games, even a few games of the Falcon's, Gladiator hockey games in Gwinnette... Bowl Games.... At home we would BBQ on Sunday and watch the games, Monday night football... We pretty much have lost interest...

Alot of our friends are the same way... giving up season tickets that they have had for years and years...saying that they can't give away their tickets, this year we only had the super bowl on in the background to watch the commercials..

Even some Big names bands that normally sell out... are not really filling the areas, and stadiums...

I know with covid alot of people are just getting back out there... but really it seem that this trend has been happening well before covid... Yet some sporting events are packing in the crowds, like MMA fights, Nascar, Hockey games, and big name Stars like Garth, and Bon Jovi still filling the staduims...

DH and I were talking about this a couple nights ago, and it just makes me wonder why?
Thoughts?

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

DH and I used to go to alot of sporting events, Buc's games, Jaguar Games, Gator games! When we lived in GA... We love to go to the Braves play, even a few games of the Falcon's, Gladiator hockey games in Gwinnette... Bowl Games.... At home we would BBQ on Sunday and watch the games, Monday night football... We pretty much have lost interest...

Alot of our friends are the same way... giving up season tickets that they have had for years and years...saying that they can't give away their tickets, this year we only had the super bowl on in the background to watch the commercials..

Even some Big names bands that normally sell out... are not really filling the areas, and stadiums...

I know with covid alot of people are just getting back out there... but really it seem that this trend has been happening well before covid... Yet some sporting events are packing in the crowds, like MMA fights, Nascar, Hockey games, and big name Stars like Garth, and Bon Jovi still filling the staduims...

DH and I were talking about this a couple nights ago, and it just makes me wonder why?
Thoughts?

Prices went up, for everything. Ticket prices, service fees for the tickets; parking; souvenirs; snacks/drinks.

People are tired of making others into millionaires, while they struggle to pay rent and get gas in the car.

Frustration with policies from locations. When I was a kid, we could bring food (and a flask for dad) into Mile High Stadium; I remember eating hot dogs wrapped in foil from mom's bag. Now, it has to be a clear bag, and I had security at Everbank take my breath mints from me at the Bronco-Jags game last year.

Peoples interests change.

 

[fla4fun]

I think right now people are having to make decisions about their discretionary spending that they didn’t have to in the past, due to rising prices. You see it reflected in reports of people cutting down on the number of streaming services they subscribe to as well. Also, I think a lot of people have used the last couple years to think about what is most important to them, and are changing how they live their lives accordingly. I know I am not the same person I was two years ago, and I find I enjoy living life much more simply than I used to.

 

[sk!mom]

A couple of things in my opinion…

Covid really changed people’s habits. We were locked down long enough to change our interests.

We live in a world with so many in home entertainment options and many people have upgraded their home environments to be really inviting and comfortable.

The price of events has gotten so high that when put together with the comfort of entertainment at home, the benefit of attending in person just isn’t there.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Not to venture into the political but I think that some of the decisions made by teams/leagues have also alienated part of the once-loyal fan base. Given all of the issues mentioned above (higher prices, more at home options, alternatives found when "boycotting," etc) it will be even harder to lure them back.

 

[fhtpdw20]

All of the above plus sport players are not the models of behaviors that they once were both on and off the field. It also goes without saying that people in the stands are generally more "me/might rights" focused as well. Who wants to put up with the rudeness or poor sportsmanship when it should be fun.

 

[LovesTimone]

A couple of things in my opinion…

Covid really changed people’s habits. We were locked down long enough to change our interests.

We live in a world with so many in home entertainment options and many people have upgraded their home environments to be really inviting and comfortable.

The price of events has gotten so high that when put together with the comfort of entertainment at home, the benefit of attending in person just isn’t there.

OP here..
I agree with the upgrading of your home, making in cozy, and comfortable... making it much harder to see the benefits of going in person, price being the number one thing I would think, as well your own snacks, and not having to stand in line to get into the bathroom does make it really inviting to stay home.

 

[LovesTimone]

Not to venture into the political but I think that some of the decisions made by teams/leagues have also alienated part of the once-loyal fan base. Given all of the issues mentioned above (higher prices, more at home options, alternatives found when "boycotting," etc) it will be even harder to lure them back.

OP here... As well not venturing in the political end of the pool... I will say that there is alot of boycotting going on... for a abundance of reasons on alot of different fronts...

 

[kymom99]

Around here the concerts are full. But my 23 year old son who loves music never goes to concerts. He’s also a sports fan. He watches highlights and rarely goes to games in person. Maybe one game per season. I guess he just doesn’t want to spend his money that way. I can tell you politics has nothing to do with it in his case nor in mine. Cost does for me as well as hassle to get there and park.

 

[LovesTimone]

All of the above plus sport players are not the models of behaviors that they once were both on and off the field. It also goes without saying that people in the stands are generally more "me/might rights" focused as well. Who wants to put up with the rudeness or poor sportsmanship when it should be fun.

Op here,

I never really thought about this point... I really think that you have got something here... before players were held to a higher level, and their behavior and image was important to them and the team... lately its almost like they want to be on social media platform for bad behavior, some type of inappropriate behavior, or in the news for some type of legal issue or fighting, or overall bad behavior...

Plus all the poor sportsmanship that some players have shown...

 

[VandVsmama]

DH and I used to go to alot of sporting events, Buc's games, Jaguar Games, Gator games! When we lived in GA... We love to go to the Braves games, even a few games of the Falcon's, Gladiator hockey games in Gwinnette... Bowl Games.... At home we would BBQ on Sunday and watch the games, Monday night football... We pretty much have lost interest...

Alot of our friends are the same way... giving up season tickets that they have had for years and years...saying that they can't give away their tickets, this year we only had the super bowl on in the background to watch the commercials..

Even some Big names bands that normally sell out... are not really filling the areas, and stadiums...

I know with covid alot of people are just getting back out there... but really it seem that this trend has been happening well before covid... Yet some sporting events are packing in the crowds, like MMA fights, Nascar, Hockey games, and big name Stars like Garth, and Bon Jovi still filling the staduims...

DH and I were talking about this a couple nights ago, and it just makes me wonder why?
Thoughts?

Inflation. People can't afford it and the tickets are too expensive.

 

[Christine]

I think there are a multitude of reasons. I'm not a "sports" person so I've never really been into that scene; however, for the most part, all of my family has been at one time or another. I think one of the biggest issues is price. While there's always those who will and have been priced out, we live in an area with lots of discretionary income but even with that, at some point, it's just not worth it to shell out a couple hundred bucks to be in some nosebleed seat.

Additionally, the local sports teams are losing, IMO, their community/connectedness feel that all of them had historically. It's all too corporate, too much about $$$$$, and WAY too much drama. Just detracts from the whole feel of things. As the older generations, who had a love of these type of "hometown" team sports ages out and are less able to attend, the younger generations just don't have that same affinity for the team or the sport. Honestly, college football today reminds me of what pro football used to be.

As for the concerts, certain big names will sell out here and those are generally the older bands along with the usual Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift type of thing. Otherwise, I see the same thing happening with music as with sports. There's certainly great new music out there, but I am not seeing much in the way of "bands" or musicians that can fill a stadium and do it right. Maybe the music or the talent is just different but just doesn't seem to lend itself to arena performances. And maybe that's not what the younger generation wants anyway? Times change. The 70s and 80s with the big rock bands were phenomenal. Never thought I'd see it end but again, things change.

 

[OKW8297]

I think it is the cost as others have said and the fact that the overall experience is not as enjoyable. A lot of that has to do with the behavior of others attending the event.

 

[MillauFr]

Most of the games are boring. You'll see at most 10 minutes of real action at a 4 hour long football game.

 

[EACarlson]

Op here,

I never really thought about this point... I really think that you have got something here... before players were held to a higher level, and their behavior and image was important to them and the team... lately its almost like they want to be on social media platform for bad behavior, some type of inappropriate behavior, or in the news for some type of legal issue or fighting, or overall bad behavior...

Plus all the poor sportsmanship that some players have shown...

The players aren't doing anything differently than they were 30-40 years ago, now the world finds out more about what's happening. Listen to old time sportswriters talk about things that happened in the 70's and 80's that never made the newspapers.

In 1999 I had season tickets to the Minnesota Twins that I bought for $99. I could get a hot dog and a coke for $8, $1 each way for the bus and I could go to a game for $11. It costs me $25 to get into the stadium now, $11 for a hot dog and $14 for a beer. Add in the drunken behavior and how long a game takes, I really don't want to take my two young kids to a game. Hockey is really the only sport where it's noticeably better to be in the arena than watching at home. For that I'll pay a couple times a year.

 

[RamblingMad]

I gave up on mostly American sports. I'll watch soccer now. Less ads.

As for why people aren't going, I think, it's combination of high ticket prices and pandemic fears. People seem less likely to leave their homes these days.

 

[Dcgc28]

i think the simple answer here is everyone has a 50+ inch 4K tv at their house with air conditioning and snacks. Like honestly nothing beats being at a stadium but it’s a pretty close second.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree. I think the high price of tickets/parking/food for most sporting/music events is the main reason for the decline in attendance. Even before covid, many major events didn't have nearly as many people attending as a few years prior. People has lots of choices of how to spend their free time. Watching at home is far more convenient and less costly and people enjoy various activities with the families. I don't think politics has anything to do with it, no matter what your view on any issue, roughly 50% of the people won't agree with you. That hasn't changed in many years.

 

[DLgal]

I was never interested in attending sporting events. We watch baseball and football at home sometimes, but as background noise to whatever else we are doing. I don't have the attention span to sit and watch a 3-4 hour game, and I imagine I'm nit alone there. I'll go over to Angel's stadium once a season to catch a ball game if I can snag some $10 tickets or something. Otherwise I don't need it.

As for concerts, I think the big multi stadium/arena tours are still selling quite well, especially for big name acts. However, the trend in live music seems to be moving towards smaller, more intimate theater or amphitheater type venues. People today want to feel a connection to the artists, so residencies at smaller venues in places like Vegas are where it's at now. A lot of major musical talent can be found in Vegas now.

For our part, we will still pay big money to see a favorite artist/band up close live. No matter how good your home technology is, you cannot recreate a concert experience at home.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

My reasons for not attending events have all been mentioned, We use to go to several NHL games a year, but I haven't been in the last 4-5 seasons, I think. We did go to one NFL game last season and ended up with jerk "fans" behind us - yelling and swearing through the entire game, knocking into me several times, etc. It was really not very enjoyable. There were younger children around us and if I had my daughter with me, I would have been even more irritated. Two chicken sandwich meals and drinks from Chicken Guy that set us back like $40+ didn't help either. Our friends went to get a snack during halftime and missed the entire 3rd quarter because of the outrageous lines. This is supposed to be a fun time?? I'll order a pizza and watch from home, thankyouverymuch.

I'm tired of athletes and sports organizations telling me how I should feel about social justice, politics, how oppressed they are, etc., while they make millions of dollars for playing a game wearing sports gear made by slave labor over seas.