What the hell is up with the Bills getting pats on their back for selling out two home games this year? This whole "They are coming out of the gates quickly" is just nonsense. I'm not much of a gambler, but I'd be sure to take the bet that every home opener for the next 15 years is going to sell out. No matter how great or poor the Bills are, it's always exciting to attend a home opener in Orchard Park. Hell, I'll say attending a home opener in every team sport is probably a good time if you're a fan of the team.
It's also about going down to the stadium, firing up the grill, eating salsa and getting trashed. It's about celebrating that football has returned after a 9 month hiatus. Simple as that. As for the Steelers game, come on! Everyone knows that game sold out because Pittsburgh is like three hours away and their fan base travels in droves. I assure you, that crowd is going to have a pro-Steelers feel.
Personally, I think this is going to be the year that the fans will NOT be going out in droves to attend games. I'm not saying it's going to resemble Ralph Wilson Stadium circa 1984, but I think we will have some blackouts in December. TBN reported that the numbers for season tickets this year is currently below 50,000, which would be a drop of almost 7,000 from last year. I think the majority of the fan base attending those games are there for the atmosphere, football and beer. As for the fans staying home, I think they are just done with believing that this team is going to contend for the playoffs. Sorry, but the Bills didn't do much in the offseason to make anyone want to believe in the team for this year.
Bottom line: Saying that the Bills are off to a quick start doesn't cut it if you compare it to last year. The Bills sold out their first three games last year by June 8th and only had to sell out two more games by September. Plus, the home schedule sure doesn't look that attractive. Going into last year, you had home games against the Colts, Saints, Texans and division opponents. As for this year, do you really want to see Detroit, Cleveland and Jacksonville? Sorry, but I've seen one too many Browns games over the years.
I would like to see Detroit, they are a young and exciting team with a developing offense. You're right about this not being a big deal though, its the November December games that matter.
ReplyDeleteBut what about the numbers from two years ago? i feel like that year is a better control than last year since it was all T.O. drama.
this really warranted a column?
ReplyDeleteIt did warrant a column because people were acting as if it was a big deal. Its not and Ralph should be worried.
ReplyDeleteDan, yes Detroit is young, but a casual football fan might bypass their youth.