February 11, 2004
Dollar Bill Will Be the Death of Us
http://www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti/cst-spt-jay10.html
In this Chicago Sun-Times article, Jay Mariotti talks about the sad state of hockey in Chicago. The Blackhawks are one of the most pitiful teams in the NHL, which I knew. I did not know that they were one of the most pitiful teams in professional sports. ESPN The Magazine ranked the Hawks dead last out of 121 teams. They finished bottom three in six of eight categories: affordability, championships, ownership, stadium experience, fan relations, and players. Such consistency is an achievement of sorts. Dollar Bill Wirtz, the team's owner, won't broadcast local games on television, out of a mistaken belief that this will make people want to go to the game. And now he's gearing up to lead the owners in the upcoming labor dispute. It's like he settled on a strategy designed to drive fans away.
Despite this, I still go to games. I can get a ticket for $8, which is a lot better than the average price of $50 (I wonder how they figure that? Average seat sold, or average seat available?). I try to go when there are good teams in town, because the Hawks are capable of at least making an effort against good teams. I love an underdog, and according to everything I have read, the Hawks are the biggest underdogs of them all: even their owner is against them.
Posted by mike, February 11, 2004 11:12 AMI know. The dollar bill will be the end of us all. Can you beleive that even after the European Union asked that our government do something about the sinking dollar, the President refused? How is letting the dollar become worthless going to help our economy? That is stupid.
Oh. Wrong dollar bill. Sorry.
I think the $50 average on their tickets is based on the fact that most people who go to the games are not "students." And some of them actually sit in the front. The lower level tickets are $75-$250! Club level is $50-60. And the upper level for the non-students and honest patrons are $15-$40.
Honestly, though, these prices are not really all that different from other arenas. The club level there is actually pretty cheap! Club level there probably sucks, eh? Anyway, Tampa's overall tickets are a little lower, but not much. Detroits are roughly the same, as are Philly's. Then again, they have decent teams!
Let's look at some of the crap teams:
Pittsburgh: $85 for lower level, $85- $135 for club, and $20-40 for upper level.
Columbus: $24-70 for lower level, $92-137 for club, and $16-43 for upper level.
Florida: $60-250 for lower level, $70-120 for club, $14-50 for upper level.
Carolina: $52-125 for lower level, $65-99 for club, $12-35 for upper level.
Phoenix: $225 for lower level, $110 for club, and $50 for upper level. Not THAT really SUCKS.
Anyway, the prices for Chicago are not THAT bad. The overall prices in the NHL are just too high in general. That said, if the CBA works the owner's way they are supposed to lower ticket prices. Betcha Bill Wirtz won't! No doubt he is a big, business prick with no concept on how to run a team. You should start a ticket to get him forced into selling the team. I'll buy it for one dollar and make it profitable and realistically competitive.
Maybe I had better make it one Euro instead!
Posted by: shane at February 11, 2004 12:24 PMI don't know what "club level" means, but Shawn bought us $50 tickets once last year, and we were right at the front of the second deck. Is that club level? Then the seats were really awesome. There really aren't any "bad" seats in the place, since it was designed to help people watch Michael Jordan.
Posted by: mike at February 11, 2004 12:31 PM"Club level" means several different things, depending on the arena. I think that is why you see such a variation in prices. Sometimes it just means that there is a small, second tier level. Sometimes it means there are bigger seats and a waiter. Sometimes a combination of both. You guys likely had some kind of second tier thing, which are very groovy seats in the arenas that have them! Not TOO expensive, and not up top.
Angela and I always get the cheap seats in Tampa, and even if you are all the way back against the wall you can see pretty damned good. That is one thing I really love about hockey.
Posted by: shane at February 11, 2004 1:28 PMIt is sad that with the existence of the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays the Blackhawks are still last on the list. I am thoroughly depressed.
Posted by: Shawn at February 11, 2004 4:55 PMHey, Mike! Maybe you can have the assassin that took out Rob Blake's leg go after Wirtz next. You bastard! : -)
Posted by: shane at February 12, 2004 8:24 AMSpeaking of the Black Hawks, let us wish a very happy birthday to Darren Pang! Former goaltender for the Hawks, and current analyst for ESPN, Darren turns 40 years old today. Congratulations, Panger! Woo!
Posted by: shane at February 17, 2004 2:49 PM