New Year's Eve saw the basketball team fall from the ranks of the undefeated-losing to the Spartans. Then the football team followed the grand tradition of the Big Ten in bowl games (Iowa looking good as I write this), getting killed by the Kansas Jayhawks in the Insight Bowl.
But we all know that the folks in Minnesota are GREAT sports-latest reports are that the Vikings v. Eagles playoff game is NOT a sell-out and the game could be blacked-out locally (won't happen-especially if Eagles' fans can get cheap airfare to Minny.) What's the excuse, Minnesotans? It is too cold? Oh what, the game's indoor. As Chicagoans overpay to sit outside today for a hockey game- some fans just continue to prove that they are not in the same class as those of us who live in a great sports' town!!
1 comment:
The problem with Vikings ticket sales is that 45% of season ticket holders (i.e., the folks who've helped sell out the Dome for every game over the last 10 years) didn't buy playoff tickets.
Why? Several reasons:
(1) Season ticket holders received their playoff ticket invoices on or about December 10, with a payment due date of December 19.
(2) Even as of December 19, the Vikings hadn't made the playoffs.
(3) Accordingly, season ticket holders were faced with a choice roughly 5 days in advance of Christmas to: (a) spend a huge chunk of change on playoff tickets for both the Wildcard and Conference Championship games without any guarantee that the ticket holder would get to see ANY GAME; or (b) spend their money on other things (e.g., Christmas gifts).
(4) This situation is not new. The Vikings haven't hosted a playoff game in 8 years, and Vikings season ticket holders have been repeatedly burned in recent years by paying for playoff tickets for playoff games that don't occur. See, e.g., (a) the 2003 season-ending loss to the Cardinals on the last play of the season -- causing the Vikings to miss the playoffs; (b) the 2005 team finished 9-7 but missed the playoffs; (c) the 2007 backed out of the playoffs by losing at home to a weak Washington team (that made the playoffs in the Vikings' stead).
(5) Childress only managed to get this star-studded team into the playoffs on at around 3:20 p.m. on December 28th. Had he managed to guide the team to a win over a weak Tampa squad, their playoff spot would have been secured much earlier and allowed the team to issue invoices for playoff games that would, necessarily, be played. (Instead, after taking a 13-6 halftime lead on the road, Childress guided the squad to 0 points in the second half, allowing the Buc to win 19-13.)
(6) Ultimately, the season ticket holders that didn't buy tickets lacked one of two things: (a) money; or (b) confidence in Childress.
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