Fan support determines future

January 5, 2009
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helmetWhile Indianapolis Colts coaches—and fans—are asking themselves if there are some soft spots in the roster, the team’s sales and marketing executives are pondering a different question: Is the fan base soft?
They’re about to find out. With an impressive 81-game sellout streak in hand (and a 24,000-deep season ticket waiting list), the Colts head into an uncertain off-season.

The economy is still spiraling down, and the Colts may need to pump up ticket prices to shore up the roster. The Colts player payroll this year ($93.4 million) is among the lowest of the playoff teams, and certainly far below the San Diego Chargers’ payroll ($111.8 million). The franchise would appear to have some room to wiggle under the salary cap to bolster its roster. Peyton Manning could certainly aid that by restructuring his contract. But a ticket price increase might be in order to raise the needed cash to afford roster upgrades. Opinions vary on the Colts’ ability to keep their sellout streak alive if ticket prices increase while the economy tanks in this small NFL market. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has advised teams to be cautious in raising ticket prices this off-season.

The Colts will start their season ticket renewal process next month. Last year, Colts’ season ticket renewal was in the 98 percent range, but meeting that level this year could be a challenge. With numerous season tickets going to corporate clients, sports marketers expect the soft economy to have a significant impact. The Colts might have another problem. When the team moved from the 56,000-seat RCA Dome to 63,000-seat Lucas Oil Stadium, Colts officials gave existing ticket holders the opportunity to buy more tickets. Sports marketers think those same fans may now dump some of their tickets, glutting the market at an unfortunate time. The fans who were eager to buy tickets a year ago when the economy was solid, may now be too concerned with their home loan or job search to buy tickets. “We should know what the situation is by the end of March,” said Tom Zupancic, the Colts’ sales and marketing boss.

To read more about season ticket sales, and see where the Colts sellout streak ranks among the 32 NFL teams, click here.
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  • DanielJanuary 5, 2009 12:27 PM
    I can see why the Colts organization would want more money, but I really hope they don't raise ticket prices. In my opinion, there was already a fair amount of sticker shock when buying tickets for the first time at the new statdium when compared to the dome. As an anecdote, I paid $74/seat to sit in the nosebleed section (3 rows from the top - that's REALLY high up there). My wife and I looked at each other thinking that it really wasn't worth it.
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  • bigjerJanuary 5, 2009 1:45 PM
    I hope the Colts do keep all the fans, except in the section below mine. I am requesting to move my seats down for next year and that cannot happen if they are already gone. I know selfish, however, I am tired of reminding the ushers to not stand on the rail which blocks my view.
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  1. liek the rest of America

  2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

  3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

  4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

  5. whoa!

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