Local pro sports teams reach out to recession-hit fans
The Falcons have rebooted. The Braves are charging -- or is it hobbling? -- into the homestretch. The Hawks have begun to hawk tickets, as have the Thrashers, for seasons on the horizon.
It's multiple choice time for on-the-scene supporters of Atlanta pro sports, but the cash-strapped among them might have to limit their patronage. Or, worse, select none of the above and cheer (or jeer) from their La-Z-Boy in front of the TV.
The local franchises are not writing off those whose discretionary spending has been sacked by the recession. While regular ticket prices remain daunting for many, teams are pitching alternatives, such as single-game promotions, inexpensive seats or multi-game packages that are easier on the wallet than an entire season.
FALCONS: For years, ticket offices of most successful NFL teams operated virtually on auto-pilot: renew season tickets.
"It's a different business now," team president Rich McKay said. "Fans will tell you, ‘I need more options.'"
When Arthur Blank purchased the Falcons in 2002, four ticket levels were available. Now, it's 13, beginning at $29 for season tickets. (Those are sold out, with $35 now the least painful.) Single-game seats start at $55.
"What [teams] have realized is, to give people more choices, you have to offer more price points," McKay said. "It's a recent phenomenon."
Falcons devotees unwilling to splurge for all 10 home games can opt for sets of two, three, four or even eight games. Discounts for groups also can be had.
The Falcons' average ticket price was 14th highest in the NFL last year, based on a fan cost index compiled by Team Marketing Research (TMR).
A recent USA Today report listed the Falcons among 18 teams that have hiked the average price this season, with 26,000 seats at the Georgia Dome going up and 680 down. Complaints have been registered on a website fan forum operated by the club.
BRAVES: The peanuts-and-crackerjack experience can be had for a buck or $300 or nearly two dozen prices in between, estimated Derek Schiller, the Braves' executive vice president of sales and marketing.
"The nature of our business is, when you have 81 home games, you're going to be as creative as possible," Schiller said.
The creativity did not end with opening day. At the All-Star break, with the Braves atop the NL East, a Pennant Race Six-Pack was rolled out, with reduced prices per game on average. A 10-game assortment, named in honor of Brian McCann's All-Star game selection, also was turned loose with a T-shirt thrown in.
All season, a variety of other packages has been offered: four games, nine games, 20-plus games. There are so many, in fact, that Schiller expressed concern that buyers might get confused.
"What is here to stay," he said, "is teams will have to have the full gamut of pricing options."
The range begins at a rock-bottom $1, covering 180 seats in a distant section each game.
"Not many things you can do in this day and age for a dollar," Schiller said.
The TMR's fan index rates the Braves as a relative bargain, with the 27th lowest average cost in the major leagues.
HAWKS/THRASHERS:
The Atlanta Spirit, which owns both teams, are keeping a lid on the cost of season tickets for the upcoming seasons. In some cases, it is allowing buyers longer than ever to pay for them.
"We are sensitive to our fans and what has gone on with the economy," said Tracy White, the Spirit's senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Hawks prices edged up slightly less than one percent, with most of the bump attributed to the VIP section, according to White. The tab for Thrashers followers has stayed flat or decreased by up to 35 percent, he indicated.
The TMR fan index listed the Hawks with the 12th highest average ticket among NBA teams last season, the first time since 2001-02 in which the average ticket price league-wide declined. The Thrashers were 14th in the NHL.
Single-game seats have yet to be placed on sale. The most affordable a year ago was $10, an amount not expected to vary appreciably, if at all, this season.
Customers who re-upped for season-long seats as early as February could accept payment plans for up to an unprecedented eight months.
Both clubs are dangling flex plans for multiple games, with a significant difference between the two.
For the Hawks, those packages do not include marquee opponents such as the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Thrashers, for the first time, are allowing shoppers to select any visiting team in their mini-sets, a minimum of six games.
The teams will continue to discount seats on selected weekdays, admit students and military members at cut rates and hold Family Nights, in which four fans get in together on the cheap, whether or not they are related.
White took notice of a limited "Name Your Price" promotion by the NHL's Florida Panthers. Fans were invited to make a "reasonable" bid on seats and the team would decide whether to accept them.
Chuckling, White said, "That's not something we will be doing."
and cheer (or jeer) from their La-Z-boy in front of the TV.
