Sports fans swapping season tickets for HDTVs?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2007 at 7:54AM

C'mon, don't act surprised -- now that just about every team (and every game) that you can imagine gets televised in some form or another, it's not shocking at all to hear that some devoted season ticket holders are trading in their seats for HDTVs. Folks in the industry are noticing that rising ticket prices combined with greater availability of televised games are enticing fans to opt for the more comfortable couch, and "a study by the Consumer Electronics Association showed about three in ten sports fans" would rather watch events in HD than actually go. Furthermore, of the 48-percent surveyed who were looking to upgrade their set within two years, "more than half were sports fans." So, dear readers, how has the abundance of televised sporting events changed your views on making it to the stadium, if at all?

Filed under: Industry, Sports

Tags: attending, football, sport, sporting event, SportingEvent, sports, tickets

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Galley @ Sep 18th 2007 9:12AM

Hmmm... watch nearly every game on a satellite sports package, or attend one game with your family (usually at a higher total cost).

Neutral

Hador_NYC @ Sep 18th 2007 9:37AM

My dad and I were thinking the same thing as we were freezing our buts off at Yankee stadium last night. It's cold, food is way overpriced, and even upper deck seats are $42. Plus, the instant replays, even if they aren't used in baseball are still fun to watch as they replay close games on tv, are a great value to me as a fan. Yeah, I'd have to say watching from home is better. That's why we only go to 10-12 games a year.

Neutral

sshah87 @ Sep 18th 2007 9:43AM

Nothing truly compares to actually being at a baseball game, but at $30-$50 per ticket for decent seats, It's just not worth going to more than one or two games a season anymore, especially when I can get closer to the action at home with my HDTV.

Neutral

John Wilkerson @ Sep 18th 2007 10:55AM

And dont forget about the beer... WAY cheaper at home...

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BlueOrder @ Sep 18th 2007 10:12AM

If I didn't have to take out a mortgage on my house to take my family to an NFL game I'd go more often.

Ticket prices for sporting events in general have just been getting ridiculous. And that is for face value.

People, stop paying the ridiculous high prices...please?

The couch, a beer, some chips and my HDTV are just fine by me right now.

Neutral

robert @ Sep 18th 2007 4:09PM

well... if you do what we do, which is go to the game til halftime, in which case (if its college) the alcohol wears off and the urge to go home and watch in HD and drink more becomes an awesome alternative!

Its not always about doing one or the other. its about utilizing both to make those weekends oh so sweet! (esp if you sit in a cube... *yawns in cube*)

go raiders!!! :D

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Whitesoxfan5622 @ Sep 18th 2007 5:23PM

My family likes to watch it on the 65 inch DLP. Not only can you see it better you can rewind plays unlike at the game.

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JeffDM @ Sep 18th 2007 7:02PM

Unless there is something very wrong, the weather's always nice in the living room or home theater room. Not all stadiums can guarantee that. I personally wouldn't want to pay stadium pricing for a seat that makes economy class flight look comfortable.

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AbbadonTD @ Sep 19th 2007 10:23AM

HD is sadly all about sports. As someone very attached to sales, I can confidently say that 90% of men buying HD state they are "sports fans". I can also say that most of these are not sports fans at all, but need to put up that "persona" when around other people. You know what, Musicals and the Discovery channel look awsome in HD too, you can admit that people. This is a horribly skewed number that reflects the american male archiotype that you must love sports.

On top of that, Women are more likely to bring it up when shopping alone, and make better decisions. Most men dont want to hear that a Pioneer Elite is a great TV for sports, but a Woman WILL hear that.

This stat is nothing more than the usual blast of keeping stereotypes strong in the US.

Neutral

joeftl @ Sep 19th 2007 11:18AM

With the Sunday Ticket and MLB Extra Innings I get to watch so many games in HD, that it makes it hard to pay the money to see it in person. Plus the weather in South Florida is so unpredictable, and the Dolphins are just as bad.

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Michael @ Sep 19th 2007 11:17AM

This article is basically just an extension of the old argument about going to a movie theater to see a film or staying home and watching it in one's own home theater system. The only difference is the price of admission. While it costs an outrageous amount to go to the movies, that ticket price is a mere pittance compared to a pro/collegiate sporting event. You can even throw in the occasional concert or Broadway show as well. No matter what, my home theater is my favorite place to see any of these. I can watch/listen to Peter Frampton, The Eagles, Gwen Stefani, Metallica, Rush et al from literally the front row of my living room at a volume level that is my own preference (and usually on a sound system that's much better tuned than the one I'd hear live!). Comparable tickets to any of these shows would cost me at least what my HD-DVD player cost me. Why would I want to go to ANY of these events with 30,000-40,000 of my "closest" drunk friends when I can have the intimacy my living room provides? The same goes for sporting events. While there's certainly no replacing the actual live experience itself, saving hundreds of dollars a pop goes a long way towards making it less necessary for me to actually go myself.

Oh, Abbadon I agree with your assessment of so called sports fans out shopping for HD for the most part. However I will promise most new HD shoppers that it's far easier to get your wife to agree to your new purchase if you DON'T suggest to her that your butt will be firmly in the recliner every weekend while you watch your team play. Bad idea!!!

Neutral

Moaner @ Sep 20th 2007 8:42AM

I generally fall in the camp of watching the game on my HD setup. Between the high price of the event, the stupid price of the food and drink, and the frustration of traffic to and from the venue who would want to go?

My real reason to ignore the negative and go would be the tailgate before and after the game. In contrast to Michael, I find value in partying with 30,000-40,000 of my "closest" drunk friends. That alone is a reason to go. And while not quite like hanging on the beach there's something about scoping out the babes that invariably attend the games.

Neutral

Kevin O @ Sep 20th 2007 2:20PM

Wouldn't it be weird if, most likely after our deaths, there weren't any more stadiums? Let's say there's about 200 seats surrounding a field and that's it. Simply because the majority of people want to watch it at home, in HD? They redesign the stadium to look great in High Def and surround the whole thing with some seats. I dunno... maybe something's being piped into my air conditioner.

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