Thread: Price gouging for opening night tickets

Originally Posted by jt

Geezus...you practically revel in this...

Maybe a little, but I have to expect it. I recall seeing an article where we were like 29th in the league for the average ticket price some years ago.

Originally Posted by jt

Fandom doesn't work that way...and neither should sports team ownership...

For the most part, sports team ownership is a losing proposition. They are just trying to lose less money.

Originally Posted by FishMonger

It really seems like a lot of people here would be OK with that. It's market value, to hell with fans who stuck around. They are't rich enough.

The people bitching aren't season ticket holders. Some of us who have stuck around for 20+ years, paid for the seasons of crap and gave away piles of tickets some years to the games we couldn't go because nobody would buy them. Those that we could sell were often sold at less than our cost, which is under the perceived "Face Value".

Originally Posted by jt

It's not shocking, it's upsetting...and disappointing.

That's your perspective, not mine. If I can't go to some games now, I will likely be able to sell them for MORE than I paid.

Originally Posted by jt

I call BS.

I was only speaking in terms of age, not maturity.

Originally Posted by Birdman

Maybe a little, but I have to expect it. I recall seeing an article where we were like 29th in the league for the average ticket price some years ago.

For the most part, sports team ownership is a losing proposition. They are just trying to lose less money.

The people bitching aren't season ticket holders. Some of us who have stuck around for 20+ years, paid for the seasons of crap and gave away piles of tickets some years to the games we couldn't go because nobody would buy them. Those that we could sell were often sold at less than our cost, which is under the perceived "Face Value".

Well I've been a season ticket holder for more than 20 years and I think it sucks. I pretty much agree with everything Santiclaws has posted.

I think the lockout was a pretty good example of how the NHL is about business. In my case, after 12 years in the same seats my price is suddenly going way up this season because Luc and his team decided based on some analysis that they were undervalued. They are constantly looking for any way to generate additional $$, and with wages still fairly stagnant that requires creative thinking. (Please God, don't let them put the M on the game jerseys like they've done with the practice ones!) Dynamic pricing for popular games is just another way to maximize profit. Why leave money on the table for the brokers? Luc gets paid to increase revenue each year and he does it by finding more ways to squeeze it out of the fans. AEG has put itself up for sale so they want attract buyers by showing good numbers across all their various properties. Goodwill with the fans? That is now a thing of the past. This is just business now.

BTW, the fact that the Kings offered no big plans at their press conference to "win back the fans" shows something: they don't think they need to.

Originally Posted by darby

Outta curiosity, what was the lowest face value for Game 6 and what did people pay for that? I ask because the Kings may've been able to sell, what? 23,000 tickets to this game if they'd priced them at $40? 27-30,000? More? Same as with Game 6.

I think you just hit upon a solution. Overflow seating at dodger stadium. They can sell an extra 56,000 tickets.

Game 6 last year was 250 dollars for the 300 level. Also, you do know that stokes only holds 18,118 (plus standing only tickets) for a hockey game.

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Originally Posted by DeaderFan

This is just business now.

BTW, the fact that the Kings offered no big plans at their press conference to "win back the fans" shows something: they don't think they need to.

It's always been "just business." The only reason they bent over backwards in years past to keep you was because they had to in order to get you to renew seats. Now they don't.

Also, they donated $1,000,000 to local LA based charities. I'm glad they did that rather than feed my fat ass a hot dog or two on Saturday.

Originally Posted by Deuce

It's always been "just business." The only reason they bent over backwards in years past to keep you was because they had to in order to get you to renew seats. Now they don't.

Also, they donated $1,000,000 to local LA based charities. I'm glad they did that rather than feed my fat ass a hot dog or two on Saturday.

I never talk **** about someone donating money to charity. But the team saw what every other organization did regarding merch discounts, freebies, or other stuff. Then they said that the fans don't care about that stuff, they just want a repeat. Then to make sure that no one could complain they donated a million bucks to charity.

Don't get me wrong, the donation was awesome. It was also an ass covering move AND it was cheaper than what the Penguins are doing with free concessions and discounts.

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Originally Posted by santiclaws

Being a fan is being delusional. It is utterly irrational. It is absolutely absurd. The fact that I care about how a bunch of guys in skates who don't know me from a sack of wheat do in a game is ludicrous. I'm a grown man, for crying out loud. People on this board admitted to crying at Game Six. You think they were crying because they imagined the profits AEG would rake in as a result of winning the Cup? If someone told me I'm an idiot for caring, how could I not agree?

The fact is that sports teams are selling delusion. They're in cahoots with the fans, who are willing participants in being deluded. That the team cares about "the fans." That somehow the fans have some input. That by being present at a game they "participated." Since I've been a fan, the team has changed players, coaches, owners, building and uniforms. There is virtually no connection between team I started rooting for and the current team except for the name. That's it. When you get down to it, I'm a fan of a freaking name of a sports team. It's moronic, frankly. But the team and I pretend that I matter. That there's something in being a "loyal fan" besides income for the corporation who currently happens to own the name. We are both willing participants in the deception. Any time a sports team reminds me that rationally, I am an idiot for caring about them in any way, I get a little uncomfortable. I know he's there, but I don't want to see the man behind the curtain.

Again, from a business perspective I don't think it is a very wise decision. There is a reason tobacco companies used to sell cigarettes with cartoon characters. There's a reason the price of a six pack of Coke in the store does not come close to keeping up with inflation. You need future customers. When you prevent future customers from becoming current customers by pricing them out of your product, what's going to happen? The Kings were selling a lot of tickets long before they became any good. Eventually, not too many years from now, they'll suck again and all those people clamoring for tickets now will not want them anymore. They'll buy Lakers tickets or Clippers tickets or whatever the new hot thing happens to be then. If you haven't expanded your customer based and alienated your long-time customers by pricing them out of your product, you're not going to do so well.

This is the best post I have ever read on LGK.

Just to clear up a misconception that has been mentioned a few times in this thread... People keep asking how the Kings could do this "after a lockout..." and suggest that because of the lockout, the Kings should not have raised the price this high.

The fact is that the Kings had priced these tickets at the end of last season before the lockout was official. The individual game tickets went on sale BEFORE the lockout and opening night (09-11-12) sold out BEFORE the lockout. Even back then, the tickets were $155 for the cheap seats. I know this as fact as I bought 2 of them. Ticketmaster printed and shipped these tickets BEFORE the lockout.

An option was given to everyone that purchased opening night tickets. Get a full refund, or keep your seats for whenever opening night would end up being. The majority of people (from what I hear) decided not to receive the refund. This explains why it was so hard to find seats when they went on sale this past Monday, because the event was already almost sold out from the original sale date. It also means that the Kings could NOT lower the price as a sign of "goodwill" because of the lockout. They had already sold most of the tickets prior to the lockout for the $155 and up price tag. How could they sell the remaining tickets for less and be fair to those that had already bought them?

Anyway, I am not chiming it to argue the point, I just want to put to bed the ridiculous argument that the lockout should have effected the pricing of the opening night.

Originally Posted by waterboy100

I never talk **** about someone donating money to charity. But the team saw what every other organization did regarding merch discounts, freebies, or other stuff. Then they said that the fans don't care about that stuff, they just want a repeat. Then to make sure that no one could complain they donated a million bucks to charity.

Don't get me wrong, the donation was awesome. It was also an ass covering move AND it was cheaper than what the Penguins are doing with free concessions and discounts.

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Not trying to be a jerk so please don't take it that way.

What have other teams done? I heard about the Pens. The others I've heard about are the Stars giving free tix to kids under 12, Lightning doing $200 season seats and the Ducks giving away a voucher for 50% off a future game. What do all those teams other than Pitt have in common? Low demand for tickets. Hardly a "Sorry for the lockout" gesture. Those teams would be doing something similar anyway, they need to get fans into seats.

The Kings donating $1,000,000 to our community is fine by me. Not going to hear me bitch about not getting a free soda or 50% off a t-shirt.