Winnipeg Sun: Jets, Mark Chipman, call for help as attendance decreases

[joelef]

I can guarantee you that the tv’s in Winnipeg are tuned in on game day.
Bet you can’t say the same for about 2/3rds of American clubs.

Just applying the same standards that Canadian fans have done with “ unworthy “ markets .

 

[edog37]

I can guarantee you that the tv’s in Winnipeg are tuned in on game day.
Bet you can’t say the same for about 2/3rds of American clubs.

Stop making excuses for poor attendance. You guys set the standard, now live up to it.

Just applying the same standards that Canadian fans have done with “ unworthy “ markets .

1000% agree. They don’t like it when the very standard they set is applied. It’s called hypocrisy.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

I can guarantee you that the tv’s in Winnipeg are tuned in on game day.
Bet you can’t say the same for about 2/3rds of American clubs.

Okay. And when the Jets get moved out to another American market, like anyone with half a mind could have, and absolutely did predict when the bloom came off the rose, what will be the excuse then? That the big bad NHL conspired to screw over the Jets again?

Considering how Jets fans in general have been puffing out their chest that they are so much better then the bottom class of the NHL in terms of attendance and fan support since they came back, it's time to put up or shut up. And evidently, even with the knowledge that sport waxes and wanes due to outside and internal factors, Jets fans like yourself will continue to talk and pump your tires, even when the moving trucks are just outside the arena.

 

[Jedub]

Okay. And when the Jets get moved out to another American market, like anyone with half a mind could have, and absolutely did predict when the bloom came off the rose, what will be the excuse then? That the big bad NHL conspired to screw over the Jets again?

Considering how Jets fans in general have been puffing out their chest that they are so much better then the bottom class of the NHL in terms of attendance and fan support since they came back, it's time to put up or shut up. And evidently, even with the knowledge that sport waxes and wanes due to outside and internal factors, Jets fans like yourself will continue to talk and pump your tires, even when the moving trucks are just outside the arena.

There's 0 chance the jets are moving with this ownership group. Maybe stop watching anime and learn something about the real world once in a while.

 

[Lions67]

Stop making excuses for poor attendance. You guys set the standard, now live up to it.


1000% agree. They don’t like it when the very standard they set is applied. It’s called hypocrisy.

When the day comes that we can just literally pick up game day tickets from a patio table for NOTHING will be the day we live up to the “standard “

 

[Bixby Snyder]

There's 0 chance the jets are moving with this ownership group. Maybe stop watching anime and learn something about the real world once in a while.

Even billionaires are mortal, when David Thompson is out of the picture the Jet's future will become much less certain.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

When the day comes that we can just literally pick up game day tickets from a patio table for NOTHING will be the day we live up to the “standard “

So if TV viewership and tickets prices are so much more in Winnipeg than those markets you see as unworthy then why are the Jets down at the bottom of the team valuations list with those same teams?

Okay. And when the Jets get moved out to another American market, like anyone with half a mind could have, and absolutely did predict when the bloom came off the rose, what will be the excuse then? That the big bad NHL conspired to screw over the Jets again?

Considering how Jets fans in general have been puffing out their chest that they are so much better then the bottom class of the NHL in terms of attendance and fan support since they came back, it's time to put up or shut up. And evidently, even with the knowledge that sport waxes and wanes due to outside and internal factors, Jets fans like yourself will continue to talk and pump your tires, even when the moving trucks are just outside the arena.

I certainly will not shed a tear when it happens.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

When the day comes that we can just literally pick up game day tickets from a patio table for NOTHING will be the day we live up to the “standard “

No no no. The claim made here by people like you is markets like WInnipeg will make up for their smaller size by selling out every game. That is the standard set by people like you.

If you don't want to be held to that standard then people of your ilk need to stop demanding teams from south move to Canada every other second.

 

[deleted user]

No no no. The claim made here by people like you is markets like WInnipeg will make up for their smaller size by selling out every game. That is the standard set by people like you.

If you don't want to be held to that standard then people of your ilk need to stop demanding teams from south move to Canada every other second.

Fair.

 

[Roadrage]

If the same standard is applied to Jets as with the Coyotes, then Winnipeg is safe for at least 20 years. Nothing to worry about until then.

 

[Jedub]

Even billionaires are mortal, when David Thompson is out of the picture the Jet's future will become much less certain.

David Thomson has his family's wealth safely handled by a trust for the next 100 generations. And he would never have gotten involved if the Jets weren't part of a larger overall business plan that guaranteed additional revenue streams or sources of wealth that would keep the hockey team liquid through tough (and extremely forseeable) times. TNSE got involved with Thomson through real estate dealings. And TNSE is in the process of buying up as much of downtown Winnipeg as they can. Nothing is impossible, but if the Jets leave, its almost certain that it would be because of a wider meltdown in the Canadian economy. And I mean MELTDOWN, like, great depression type stuff.

 

[Melrose Munch]

If the league was considering expansion today and Winnipeg didn't have a team, would they get one?

If you're honest, you know the answers to this.

 

[TheLegend]

If the same standard is applied to Jets as with the Coyotes, then Winnipeg is safe for at least 20 years. Nothing to worry about until then.

If the standard is (and it’s the only one Bettman consistently put forward) they have an ownership who wants to be in that market.

Frankly I don’t think the Jets are going anywhere as long as TNSE is the owner.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

David Thomson has his family's wealth safely handled by a trust for the next 100 generations. And he would never have gotten involved if the Jets weren't part of a larger overall business plan that guaranteed additional revenue streams or sources of wealth that would keep the hockey team liquid through tough (and extremely forseeable) times. TNSE got involved with Thomson through real estate dealings. And TNSE is in the process of buying up as much of downtown Winnipeg as they can. Nothing is impossible, but if the Jets leave, its almost certain that it would be because of a wider meltdown in the Canadian economy. And I mean MELTDOWN, like, great depression type stuff.

Either that or arena extortion.

 

[WpgSteve]

Winnipeg is 50% smaller than the next smallest market (Buffalo). The only way a team works is if it gets support disproportionate to all other markets.

I think the hope was that having an NHL team would be a significant source of pride for the community, leading to disproportionate support. That model worked for a while, but has been tested due to disappointing team performance, fan fatigue, poor customer services and the pandemic disrupting people's normal habits.

TNSE now faces the challenge of having to rebuild its season ticket holder base when the nostalgia of Jets 2.0 has worn off. I believe they are in it for the long haul and will do everything they can. At some point, the community will have to do it's part. I hope Winnipeg steps up. It won't get a third chance.

 

[BB79]

Honestly going to a game has become so expensive for the average person. For a team that has lower number of businesses holding season ticket, the costly outing would turn alot away and just resort to watching on TV. I can't see prices every coming back down to reasonable levels unfortunately.

^^this 100% ...goes for all sports too

 

[Lions67]

If the league was considering expansion today and Winnipeg didn't have a team, would they get one?

If you're honest, you know the answers to this.

But we do….
So the question is irrelevant.
But I’m picking up what you’re putting down.

 

[edog37]

When the day comes that we can just literally pick up game day tickets from a patio table for NOTHING will be the day we live up to the “standard “

So quit making excuses & fill your arena.

 

[Gnashville]

I can guarantee you that the tv’s in Winnipeg are tuned in on game day.
Bet you can’t say the same for about 2/3rds of American clubs.

So after years and years of people saying that attendance is the only indicator of fan interest now it’s TV ratings?

 

[BMN]

So after years and years of people saying that attendance is the only indicator of fan interest now it’s TV ratings?

Honestly bringing up TV ratings is a weak counterargument for Winnipeg fans. Most fans on this board that argue for less Canadian teams will trot out "putting a team in ×___________×, Canada might add a little bit in gate revenues but the real money is in TV and people in ×_________×, Canada are already watching the NHL on TV anyway...you haven't added any new viewers."

So saying "all the bars are set to Jets games on TVs" isn't really going to logically disarm your "opponent's" perspective unless you can argue that those TVs *wouldn't* have been set to the NHL otherwise.

Also, I agree with the point that the Jets, attendance-wise, weirdly suffered from being so successful gatewise for an extended period that the waitlist was lost. It's the cycle of marketing, you have a big wait list, you have FOMO to drive the price up. If the FOMO dissipates, the waitlist gets smaller. The Jets are on the backend of that cycle. From a strictly personal perspective, I think all major league sports are too expensive and I'd love to see prices driven down. From a cynical outsider perspective though, the worst thing the Jets could do is resort to the bargain price approach in a market that small. They're still better off with 11K paying premium prices than they are with killing the margin just to have 15K in the building.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

I can guarantee you that the tv’s in Winnipeg are tuned in on game day.
Bet you can’t say the same for about 2/3rds of American clubs.

lol if you listen closely you can hear the bar being lowered post by post

 

[tarheelhockey]

David Thomson has his family's wealth safely handled by a trust for the next 100 generations.

What are the terms of that trust?

 

[Dr Robot]

Winnipeg currently sits 5th in the West and 7th in the league overall using point%. I feel it would be hard to make the argument that low attendance is based on quality of play this year.

I'll use SeatGeek to compare prices even though StubHub is probably cheaper. Looking at the cheap seats only, surcharge included. Weekday games go for about $30-35 and Saturday games seem to be about $80. I even saw a few weekend games in there for less than that. Just comparing that to my STL Blues, 30 for a weekday in the nosebleed section is about right and the weekend games seems slightly cheaper. Overall I would say those tickets are fairly cheap in comparison to much of the NHL. Not sure what's actually causing the low attendance.

 

[Tasteless Beaver]

Winnipeg currently sits 5th in the West and 7th in the league overall using point%. I feel it would be hard to make the argument that low attendance is based on quality of play this year.

I'll use SeatGeek to compare prices even though StubHub is probably cheaper. Looking at the cheap seats only, surcharge included. Weekday games go for about $30-35 and Saturday games seem to be about $80. I even saw a few weekend games in there for less than that. Just comparing that to my STL Blues, 30 for a weekday in the nosebleed section is about right and the weekend games seems slightly cheaper. Overall I would say those tickets are fairly cheap in comparison to much of the NHL. Not sure what's actually causing the low attendance.

Once again, the cheapest ticket in the house through the official channel is usually $60+ Canadian when all the fees are factored in, which is one of the more expensive tickets in the league. This has been covered many, many times here. Season tickets used to be an attractive proposition and the reason why so few single tickets were available, but TNSE squeezed every last dime out of them until they walked away. If they wanted to retain STHs, they should’ve frozen ST prices for anyone under contract instead of choosing near-maximum increases every single year to the people under those contracts. They traded long-term commitment and excitement for immediate profits, so people walked away when it became untenable. Loyalty is a two way street, after all.

I see a lot of generalizations about “Jets fans mock southern markets so it’s only fair we do it to them” as justification of criticism here. I can’t say I’ve seen much of this. We know what it’s like to lose a team better than any other active fan base on HF. We know it’s not pleasant to experience it or even joke about it and I highly doubt the average Jets fan would wish it on someone else. Instead it sounds like a false justification to just be nasty, which doesn’t surprise me around here.

 

[Dr Robot]

Once again, the cheapest ticket in the house through the official channel is usually $60+ Canadian when all the fees are factored in, which is one of the more expensive tickets in the league. This has been covered many, many times here. Season tickets used to be an attractive proposition and the reason why so few single tickets were available, but TNSE squeezed every last dime out of them until they walked away. If they wanted to retain STHs, they should’ve frozen ST prices for anyone under contract instead of choosing near-maximum increases every single year to the people under those contracts. They traded long-term commitment and excitement for immediate profits, so people walked away when it became untenable. Loyalty is a two way street, after all.

1) Why are you trying to buy the cheapest tickets available in the most expensive way possible? The re-sale market is extremely accessible so going through the overpriced *official* seller is not necessary,
2) I'm currently looking at TicketMaster which is the official ticket sales partner of the NHL. After taxes, fees, AND paying in CAD there are weekday games available for $45 and the Saturday game against the Flyers has tickets available for less than $70.

Those prices are fairly in line with the other non major NHL Markets.