SI Letter to the Editor
In this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated, a reader of the magazine sent in the following letter to the editor:
Pierre McGuire asserts that the empty seats at Red Wings plyoff games are attributable to the downturn in the Detroit economy (INSIDE THE NHL, May 7). While that may be a convenient explanation, the truth is, the empty seats reflect the declining popularity of the NHL even in Hockeytown. The Pistons had no trouble selling out 41 regular season and their playoff games this year in an arena that seats 2,000 more than the Red Wings’ does, and the Tigers, on the heels of winning the 2006 pennant, saw their attendance increase more than 10,000 per game through the first 17 games of the season compared with the first 17 games of 2006.
- David Schmidt, Harleysville, Pa.
It is comments exactly like those that irk me so much. I do not deny that hockey is no longer the #1 sports attraction in Detroit, but when someone throws out the poor economy reason it really bothers me. And these people tend to live outside the state of Michigan. They don’t understand how sucky this economy is. I won’t repeat what I wrote about a month ago, but Detroit’s economy is one of the worst. According to AAA, Michigan has the highest gas prices in the country.
Statewide, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $3.53 — a penny higher than Illinois. The national average is $3.23 a gallon.
Indiana and Wisconsin are the third- and fourth-highest ranked states. The Midwest is often subject to high and low swings in gas prices because it essentially sits at the end of Gulf Coast pipelines.
When supplies are tight, as they are now, Great Lakes states often must pay a premium to get gas here, said Doug MacIntyre, senior oil market analyst with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
It cost me $73 to fill up my gas tank (I drive a Mercury Mountaineer) this week. If I have to choose between filling up my tank or buying tickets to a hockey game, I have to go with the gas money because I need to get to class and work. That is the dilemma many people are currently facing in the state of Michigan.
When the Wings’ ticket prices are so much more than the Tigers’ and Pistons’ tickets, it’s no wonder why the other teams are doing better in terms of attendance. For example, the cheapest tickets for a Wings’ game in the WCF was $100 + service charges. Cheapest for the Pistons? $24. In fact, you could get first row in the upper bowl for $85! That’s a big difference in ticket prices.
Like I said, I sadly agree that the Wings are no longer the best selling team in Detroit, but the empty seats do not truly reflect a lack of desire from fans to attend these hockey games. There just aren’t as many hockey fans who can afford those seats. Hopefully, owner Mike Ilitch will lower the playoff ticket prices and get back to selling out playoff games. And for the record, the Wings have had over 400 straight regular season game sellouts so it has a lot to do with the prices of the playoff tickets in a poor economy.
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4 Responses to “SI Letter to the Editor”
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May 25th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
If I recall, weren’t the Wings the superior draw on television in Detroit, too? I could be wrong, but I could have sworn I read that somewhere; maybe even right here?
But in any event, most people with a rudimentary grasp on the economic situation know that that, coupled with Illitch’s own overestimation of just how much he could take the fans for in terms of price for tickets, are what caused this problem. I understand the whole point of a business is to make money, and that you must always aim higher when it comes to next year’s possible financial gains, but Illitch really pushed the envelope too much this time around. As a result, now he has to deal with negative publicity and spin doctoring by both amateur pundits like this guy, and main stream media folks, concerning the lack of any sellouts at all during the playoffs at the Joe.
May 26th, 2007 at 12:18 am
My question is, how do the playoff ticket prices compare between the Wings and Pistons? If the Pistons tix aren’t priced as insanely as the Wings, it would make sense that they’re still selling out.
May 26th, 2007 at 2:34 am
People just amaze me sometimes. The guy acknowledges that the Wings sold out all their home games and the fall off only came during the playoffs. What kind of world do you live in where the fan base is super psyched about the regular season but starts to lose interest when the team goes on a lengthy playoff run? Apparently it’s hard to figure out that falling incomes plus higher prices plus cheaper substitutes equals fewer sales. Aren’t you glad you took that econ class now?
May 26th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Michael- TV ratings have been mixed when comparing the Pistons and Wings. On a Saturday of the NFL draft, Tigers’ game, Pistons’ game, and Wings’ game, the Wings topped all of the other sports in terms of ratings. On a Monday night when it was between basketball and hockey, the Pistons outdrew the Wings in ratings that evening. I think Ilitch will slightly lower playoff ticket prices next year, but I think he wants to make the money especially since they might be building a new arena soon. The negative publicity will definitely help reduce the prices.
The Forechecker- The really good seats for the Pistons are waay more expensive than the Wings, but the upper bowl seats are way more affordable at the Palace. The last few rows at the Joe were $100 in the WCF. The first row in the upper bowl at the Palace were $85 in the ECF.
ColBerdan- Yes, that econ class was just so beneficial. Haha. And I don’t think you could’ve said it any better!