Kings last in attendance!

[VF21]

I didn't see attendance increase when the Kings played with heart and hustle last year and I really don't see attendance increasing this year. I have been to every home game this year and they have played with heart and hustle and attendance has even dropped more this year. Yea, we can say the economy has played a factor, however, I think IF we had a caliber team like we did in the year 2001/2002, I think there would be an increase in attendance. Just my 2 cents.

It's going to take time. I'm going to continue to be upbeat and hopeful. That's just my two cents.

If we had a caliber team like we did in 2001/2002, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

[kennadog]

No, they never paid the luxury tax. It didn't exist back then. When it did they started cutting salaries to stay under. They have remained right below the luxury tax the past few years.

They paid the tax in 02/03 & 03/04

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/howard-cooper_scott/1402394.html

Excerpts:

But understand that they have just decided, after considerable contemplation and hand wringing, that Mike Bibby can be re-signed as a free agent without another prominent King having to be thrown overboard in the name of fiscal responsibility and that it will mean a massive payroll for a team reportedly already losing money.

The guys who set the house rules in Vegas are gambling. They don't have the deep pockets of Paul Allen in Portland or Mark Cuban in Dallas or the corporate backing of the Knicks, and now the Kings have made a major decision/financial commitment to stay on the heels of the Los Angeles Lakers.

"We have unfinished business," Joe Maloof said. "We all came to the conclusion that we were really close to winning a championship, so we need to keep the machine rolling. Believe me, we're going to get slammed with the luxury tax. But the fans have invested too much of their emotions. They deserve this. So do our players."

None of whom, of course, are on the hook for the payroll. The Maloofs could lose big bucks next season, meaning that for the first time in Sacramento history, nothing less than a championship is acceptable. No more talk of just getting one round farther than the previous year. The Lakers won a title while holding the line on the luxury tax and the Kings are going way beyond. And going for it.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/0216/064tab.html

Kings were one of the teams over the luxury tax cap for 02/03 – luxury tax put them almost $17 into the red for the season according to Forbes.

http://www.nbawire.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-10721.html [03/04]

Sacramento is expected to make a luxury tax payment of about $10 million for the second consecutive season. Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said earlier this week that he does not know what the luxury tax situation will be next season.

 

[Slauson]

I have been to a couple games this season And I have that1/3 of a season ticket plan and now it seems like routinely the upper level is more full than the lower level.

 

[6th]

I have been to a couple games this season And I have that1/3 of a season ticket plan and now it seems like routinely the upper level is more full than the lower level.

I agree with this as well. Where I sat in my $10 seat, lots of fans having a raucous good time. Seemed like more empty seats in the lower level than upstairs.

 

[Andre87]

wow that's really surprising!!!! What happened to the crowd that made like 400+ consecutive sellouts back in the day???

 

[Kingzrool]

I have been to a couple games this season And I have that1/3 of a season ticket plan and now it seems like routinely the upper level is more full than the lower level.

That will not last long. Regardless of what seats people are paying for.

 

[VF21]

Both Jim Kozimor and Fats Lever are talking on HPL right now about how intense it was in Arco tonight and how incredibly involved the fans were once the Kings started to close the gap. That's what Arco Thunder was/is all about.

It's not just about the number of fans in the seats. It's the caliber of fan and how much they're willing to invest in being ACTIVE fans once they get to the game, and I'm not talking about money here...

Arco was rocking. I'll tell people again. Get to some games this season. You'll be glad you did. Something special is starting to happen...again...and it's only going to get better as time goes by.

 

[Bricklayer]

Unless I am mistaken Kozimor and Fats are on the Kings payroll, what are they going to say?


But see, the good news is we've got some bigtime allies now -- Shaq's trying to help:

“I got a few more touches tonight, and when that happens I’m going to get my points,” said O’Neal, who played a season-high 43 minutes. “Back in the day when we had a rivalry going, it was much louder and we had the guy with the cowbell going. Come back guy with the cowbell.”


So guy with the cowbell, you've just been called out.

 

[ZZE916]

Keep in mind we also have one of the smallest arenas in the league. I'm more interested in % of capacity...

Here's what I've heard from a few fairweather Kings fans (ex-season ticket holders), but I'm not sure this is entirely factual: once the Kings got good, the Maloofs jacked up prices, pricing-out the loyal long-time fans, allowing the trendy fans to take their place. Now that the Kings are not the "in" thing to do, the trendy crowd no longer buys tix and the original fans are alieneted...and still priced out. Is there any legitimacy to this?

Whatever the case, the Kings will need a "draw" to get fans back in their seats. Lower prices all around couldn't hurt either...

There is some legitimacy to this, but I think the term "trendy" does not apply. When the Kings first arrived, ticket pirces were what would now be considered dirt cheap. I sat in Row G for 23 years (I did not renew this year). The first year, the tickets cost $15. Just about anybody could afford them. The two seats behind me were owned by two sanitation workers (garbage men). When the new Arco opened, prices started rising...at quite a rapid rate. This leveled off for a season or two. The team was still mediocre, at best. Then the Maloofs come into the picture and started putting together a championship quality team. People were willing to pay for the increased quality. But a large portion of the lower level seats were no longer affordable for the typical working fan, and the faces started to change from year to year. Many corporations bought these seats as perks for their employees, and for business entertainment. This year, both individuals and corporations had to perform a cost/benefit analysis to justify the investment. With the economy and housing values being what they are, it was impossible for me to justify spending over $13,000 to keep my seats. Even if the Kings had won the championship last year, I would not be able to justify it.
There has been a lot of talk about reasonable seat prices in the upper deck. I have talked to a lot of the people that used to sit in my section and gave up their tickets. They are not going to buy tickets in the upper deck. We've been spoiled by 23 years of up-close action, and would rather watch the games in HD at home. We literally watched each others families grow up over that period, and it was a VERY difficult decision. It was like moving away from all your friends when relocating to a new town.
I wish the sales department good luck. They will need it. They will need to attract a new, younger group of people. When I first bought my season tickets I was in my 20s. The fate of the team was something that was very important in my life. Now I'm in my 50s, and realize it's just entertainment. I'm still a fan, but there are MANY other things that are more important to me. I no longer live and die with the outcome of a game.

 

[kupman]

Both Jim Kozimor and Fats Lever are talking on HPL right now about how intense it was in Arco tonight and how incredibly involved the fans were once the Kings started to close the gap. That's what Arco Thunder was/is all about.

It's not just about the number of fans in the seats. It's the caliber of fan and how much they're willing to invest in being ACTIVE fans once they get to the game, and I'm not talking about money here...

Arco was rocking. I'll tell people again. Get to some games this season. You'll be glad you did. Something special is starting to happen...again...and it's only going to get better as time goes by.

I was thinking the same thing watching the game last night. The place was rocking. It's fairly remarkable given how crappy we were playing.