Empty seats

If you cruise the web enough, you can find evidence that people will do most anything to get football tickets.

“A man from New Orleans is auctioning off his left testicle for tickets to the Super Bowl.”

And yet, according to the Wall Street Journal, the NFL is worried about empty seats.

Average game attendance is down significantly since 2007, and for 20 of the NFL’s 32 teams, there’s no waiting list for season tickets.

So they’re talking about Wireless Internet and smart phone apps so that you could watch instant replays in the stadium. The idea being that you’ll feel happier about dropping hundreds of dollars if you can watch replays on your tiny phone screen.

But based on the comments to the article, what the fans want is pretty simple: cheaper tickets.

Tickets now average $77, beer is $7, parking is $25 and those are just the averages. Some places charge $11 for a beer and $40 for parking. That’s more expensive than your health care tax penalty.

And so some teams are finally doing the unthinkable. The New York Jets, even with Tim Tebow, will cut prices on 12,000 seats.

But let’s face it, the only reason the NFL needs a crowd is to spice up the broadcast, which is where the real money is anyway. TV networks have guaranteed close to $28 billion over the next ten years.

How masochistic does a fan have to be to sit in traffic to get there, pay $40 to park, sit in worse traffic to get out, and nurse a warm $11 beer, while the game stops for no reason during commercials? Fans who are willing to endure that week after week should get free tickets. In fact, they should be paid as extras.