Deep Sixer

I don't live in the area right now, but there is still no way I'd pay $65 to watch a team playing 0.400 ball. My TV gets great reception.

You've got to have a lot of disposable income to have an interest in paying to watch this team play on a regular basis.

I was at the game in Miami on Saturday night & I find it hard to believe that there were 19,000 there. Fans were spread out throughout the place, but it wasn't packed. I don't know how many fans the AAA holds, but if there were 19,000 fans there, then the place must hold 25,000 - 30,000 at capacity.

There were more fans there than I expected, given the Heat's record (& no Shaq). There were a few Sixers fans too. Go Sixers!

We as fans will come out next season after we evaluate what Ed Stefanski does this upcoming off season in terms of free agency and the NBA Draft. Right now, the Sixers don't understand that they need to get really bad rather than be stuck in mediocrity.

Marc, remember the line in the movie: Field of Dreams: "Build it, they will come." The City and the Delaware Valley will come out and support the teams once there is a winner of a team to root for, give us a winner like what we had in 2001 for the Sixers when they reached the NBA Finals.

Ed Stefanski needs to really come up big to show us that the Sixers are on the right path to building us a winner. The Sixers need a young point guard to groom, a shooter (like an Andrew Toney), a power forward and a true Center. (Samuel Dalembert) doesn't cut it against true centers in the NBA. He has been made to look foolish against Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum for starters.

I would trade Andre Miller for a young point guard and a draft pick. I loved watching Miller in College, but by the time the Sixers are good, he will be too old. Here is a thought for you... trade for Jarvis Crittendon, a former teammate for Thaddeus Young, sign Emeakor Okafur. Memphis has a glut of guards. I would then trade Dalembert and package Iggy, Utah's pick and the Sixers Pick for a Lottery Pick. Then draft a power forward.

Been to 1 game only this season. Tickets, parking, concessions and gas expensive. Wach atmosphere - silliness and hype. Showcase an uninspiring team with unclear direction in a down economy and you have empty seats. Pretty simple.

Make about 5 games a year Marc, but I watch every game.If I!m going out Itape it and watch it afterward. Last had season tickets when Doc played, missed out on Moses.I feel with the price of Comcast I!m paying enough.

Marc, Your claim of Philadelphia being a city of frontrunners is specious and insulting. Anybody who pays a monthly Comcast bill is a funder of 76er salaries and operation costs. Frontrunning, as it pertains to the franchise in its present desultory condition, is $0 investment, something which could force Snider & Co. to fold tent, look to greener pastures. Support arrives regularly by mail in the form of checks; faith and hope is being extended by a legion of fans. As a fairminded journalist, you ought to acknowledge that.

Need some excitement. This team only can compete but so much. They max out on wins below 50% and the fans know that. Need a team that has the ability to win 60% or more and provide the fans with hope for a chance every night and in the playoffs. Not just to play but to win a series or 2.

I attend 3 to 5 games a year. Watch most of them. Cost/COMCAST is an issue. ALso, not in love with the act down there. To much show for me. I'm old school.

I guess AI brought in a few thousand fans himself because the team certainly didn't win enough his last couple years here. They did have a chance every night if he went off. I couldn't buy into him. Didn't like his act(Practice, etc). There is more to a basketball team's performance than just showing up to play games. There is no I in team even in the NBA(see pistons, San Antonio, etc.).

Looking at Houstons situation makes me appreciate A.Miller and Iggy even more.Durability takes a back seat to talent and whether a guy is a knucklehead or not, but Mcgrady and Yao have both missed a lot of time.Its another reason to build like S.ANT. and DETROIT. Not just having 1 or 2 stars.

By the way if Mo doesn't workout next year, Sean Sutton may be able to be lured from Okie St. to lead this team with bulldog effort!

Koufas looked good tonight, S.F.W., hes more athletic than I thought he was. Posted up also. Could be another option. He is a 7 footer!!

Frankly, Philly has always been a lousy pro basketball town. As you mentioned, even in the heyday of Dr J, the Sixers not only had lots of empty seats during the regular season, they could not even sell out the playoff games.

I have been a season ticket holder for 25 years. I think it is a shame that nobody is going to the games this season-- they are a reasonably entertaining team.

I think it will take more than just having a winning team to fill up the arena. If we had the Detroit Pistons players, we still would not sell out. We need a winning team and an exciting marquee player to put people in the seats.

Don't like Koufas. Seems to have a tweeners game. Shooting Nowitski offense(attempt) with centers defense.

Marc I emailed you several times with no response and I posted the news of Jamaal Magloire being cut by the Nets over and over again and didn't get one hit, I just wanted to know if it would have been a good idea for the Sixers to pick up the low post presence of Jamaal Magloire he is a former all-star. To Late! The Dallas Mavericks reached a deal with free agent Jamaal Magloire.

Thanks any way

Jamaal would just take minutes off of that young guy Calvin Booth. Wouldn't work.

Ray, he wants a chance to win and Sixers don!t want to give minutes to somebody thats not part of their future .[see Giricek]

By the way. Jamaal has effort issues. We don't need that behind Sammy D. Need Reggie type players on the bench to help push the regulars.

Thats why we need Z.Randolph, Mr. maximum effort!!

Do not want or need ZDOG. signing off.......

Let's see he was wavied, we could have signed him for the remander of the season, he's 6'11 1/2 264 lbs 29 years old has playoff experience, a former all-star, if didn't workout you release him at the end of the season, sounds like we let one get through to me.

Adam Morrison.
Discuss.

Slow.
Fierce competitor.
All heart.
The Bobby Clarke of the hardwood.
Has the stache and charisma to be the face of a no-star, all-hustle franchise.

His shot was very inconsistent [39%]Gets big money [4.1 mill.] next year, rather have Korver to be honest.

Under the radar with injury.
Coming off disappointing rookie season.
Plus, like sixers, 'Cats have glut of swings.
Might be willing to move for say....
Samuel Dalembert.
Discuss.

Would take a shot at his teammate if he has a chance to get healthy. [S.May ]

Back to Marc's original post. I've been a diehard fan for over 30 years. But ticket prices are so damn high. Hard to take my two boys, pay for parking, get something to eat and drink, and not spend at least $150 when all is said and done.
When a team has been this bad for so long, lower the ticket prices. The product has been miserable.

In an article either Marc or Jasner wrote earlier this season about attendance, some
f-ing idiot female Sixers V.P. said something so damn stupid and insulting, something to the extent of we're here to make money not fill the seats. She should have been fired on the spot. A franchise can make money and still treat its fans well and not gouge. I can't remember that female exec's name, but she has no business being in the profession she's in.

Korver?
Apples to oranges.
One's a shooter - other a scorer.
One's a complimentary role player - other is a foundation.
One needs four screens to get off a shot - other has the sac to go one on five and get a shot off from anywhere and not worry about the consequences.
One is handsome - other is, well, not.

Are there any NBA teams that are featured less on the nationally televised circuit than the 6ers? I don't have the answer for why no one at TNT seems to have any interest in them, but whatever it is that's currently lacking may also translate to their home attendance woes. Its not just a matter of wins. They just lack a compelling reason that demands attention.

I pay for the League Pass, read Philly Sports religiously and fall to sleep every night with visions of Pat Croce lifting weights in my head, but I haven't been to a game in a year and a half.

Sorry, Marc! Didn't mean to let my Sixers Superfan down.

I live up in North Jersey and work in New York. So my life's not super conducive to travelling a lot of miles to watch Sam Dalembert not box out and Willie Green not pass.

Used to go quite a bit.

But I guess I was just "frontrunning" for those few years heading into 2001 when I would take Amtrak down to Philly on Friday nights to catch games with my Tri-State Area buddies.

And I did a lot of that "frontrunning" during the 2001 playoffs, going to at least one game every series, even the final championship game which set me back more Ramen Noodle money than I could handle.

I ate mostly ketchup packets and mulch for weeks.

Yep. Not sure how supporting an awesome team on its playoff run is "frontrunning", but if it's lemmings you want, I don't think you're going to find it around here.

I live in NYC and I have gone to Sixers/Knicks games. The Knicks are so bad I didnt even talk trash during the game. I'll say this, I'm gonna sit back and enjoy watching this team fight for the playoffs. So what it's weak conference, give the team credit for at least trying to take advantage of the Eastern Conferences weakness. It's amazing to read folks, Marc included, saying "they only beat bad/sub .500 teams." Excuse me but, arent the Sixers supposed to be one of those bad teams? So what does that make the Sixers? Not to mention, if someone told yall this time last year after AI was traded, that the Sixers would be vying for the playoffs in this weak conference we would've all been more than happy. I agree with Marc, Sixers fan are front runners. Yall have the audacity to act as if Sixers are supposed to be one of the elite teams while rebuilding. You think NYC wouldnt love to see the Knicks in the same situation as Philly? AND THEY STILL ATTEND KNICKS GAMES....

I live in Colorado. I attended the Sixers game vs the Nuggets on January. It is the only NBA game I will attend this season. Before the season is over, I will have attended about 20 D-1 college games and will also be attending 2 rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Denver.

College basketball is a better product. The NBA would be much better if the season were only 50 games long.

I freely admit I haven't been to a game this year. I work second shift so it makes it a weekend only event for me but I just can't see spending that kind of money on a team that doesn't seem to have a solid plan.(As I posted on the last enrty) Maybe next year if Ed changes my mind I'll go.

I also agree with the thought that I am supporting my team by buying Comcast every month. I can only watch my teams if I buy Comcast so by doing so I feel I am supporting my teams. Its not like Comcast Sportsnet has any other programming I can't live with out. Most of us probably watch ESPN for our highlights. So the only reason I have a $100/month Comcast bill is for one channel, Sportsnet, so I can see my teams. Thats enough support for a .400 team!

Ray- I wasn't big on Jamaal anyway. Yes, he was a former all-star. The key word being "former"! He just don't seem to fit with this team. He didn't seem to play hard for NJ(a bad team) so he might not play that hard here(similiar records). He wanted to go to a contender I'm sure and I sure as hell wouldn't have offered him more then the minimum. So Dallas is good for him.

Phillywilly- No thanks on the Adam Morrison front too. We obviously have a difference of opinions on him. I DON'T see him as "a foundation" to say the least. I would take him for Green but I doubt that would happen.

And another thing about going to the games! Its not so much the ticket prices but the price of the food! I can see spending $75 to get a ticket, but $6 for a beer or $3 FOR A SOFT PRETZEL, that usually (stinks) anyway! Come on, your killing me!

The people will come around but lets face it...The Owners of the Sixers are being poisioned by their own past marketing strategies...Just as David Stern has and is in the process of pulling away from the EXTREME of marketing individual players back to the teams and the game itself..so does the Sixers...Nobody is hurt up for money trust me...Just as their hybernation and droughts sometimes you take a fiscal loss in any business you own. But this is Comcast my friends, they are providing me internet and cable as we speak. They and NBA has made billions off of allen iverson's name...Jerseys team products and promotions...They will recover this year when Philly makes the playoffs and the AVERAGE fan not us find a name they can cling to and identify with...Some like to bring up that Miami still packs seats...Simple business psychology...they still living off the residue of an championship WON a couple of years back..Has nothing to do with fan base loyalty..Check back next year if they lay another egg..

Alot of those season tickets were already purchased in the beginning of the year when they thought Miami at a chance at a title still...While most Philadelphians thought they knew what the Sixers were before the season started...Even if nobody comes attendance is already accounted for by the purchase of the ticket...Its just business...Comcast will be fine...trust me...just a little greedy and not used to putting up anything below allen iverson attendance standards

Great post coach Clyde, that Croce line was tremendous!

Well I live in L.A. now so obviously I don't catch many games in person.

But to Joshua, or anyone else who measures a fan's loyalty by whether or not they spend hundreds of dollars going to the games, I would submit that posting comment after comment to Marc's blog - as Dean, Morty, Zeru, Joe Doc, and others do - is pretty clear evidence of fanhood.

If we didn't love the Sixers, we wouldn't be here.

In terms of the numbers themselves, a useful stat to consider here is road attendance, which is probably the best proxy for how "interesting" a team is to watch, since road fans have no personal stake in seeing the road team.

What you find is that the Sixers rank 23rd, ahead of, essentially, unknown teams (N.O.) and perennial losers (the Clippers).

But lo and behold, there's Miami at #7.

Part of that is carryover from their championship, part of it is people wanting to see Wade and (previously) Shaq. It's not surprising that the same dynamics would draw the home fans as well.

Note that Denver, despite being out of the playoffs right now, comes in at #3 in road attendance. Care to guess why?

The Sixers play a slow game (though lately that has been changing), with few recognizable players, and more often than not are going to lose. The only move they've made this year was to trade a popular player for cap space, which although smart strategically isn't exactly pulse-quickening to the average fan.

Drawing fans isn't mysterious. Create a winning atmosphere, bring in marquee players, and play a fun brand of basketball. You don't need all of those factors working in your favor, but you do need at least one.

Marc, guys, few thoughts from an european fan's point of view

1) I don't believe ANY of the attendance number that franchises (not only Sixers) tell. As Marc and many of you pointed out, many times according to a team the arena should be almost full packed, while everyone realizes there are thousands of empty seats. Totally ridiculous.

Who checks the number? Is there a way to do it at all? Here in Europe for every bball or soccer game not only they tell the EXACT amount of TICKETS SOLD, but also the income for that event, in euros (example: "attendance 23.456 people, income 432.450 euros"). It's not that difficult, you add the quota of season ticket holders to the tickets sold... talking about using a calculator, LOL

2) even if 1) is totally true, it's a fact that Sixers attendance is very low. To me reasons are:

a) fans are still hurt for the mess the franchise was put in during the Billy King era. So many disappointments, it takes some time to "recover"...

b) tickets are damn expensive, for my (european) standards. And euro (the currency I mean, LOL) is at an all-time high value over the dollar, imagine that... Not only tickets are expensive but, judging from your commets, the prices for food, drinks etc are unbelievable. For a family of 4 persons, say, going to a Sixers game there costs as much as a weekend trip here, LOL

c) the "side" show sucks, I'm sorry. Hip Hop sucks, the music sucks, the sounds sucks (for example the sound used when the other team turns the ball over... it's taken from Pac Man, a videogame of the 80's !!). Sixers should put a cool dj/entertainer there.

4) the uniforms suck. I think that affects negatively the merchandise and, overall, Sixers and Sixers fans "identity". I just sent an email to Sixers mktg dept about this, I hope I will get a reply.

hey, I am here in Italy but had I lived there, I think I would be a season ticket holder anyway. But this just because I am a diehard fan, I understand who is NOT going to the arena

One thing about attendance I feel is relevant: it's not not entirely on the Sixers organization, in my opinion. It's the NBA, specifically the Eastern Conference. There are too many other mediocre teams out there: New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Indiana, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Miami, and Chicago. Even teams that have better records Toronto and Washington don't have a huge Wow factor. If I were choosing to buy a ticket for the games I wouldn't choose many of these teams. Some of them are a mess, some of them just don't have anyone interesting I want to see play. Cleveland, Orlando, Detroit, and Boston are, as they say, worth the price of admission.

Anyway, I made my annual investment. I splurged this year. Two 100.00 tickets five rows back to see the Phoenix Suns. I wanted to see a team at the top of their game.

James, good point. When Oden & Durrant went to the western conference, I was dissapointed at draft time AND after this string of trades it just went another step forward. Even on TV you'll have to watch late games to see most stars. The Leastern conference cosists of poor quality teams and based upon the schedule(back to back games included), it's pretty clear what games will be competetive and which ones will not.

I'm a season ticket holder and go to about 30 games a year. In my opinion, there's a few reasons as to why the building is empty.

1) Marc is right when he states that Philly is a basketball town. It's just not a PRO basketball town. College basketball has always had the upper hand here with the Big 5, tradition, etc. It's just a fact - there are so many options to choose from at the collegiate level, it's hard for a lot of families to justify spending $300 - $400 to take a family of four to a pro game.

2) The Sixers have no identity from an ownership perspective. Since Croce left, when you think of the Sixers, you think of Comcast. Pat helped deflect the "corporate" feel of the team when he was here through his marketing techniques, game experience, fandom, etc. Now, it's clearly Comcast's team, and no one is in a hurry to give them any add'l $$ in this town because they have a monopolistic hold on the area. Why can't I get ComcastSportsNet on DirecTV if I want? Because Comcast won't allow it. F them is an overriding feeling. Myself and many other fans think the best thing for this organization going forward would be for Comcast to sell it to some group that actually cares. It's pretty evident that all they care about is the content for TV / Internet purposes.

3) Performance. This is a pretty simple point. It's tough to justify the cost (unless you have some disposable income) vs. the product that's been put on the court lately. We'll see how that plays out over the next year or two.

This team is fun to watch but if you want some answers as to why attendance is down:

1.) Tickets are too expensive.
2.) The Wachovia Center is too big. Too many seats are simply not good views. You are better off watching it from home.
3.) All the lower level seats (or the only decent seats) are over priced and usually sold to corporations that never use there tickets.

Reduce the price of tickets. It would have been smart to play a game at the Spectrum. Personally, I don't go to any Sixers games at the Wachovia center anymore. Now, I go to games at MSG. Same price, much better view for the $.

I only hope they don't make the same mistake and build a giant MLS stadium which will always be half full.

Having been a Sixers supporter since 1981, and that I live in Australia, I still know that I am right when I say this... you truly know that you support a team when you support that team when they are struggling. If you only support your team when they are winning, poo to you...

Well, tickets/parking/food is definitely too expensive, I feel. I went to one game this year with a friend who got a few tickets for free from a relative who is employed by the Sixers and I still ended up spending more than I would have liked with parking/food/gas accounted for. The upper level seats seem pretty much worthless, and the lower level seats are way too expensive.

I would also like to second Ricky's opinion about the unis. They aren't terribly bad looking but they definitely need a change.

I agree with Marc's point that the Sixers fans are front-runners .. which is sad to say. I think that everyone agrees that the prices of food, beer, parking are high, but that doesn't explain why the Flyers are averaging over 19,000 per night .. 4th in the league. I assume ticket prices for the FLyers are the just as pricey as the Sixers ticket is.
I would also assume that there are more people that claim to be Sixer fans than FLyer fans in the region.
It's time to look in the mirror Sixer fans and admit that we won't fill the stadium until the team is winning games at a high rate .. and even then it will take a superstar to help do that.

I have been a sixers fan since the early to mid AI years (I'm only 20), roughly around 1998 or 1999. I remember living and breathing sixers during the 2000-01 season when I was 13 years old. That season my father and I followed that team very closely that season from the start of the season to the last game of the finals. I live in Mercer county and grew up within 50 miles of philly. My father who is a philly native grew up a sixers fan and was around to see the first championship (My father is 50) with Wilt when he was nine and the 1982-83 team that featured Dr.J, Moses, Mo Cheeks, and company when he was 25. I know for a fact from growing up around philly sports fans, living not too far from Philly, and being a Philly sports fan myself, I know we are the most loyal fans in the country and are anything but frontrunners, we support our team through thick and thin. Why do you think us Eagles fans can't stand the Cowboys because they are the definition of frontrunners and their fan base consists mostly (except the fans that actually live or are from Dallas)are frontrunners, if you look up frontrunner you will see the Cowboys logo. Just because some sixers fans don't want to go to some of their games doesn't they are not loyal fans believe me when there is a sixers game on TV my father and I are glued to the screen. I can admit I went to a sixers game with my father earlier this month because it was a Christmas gift from my sister, but I could say that we certainyly got our money's worth for that game because it was the game where we blewout the Clippers by twenty points and the team did certainly play hard that night. I know it was only the Clippers, but my father hadn't seen a sixers game since 1976 before he went to this game. I wouldn't go get season ticket plans to go see this team, obviously they are still a couple of pieces away from being a true contender in the East (PF, scoring threat, good perimeter shooter). I say if you are a die-hard sixers fan and live not too far from philly and are interested in knowing what this team is all about you should at least check out one game to see this team in person. I would suggest getting upper level seats because they are cheaper. I do agree with a previous poster that the lower level seating prices and concession stand prices are little outrageous for what product they are putting on the floor for the moment.

when in the past 2-3 years we've traded away our #1 box office draw AI, fan-favorite - kyle korver and now have a team with no superstars (as evidenced by lack of sixers in the all star weekend) .... what do you expect? ... basketball is a game about individuals and I have a lot of friends that can't even name 1 player on the sixers.

i've been to 2-3 games, but i dont blame anyone for not going. most of our starters would be bench players on western conference teams.

"I would also like to second Ricky's opinion about the unis. They aren't terribly bad looking but they definitely need a change."

Thanks BoomDizzle.

Of course when I say our unis suck, I am talking more about the unis they wear on the road (one of my points is that we should dump the black ones, black IS NOT the colour of the franchise...) but also the white unis used at the Wach are far from being nice... we should go back to our classic, old uniforms, the jerseys of our tradition !

If I'll get a reply from Sixers mktg dept about this, I'll post it on my blog. Whoever is interested, stay tuned

THe only reason I haven't been to a game this year is because I am a full time student in grad school and am virtually broke..After I graduate though I will go see this team play. THey are young and very exciting to watch, esp on the fast-break..Good luck Sixers in the last half of the season you guys got grit

the uniforms from hardwood classics night this year gave me a goosebumps they looked so good!! lest revamp the whole team the floor at the wac the marketing of the club. I think Ed will help us out in the gm department, let's give him a chance. I worked for comcast a bunch of pennypinchers!! they need to reach in there pockets and bring me some all stars. then we will revisit the attendance problem. In phila terms spend money (wisely) to make some money comcast!!

The new bald headed guy's first move was to trade the most marketable player named Kyle. Good bye! Good Night! Tell Ed Snider to stick to hockey and the Roberts' to turn out the lights!

Attendance is down because tickets are costly, the environment is depressing and the product is significantly sub par. My parents were season ticket holder in the early to mid 80s. I purchased many tickets and playoff tickets during our 2001 Finals run. But I am so uninspired by this team the only thing I look forward to is the growth of our youth, possible trades and future draft picks. I remember getting excited over the Webber trade which shows just how desperate I was for an improved product.

I watch this team now and I can't help but think how much better we would be if AI was here. His act was old, but management's act was older. With the maturation of some of our younger players, the promise shown by some of our recent draft picks and the fact that AI is STILL a viable MVP candidate I think the prospect of making the playoffs would not feel so anticlimatic.

If management brings in a top tier free agent that is not over the hill and gives us a reason to believe this team can compete, I think the attendance woes will improve. If not, I think people will be content to watch the games on TV, post on message boards and read print media to get their Sixers fix.

I live in New York and I've still gone to a few games this year. Are you kidding, you don't have to spend much AT ALL to go b/c of the attendance woes. Just look on ebay! You'll find 50 dollar seats for 15-20 bucks. I got a 125 dollar seat for around 40! This is by far the best year to go and see the Sixers up close, I advise everyone to take advantage of it.

I remember how packed and loud it was with Webber's first game as a Sixer. It was a playoff atmosphere filled with people who THOUGHT this team would go far.

Look at the attendance in New Orleans! One of the best teams in basketball with one of the future great point guards in the game today. They're not exactly selling out.

I dont think the situation would be better if they had a winning record. Nobody knows who any of the Sixers are/were outside Kyle Korver and Iguodala. Lots of casual fans just know the Sixers as the team that traded Iverson and don't think we can win anymore.

Oh, man. I was at that first Webber game too.

The place was going nuts. Then Webber missed that put-back and somehow everyone in the arena knew we were doomed.

cable costs me alot, seeing as I am paying for it I watch the games on T.V. and with kids I refuse to pay the high prices for a regular season game (I'll have to think again if they make the playoffs)

Are the Sixers putting a winning team on the floor?

Are there any expectations that they will put a winning team on the floor anytime soon?

Do they have any personality or entertainment quality that makes a fan want to support them?

Is Comcast filled with mindless greedheads who try to wring out every penny?

Are they so slick, that they've forgotten about what it is that drives people to spend their money?

It's about entertainment at a reasonable price.

What the Sixers are offering is not worth the price they're charging. There is no buzz, no hope. The town is starved for a winning team, not one in 25 years.

Face it, our indoor franchises are unworthy of our support- the Eagles and Phillies have both been trying very hard of late and have been rewarded with attendance.

You can't put out an inferior product and expect fans to fill the seats, not in this town.

I would love to go to the games and see this team. I think it's exciting to see these players develope. I just can't afford anything more than the upper level seats behind the basket and I'm not about to spend my money on seats where I can only see half the game. I can't even afford to pay for cable and watch them on TV. I usually listen to the games on the radio.
I have an easy solution for Ed to get more fans at the games... lower the ticket prices. I'd be there in a heartbeat.

There is no doubt that the tix are way too expensive, and I'm sure that deters a ton of people. That being said, I was a season ticket holder for the last 4 years, enjoyed going to the games, and only stopped because my friend i shared the tix with didn't want to do it anymore. I've been to about 4 games this year, and I'm taking advantage of one of the packages (guys night out) tonight to see Dwight and Jameer. 39 bucks for lower level seats and a hot dog and beer ain't so bad. The team is exciting and the games are fun, so if you got the cash, why not.

Upper level seats in pro arenas are distant perspectives on a game requiring a closer look for real enjoyment. That the champion '83 Sixers came up about 2,000 short of Spectrum sellouts attests to that reality. By purchasing tickets in the rafters, you're nearly attending by proxy, experience-wise. I would think those seats are a hard sell with most teams in any economy. TV supplies a much better vantage point. The building of smaller arenas in which every fan has a decent view might increase interest and solve some attendance problems. Of course, that's a long-range (and complicated) antidote given that most cities have fairly new multi-media equipped, expensively-built, corporation-geared "gyms"/(sometimes) caverns. Has the NBA, led by Commisioner David Stern, gotten too big for its britches, outsized its product? Future numbers will tell.

I think it speaks to the league in general. The interest in the NBA is down. The college game is better as pure basketball product. The games are much more enjoyable. And considering that, and Philly's rich college basketball history, interest in the Sixers is going to be in even worse shape, espeically considering they are losing. The NFL is clearly the king of pro sports, with MLB #2. And then, while ESPN tries to act like hockey is irrelevant and the NBA is big time, consider that ESPN has NBA broadcast rights and doesnt have them for the NHL. In Philly the Flyers are more popular than most hockey teams in their markets. So if the Sixers are 4th on the list of pro sports in Philly simply based on which sports are popular, and they arent a good team, AND the college game is more cherished in the city, the bad attendance is not a surprise.

I go to a few games a year. like many others, i have a problem paying for good seats, and if you're not going to have good seat then TV is really better. As several others have also mentioned, we're subscribing to comcast specifically for the comcast sports net because they black out the games on direct TV(even in the rare instances they're on national tv). Otherwise, maybe i'd be inclined to spend that money I'd save on a direct TV subscription on getting to a few more games. Its nice to know that tix are so cheap on ebay though. I'll have to check that out.

But we who post here are not the issue. We get to as many games as we're going to get to every year however they are playing. The issue is getting casual fans to come out. To me, that is where marketing comes into play. They need to decide whether they are marketing to a corporate demographic (as suggested by the pricing of tickets) or, for lack of better word, the "hip-hop" demographic that some posters have mentioned. The bottom line is philly is still a blue collar town at heart, and marketing message they are sending is confusing at best. Oh, and yeah those black uniforms are awful.

Just as Grizzle wrote, most people are just not going to spend well over one hundred bucks (tickets, refreshments, parking, dinner, etc)to watch a lousy team. To understand how you get fans to come to games, lets look at the Lakers.

They are a hot ticket for a lot of reasons. First, they have a long list of celebrities at almost every game and this helps make it an enjoyable experience. The celebrities come because they have a great team that is fun to watch. Fans know management is committed to fielding a competitive team and will get the best people to make this happen. This keeps the fans coming even when they don't have one of the best teams like they do now. Getting Gasol for a song makes Kupchak a legit candidate for GM of the year.

Now lets compare that to the Sixers situation. When is the last time the Sixers fielded a solid team that was fun to watch? Even in their finals year everyone knew they really didn't have much of a chance against a powerful Laker team. Not only that, the team was already old. Sixer management simply does not send the message they are truly committed to fielding an elite team, year in year out?

How do you let Billy make mistake after mistake after mistake? Then hire someone from the Nets (not exactly an elite NBA team) with limited NBA experience to try and fix it.

Hiring Ed, letting Cheeks blunder his way through the season is not exactly what I call getting the best people to make it happen. You can't fool all of the people all of the time. Fans needed Ed to make something happen so they can at least have confidence good things will happen. All they got is more of the same.

Why would any fan get behind this team when the first thing Ed does is give away Korver. He was a fan favorite and a another young player who ends up doing well the minute he leaves Philly.

Ed might make the Sixers better who knows, but at this point all the fans see is him following the same flawed plan as Billy. Why would anyone pay money to watch that?