Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
An early leader in the clubhouse for the SHOCKER of Week 1: The Falcons are having trouble selling out the Georgia Dome for their first game. And, because of the NFL’s “if you’re too good to see the game in person, fine then, you can’t see it at home, either” rules, the game will be blacked out in Atlanta if it isn’t sold out within 72 hours of kick-off. This happened to the team twice last season.
So, to encourage ticket sales, the Falcons are offering the deal of the century! This was the e-mail they sent out to fans yesterday:
“With promising rookie Matt Ryan at the helm, Head Coach Mike Smith’s Atlanta Falcons charge into a new era of football this Sunday at the Georgia Dome when they host the Detroit Lions in the season opener.Whoa, Falcons, don’t give the fans too much here -- you do still need to turn a profit. That $10 savings is like practically giving the fans a free beer! And those $35 seats? Yeah, that’s after the big price slash. But it could be totally worth it to see that promising rookie play with a bunch of other guys you're vaguely familiar with in that shiny new stadium. Look at those seats -- only some of the paint is chipping off now!And we’re giving you $10 off the price of limited single game tickets when you order online between now and midnight Thursday. A limited number of are available starting at just $35. ...
A packed house. A shiny new Dome. And a team you can be proud of. All we need now ... is YOU!”
Seriously though, if I’m a Falcons fan, I’d take those $35 bucks straight to Bodog, throw it down on the Lions, and double my money. Somehow, Atlanta is only a three-point dog.
UPDATE: See Spencer's defense of Atlanta-area sports.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
12 comments
Comments
atlanta continues to cement its reputation as the worst sports cuty in america for pro sports. what a joke, cannot sell out on opening day.
by Kel Varnsen on Sep 3, 2008 11:51 AM EDT reply actions
In DC I get to pay $110 per game, but only if i buy all ten games at once, which includes two preseason games.
by jesseriah on Sep 3, 2008 12:38 PM EDT reply actions
You know you are in trouble when you have to beg fans to come see you play the Lions especially on opening day
by Brad Holland on Sep 3, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions
This is funny. And sad. I guess that depends on if you’re a Falcons fan or not. I’m intrested to see how starting a rookie QB will do for the Falcons. I’m sure Tim Couch is intrested as well.
by Brownsbacker on Sep 3, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions
That’s the sad reality down here in the A-T-L. Oh well, I’ll still support my birds no matter what. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.
by NikkiFree on Sep 3, 2008 3:57 PM EDT reply actions
Meanwhile, demand is so great for Georgia games, you could have contributed $10,560 this year and still not gotten tickets. I need Sundays to recover. I pull pretty hard for the Falcons, but while nursing a hangover on my couch.
by Sweetwater420dawg on Sep 3, 2008 5:10 PM EDT reply actions
Bad team, Bad City Move em to LA
by just a fan on Sep 3, 2008 5:42 PM EDT reply actions
Real Fans will show up! If the team does not get the support they need, maybe they should move!
by Bakudon2001 on Sep 3, 2008 5:53 PM EDT reply actions
The Falcons cant sell out? Bring them Birds up to Canada where we appreciate our athletes…Heck, I bet ya Vick wouldn’t of been fighting dogs if he was up here! He’d be fighting Beavers or Geese but thats a different story…
by MrBiggz on Sep 3, 2008 9:31 PM EDT reply actions
I’m from a suburb of Chicago,and NO ONE who doesn’t have corporate connections gets a chance to BUY a ticket for the Bears! They sellout even in dismal years!But, that means that we poor fans can stay at home and drink beer for about 50 cents a cup,get in & out of bathrooms in about 2 minutes,and eat anything we want without getting out of our cushy loung chair! If I had tickets, I’d sell them anyway.Tell the Falcon’s management to sit on their tickets!
by kubzkid on Sep 3, 2008 9:41 PM EDT reply actions
hahahaha!
by donny_jays6 on Sep 3, 2008 10:59 PM EDT reply actions
The Falcons went the route of the Braves and turned their back on 30,000+ season ticket holders from the Southside hoping to attract more attention from the Northside and other parts of Georgia. The Atlanta fans are not that fickle but to give away a fan favorite in Alge Crumpler and put an inferior team on the field from the 2007 team will not sell any tickets. The Falcons Defensive Line and Defensive Secondary are among the worst in the league if not the worst. Algie’s replacement can not tie his shoes yet the Falcons expect fans to endure all these slights and still pay to see their product. Matt Ryan will be a very good QB in time but he will not sell any tickets in Georgia. The Falcons should have waited a year for Stafford and there would not have been any problems with sell outs.
by remoley on Sep 4, 2008 10:32 AM EDT reply actions
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