Glazers feel your pain

   The Bucs raised ticket prices for the sixth straight season and implemented a more than 30 percent increase -- the highest since the Glazer family purchased the team.

   But hey, it's the cost of doing business.

   Team vice president Joel Glazer said his family is sensitive to people struggling to make ends meet in today's economy. But he said the increase was justified to remain competitive on the field.

   ""The first thing I would say is that we're extremely sensitive to it,'' Glazer said. ""Unfortunately, across all sports,ticket prices seem to be going up and up and up. And it's one part of being part of the National Football League that I don't like. I don't like every year having to make that decision what prices are going to be, especially this year. This year was tough.

   ""But what we found after surveying around the National Football League, even after our prices this year, there's still 15 teams with a higher general seat price than our top seats. So we're sitting right there in the middle even after an increase. But nobody likes it because they're our loyal fans, your core supporters, people that are there week in and week out with the team. But we've got to stay competitive and unfortunately it's become part of sports.''

   Taking a break at the NFL owner's meeting in Palm Beach, Glazer said season ticket renewals are going well and there will be no local television blackouts as rumored. He expects all games to be sold out.

   ""Because our price increases the previous years were not equal to a lot of other teams, we fell way behind. We're almost paying that price today because we kept it lower over the last 10 years.''

   For a complete Q&A with Glazer, read the Times Tuesday.

Comments

[Vince]

How much did the Bucs make last year? How much is the franchise worth? Interesting statistic used by Glazer. What about lower priced tickets? How do the Bucs compare?

[DR]

To stay competitive and yet, be 17M under the cap. Wow.
How do the 16 teams with lower prices manage? Blaming the rest of the league for ticket price increases and being one of the teams with the lowest cap cost, not tto mention that they own the Manchested United team. Cowards. No wonder they stay out of the spot light. Go back and stay in Europe.

[DR]

I am upset right now because Jerry Jones has not made the deal for Pac-man, and I have already got my Ken doll, put on the dreds and moved him into the doll house at my moms house. I hate the bucs now, because my Cowboys are playing better in the last couple of years, my mom said be careful because people will know you are a bandwagoner, but I don't care I just hug my Romo doll a little tighter. Jessica, and Pac-man stay in the doll house doing stuff while I hug my Tony doll. Mmmmmm Tony...Jessica, and the Glazers are the devils.

[Who Cares]

DR who cares?

[aaron]

would you guys rather have Hugh Culverhouse and low ticket prices or the Glazers and tickets that are a little steep.
i would choose the latter. the ticket may be a bit high but the product on the field is pretty good. Dont get me wrong Gruden needs to really improve this teams record and performance in the playoffs, but is it really that bad guys? it could always be worse...

[Tony M.]

At least they haven't started demanding fans pay in her majesty's royal pound.

[Kurt]

The Glazers aren't from Europe, they are Americans. Not stupid Americans like you, but Americans nonetheless. Dimwit DR continues on his tirade to unparalleled incompetence. We still have quite a few current players to sign extensions with and since the Glazers have owned this team, we have yet to be under the cap by much when the season starts. They stay out of the spotlight because they are not media-wh0res like your beloved Jerry "Me and Kenny Rogers just got another facelift" Jones.

[DR]

17M under the cap last year isn't much!?!?
The fact that the Glazers do spend much of their time in Europe is what I was referencing. I couldn't care less about where they're from. And no, they don't appear to be good americans. Do some service for your country and then you can speak about what a good american is, Kurt.

[aaron]

John Wade signed with the Raiders...good to see him get a job, as a starter nonetheless. i wish him luck.

[The Count]

The Count concurs with the Ticket Hike however the Count will be unble to attend both the Bucs Games and Deathklok in Concert!!!!!

[No Sense]

So if the other 16 team owners would jump off a cliff the Glazers would also be compelled to do so. Makes Sense...
Wouldnt have been great if he told the truth and said "Look we arent making enough money from the ticketholders and we have every right to raise our prices"

[The Clown]

Bunch of BS spewed by Glazer. NFL makes its profits on the TV contract. Ticket sales are straight gravy. They eat more gravy than big jimmuh at an all u can eat kountry kitchen.

[Jean Pierre]

I like how Glazer tries to justify the increase by saying that we're still only in the top 15 in ticket prices in the NFL. Tampa is one of the bottom four markets in the NFL in median income, so your attempt to validate your naked greed insults us both. I have been a loyal Buc fan since the team's inception when I was 6 years old, and I thought my loyalty would be appreciated once Culverhouse died but I see now the new boss is the same as the old boss, so I got rid of my season tickets and used the money to get Bulls season tickets, I even have money left over for road trips to UCF, NC State, and a flat screen TV, much sounder investments than contributing to the Manchester Glazers. They've turned being a Buc fan into the equivalent of being married to a fat chick who cheats on you.

[Clown Boy]

Yeah for strokes!

[Mike\Orlando]

By this logic I should make as much money as people in New York and California where the Salaries and wages are higher because of cost of living. People in these Mega Cities like NY, CA, earn in many cases 2 to 3 times what people make in Florida for a like position so you can't compare the two. One thing has nothing to do with the other. Look I’m a lifelong fan born and raised and I make good money. I even re upped in the face of the increase but it’s simply principal. In the last 10 years my tix in Sec 143 have gone from $36. a game to $99.bucks each and still 40% of my games last year where not even the starters.

[Matt]

Owners of an NFL franchise "feel the pain" of a family sitting in the 300 section....APRIL FOOL !!!

[Jim Rome]

Rrrrrack Matt!
and while you're at it ... Rrrrack me too!

OUT

[Bucs4Life]

Who cares about the increase. Those who can't afford the hike will quickly be filled with those who can. If you can't afford it, get a better job. If you can't get a better job, go back to school. If you can't afford school, you should've gotten better grades in HS and earned a full ride to college. Season tickets to a Bucs game isn't your right, it's a luxury, same as owning a car, phones and yes owning a TV. 50 years ago, no one could afford any of this except the middle class-rich. The poor people still rode public transportation and listened to the radio. Now all of a sudden, these "poor" people own a car with nice rims, have cell phones, HDTV's, season tickets to NFL games then sit back and complain that gas prices are too high and NFL season ticket prices increased 30%. Don't forget to buy your cigarettes and beer. How about taking the $4/pack/day for cigs and $20/week in beer (combined $200/month) and stop complaining! You sound like Domocrats - why not tax the rich so "everyone" can afford to attend a Bucs Game!!!

[Benedict Arnold]

You sound like treasonists, I mean Republicans, Bucs2hell. Yes, let's go to war for oil and destroy the american dollar and watch our young soldiers die for no reason but to fill the pockets of the rich. Sounds like the american dream to me. Please follow your coward leader to the bridge you lemming.

[DR]

In my doll house I have a big screen TV that I watch my boys on. I put a pole in there recently so Jessica can do her thing and Pac-man can make it rain. My mom don't know about this so please don't tell, she will kick me out. There is now salary cap in my doll house, make it rain Pac-man, mmmmmm Tony doll, Jessioca is being bad. Go Cowboys, bucs are the devils.

[Bucs4Life]

Case in point, stop complaining about stuff you can't change. If you don't like it, do something. Whay are you wasting your time on a stupid blog?

Oh yeah, lay off the Discovery Channel

[DR]

Wow, you guys must envy me so much to keep blogging like a bunch of 5 year old babies. It's actually great. In your stupidity is the admission of defeat.

[Bucs4Life]

Don't worry DR, your government check in in the mail today.

[Bucs4Life]

Don't worry DR, your government check is in the mail today.

[Ron]

Bucs4Life, I agree with your basic premise. It's all about how you want to spend your entertainment dollars. At the same time, I have to ask "$20/week in beer"? What do I drink after the first two hours?

[DR]

Don't worry Bucs4Life, your government check is in the mail too. What's your take on Social Security? It's a national embarrassment in how it works. I'm sure it makes sense to you, genius. That's sarcasm.

[Bucs4Life]

$20/week in beer was a modest total, but you get my point. Too bad society doesn't think that way.

[DR]

Hey, that gov't check my mom gets helped pay for the dreds on my pac-man ken doll. She deserves it having a Boy fan living with her, and it helps furnish my doll house. Make it rain Pac-man, the gov't welfare program is sooooo great. It helps my pimple problem too, and Tony likes me better with pimple cream on. Mmmmmm tony romo is the best QB ever.

[Bucs4Life]

For the record, Social Security makes absolutely no sense but I was refering to welfare checks...again, there is a problem with that system too.

How did we get here again? Oh yeah, if you can't afford the ticket price increase, don't pay it. No one is holding a gun against your head forcing you to pay for them. When you get to the point where you own an NFL franchise, charge what you want. Until then, stop complaining

[Jon Gruden]

I hate all of you.

[hahaha. ah, i got a good laugh out of that john gruden]

hahaha. ah, i got a good laugh out of that john gruden.

[Michelle]

Why accept Joel's arguments? The question isn't "How much are other teams charging compared to the Bucs?" The question IS "When do Glazers' profits become obscene?" A 30% increase represents an excessive amount of greed. Ask Joel if they factored in the amounts taxpayers are already paying for the stadium as compared to other teams?

[Tony]

Hey Michelle, go buy your own NFL franchise and then set the ticket prices.

[Michelle]

Better to stop this taxpayer madness through Congress.