The Kansas City Chiefs have eliminated a low price season ticket option. Yet another way they are alienating every day fans and preventing attendance.
The Kansas City Chiefs had offered a great deal the past couple years called the Bud Light Game Day Pass. This pass allowed fans tickets to every home game (including preseason) for $200. If you bought two or more tickets, you were also given a $10 concession credit (total) at each game. The tickets were delivered to your phone approximately three hours before kickoff. My husband and I bought these tickets last year and found them to be fantastic! The seats were nosebleeds, but for $40, we were able to attend each and every game. We did not feel bad if we missed one due to weather or being out of town.
This year, however, the Chiefs have decided to eliminate that option. They are no longer giving fans the chance to purchase seats way up high for cheap. As a loyal fan, I have a problem with this. It would appear that the Chiefs do not care about the needs of their fan base—specifically the fan base that may not have the financial ability to spend $900 for season tickets.
I was contacted by the Chiefs a short time ago asking if I wanted to purchase season tickets. They informed me that the Bud Light Game Day passes were no longer an option but the cheapest ticket option is available for about $450 per seat. The only added benefit of being a Chiefs season ticket holder? You get the option to purchase your seat for the playoffs before anyone else. Not at a discount, of course, but you can buy it. How have the Chiefs found a way to completely disregard their average fans?
Let’s take a look at the typical cost of game day: First, you have to buy your tickets. You’re looking at $45 at a minimum to attend the game. Then, of course, you have to pay for parking – that was $35 last year as long as you bought it ahead of time. We are already at $80 for one person to attend. Then, you have the fringe costs of tailgating—beer, food, etc.—as well as spending money in the stadium and you have priced out a majority of fans. How is this serving the fan base? Look, I get it. The Chiefs are a business, but they are also there to provide entertainment. The ability to bring your family is what develops future fans—which makes for good business.
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The Chiefs, however, have decided that the average fan doesn’t matter. Prices continue to rise. I understand that part of it has to do with the fact that we have the reigning MVP slinging the football next year which will undoubtedly draw crowds, but come on. Loyal fans, every day fans, have been with the Chiefs through the toughest of years, the lowest of lows, and have stood by them. The least they could do is make it feasible for that loyal, average fan to attend games without emptying their savings account. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Third Eye:
Pretty simple, if the stadium is full, they are undercharging. If there are empty seats, they are probably overcharging.
My buddy and I have been to a couple of season ticket holder functions/surveys and the refrain from STH's is almost always exactly the same:
It isn't about the money.
Look - I'll continue paying the $120+/gm I'm paying per seat to keep my damn seats. I had them for Matt Cassel, I'm not giving them up now. But if we're going to be among the select few that go out there and pre-pay, knowing full well that we could probably get in the stadium significantly cheaper if we bought on game days (and didn't pay for pre-season games), give us something to improve our game-day experience over what the folks that haven't made that kind of commitment have.
It could be as simple as a STH only entry gate. Or STH bar - maybe someplace we could go before games that's climate controlled and not overrun by everyone else that just decided to come in out of the cold. If you're going to trade in 'exclusivity' with the STHs, do something to make it feel semi-exclusive.
I'm not gonna bitch about prices because if I simply sold my playoff seats for the playoff games I've attended, I'd have probably been able to cover a significant chunk of the cost of my regular season tickets over the Andy Reid era. I've elected not to do that - that's a choice I've made and that's fine. But I do think they could do a little more to make STHs feel a little more vested than the other fans.
I'll be honest, the only jersey I even wear anymore is my Scott Pioli gifted STH jersey from 7-8 years ago. I think it's cool as hell that I have a jersey with an STH patch on it that I got as a result of being committed to this team. I wish the team would do a lot more of that kind of stuff.
The best I can point to right now is that they still give us a card every year with our tickets pre-loaded and we don't have to use that god-awful app to get us into the stadium. Give 'em a couple years and I'll bet they'll stop doing that as well, though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
My buddy and I have been to a couple of season ticket holder functions/surveys and the refrain from STH's is almost always exactly the same:
It isn't about the money.
Look - I'll continue paying the $120+/gm I'm paying per seat to keep my damn seats. I had them for Matt Cassel, I'm not giving them up now. But if we're going to be among the select few that go out there and pre-pay, knowing full well that we could probably get in the stadium significantly cheaper if we bought on game days (and didn't pay for pre-season games), give us something to improve our game-day experience over what the folks that haven't made that kind of commitment have.
It could be as simple as a STH only entry gate. Or STH bar - maybe someplace we could go before games that's climate controlled and not overrun by everyone else that just decided to come in out of the cold. If you're going to trade in 'exclusivity' with the STHs, do something to make it feel semi-exclusive.
I'm not gonna bitch about prices because if I simply sold my playoff seats for the playoff games I've attended, I'd have probably been able to cover a significant chunk of the cost of my regular season tickets over the Andy Reid era. I've elected not to do that - that's a choice I've made and that's fine. But I do think they could do a little more to make STHs feel a little more vested than the other fans.
I'll be honest, the only jersey I even wear anymore is my Scott Pioli gifted STH jersey from 7-8 years ago. I think it's cool as hell that I have a jersey with an STH patch on it that I got as a result of being committed to this team. I wish the team would do a lot more of that kind of stuff.
The best I can point to right now is that they still give us a card every year with our tickets pre-loaded and we don't have to use that god-awful app to get us into the stadium. Give 'em a couple years and I'll bet they'll stop doing that as well, though.
Those in the gold ring have some of that stuff. Luckily for me, my FIL's idiot stepbrother has money to burn so he buys tickets he doesn't want that we use in there. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
My buddy and I have been to a couple of season ticket holder functions/surveys and the refrain from STH's is almost always exactly the same:
It isn't about the money.
Look - I'll continue paying the $120+/gm I'm paying per seat to keep my damn seats. I had them for Matt Cassel, I'm not giving them up now. But if we're going to be among the select few that go out there and pre-pay, knowing full well that we could probably get in the stadium significantly cheaper if we bought on game days (and didn't pay for pre-season games), give us something to improve our game-day experience over what the folks that haven't made that kind of commitment have.
It could be as simple as a STH only entry gate. Or STH bar - maybe someplace we could go before games that's climate controlled and not overrun by everyone else that just decided to come in out of the cold. If you're going to trade in 'exclusivity' with the STHs, do something to make it feel semi-exclusive.
I'm not gonna bitch about prices because if I simply sold my playoff seats for the playoff games I've attended, I'd have probably been able to cover a significant chunk of the cost of my regular season tickets over the Andy Reid era. I've elected not to do that - that's a choice I've made and that's fine. But I do think they could do a little more to make STHs feel a little more vested than the other fans.
I'll be honest, the only jersey I even wear anymore is my Scott Pioli gifted STH jersey from 7-8 years ago. I think it's cool as hell that I have a jersey with an STH patch on it that I got as a result of being committed to this team. I wish the team would do a lot more of that kind of stuff.
The best I can point to right now is that they still give us a card every year with our tickets pre-loaded and we don't have to use that god-awful app to get us into the stadium. Give 'em a couple years and I'll bet they'll stop doing that as well, though.
Completely agree. That jersey offer is by far the coolest thing they ever did for Season Ticket Members. Now they just send a sticker and a $5 item or two. Last year it was a worthless battery charger that didn't even charge your phone battery to full and a pop socket. Probably not even $5 for both.
Not saying they should send out jerseys again but they certainly could do a little more to thank STM for being loyal over the years.
I also agree its nice we at least get a card to use rather than their horrible app. They made another change to that this year. It used to be you could download or screenshot the tickets to your phone or google pay so they were actually stored on the phone. This year you can ONLY use their app. So if you have a shitty signal the closer you get to the stadium or you kill your battery before you get in the stadium, too bad. I agree that both of those issues really fall on the fan but still, at least let them use google pay to store the ticket. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
Those in the gold ring have some of that stuff. Luckily for me, my FIL's idiot stepbrother has money to burn so he buys tickets he doesn't want that we use in there.
Tis true.
But there's a level somewhere between 'bought tickets because the weather looked good' and 'gold plated license plate bracket'. We've looked into moving into the club level but that's 3 times an already expensive commitment. With multiple seats we'd be approaching $20K/yr. That's quite the barrier for entry into a slightly stepped up fan experience.
I mean damn, they even eliminated Red Reserve parking so season ticketholders don't even get dibs on the rows at/near the front anymore. Fortunately we have evidently been around long enough that if we ask them they'll let us get Gold Reserve now, so that's something. I just wish they'd try to do more.
If they don't -- well, as has already been noted, I'll say 'fine, take my money and bring on Mahomes' and write them a check anyway. But that won't stop me from being frustrated by what sure seems to be general ambivalence towards their STHs... [Reply]
But there's a level somewhere between 'bought tickets because the weather looked good' and 'gold plated license plate bracket'. We've looked into moving into the club level but that's 3 times an already expensive commitment. With multiple seats we'd be approaching $20K/yr. That's quite the barrier for entry into a slightly stepped up fan experience.
I mean damn, they even eliminated Red Reserve parking so season ticketholders don't even get dibs on the rows at/near the front anymore. Fortunately we have evidently been around long enough that if we ask them they'll let us get Gold Reserve now, so that's something. I just wish they'd try to do more.
If they don't -- well, as has already been noted, I'll say 'fine, take my money and bring on Mahomes' and write them a check anyway. But that won't stop me from being frustrated by what sure seems to be general ambivalence towards their STHs...
It's nice to have the gold level entrance and the indoor stuff up there, but honestly, the pretentiousness is overwhelming. I am a stand and yell and get weird at Chiefs games kinda guy and I felt like I was leading the whole section in "look at that dumb jackass standing and yelling". [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
It's nice to have the gold level entrance and the indoor stuff up there, but honestly, the pretentiousness is overwhelming. I am a stand and yell and get weird at Chiefs games kinda guy and I felt like I was leading the whole section in "look at that dumb jackass standing and yelling".
Originally Posted by O.city:
It's nice to have the gold level entrance and the indoor stuff up there, but honestly, the pretentiousness is overwhelming. I am a stand and yell and get weird at Chiefs games kinda guy and I felt like I was leading the whole section in "look at that dumb jackass standing and yelling".
Yeah, the 'drop a $2,000+/gm' crowd is a different lot.
The absolute sweet spot is the lower bowl. You have far fewer folks who got $20 tickets and are there to get hammered in the lot and start fights. You have essentially none of the cranky old folks who yell when you stand up (because EVERYONE stands) and you don't get the wine-sipping A-listers who look at you sideways when you cuss out the DC for a drop-zone on 3rd and short.
I love my seats and 80% of the people I sit around. It's a great crowd and a fun environment. I'll spend the money as long as I have it because I enjoy it. But I'd grumble about it a lot less when I get my envelop in the mail with my passes and my $3 cell phone stand if they'd make some relatively nominal concessions in the grand scheme of things; something that makes it feel just a little more like they recognize that the folks chipping out for STHs are really stepping up in support of this team. [Reply]