Will It Be A Packed House For Derrick Brooks?

September 11th, 2014

BrooksLovieIn case you forgot, Bucs icon and Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks will be inducted into the Ring of Honor at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway on Sunday.

Packed house? Incredible demand for Brooks, the game and a free Brooks bobblehead doll? Not really.Given Joe’s partnership with TicketMonster.com, Joe’s pretty tuned into the secondary ticket sales market. Over the past few days, prices for Bucs tickets at TicketMonster.com have been plummeting far below face value. As of this typing, plenty of tickets for Sunday can be bought without a fee and instantly downloaded for as little as $25.

It’s the same scene at StubHub.com, where thousands of tickets are available in all price ranges. Tickets also remain for sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Legions of Bucs fans are likely surprised. Should they be? Nope.

That’s just been the reality for Bucs tickets for about nine years or so. In 2005, the Bucs started 5-1 with Cadillac Williams bursting on the scene and Tampa Bay owning the No. 1-ranked defense and winning the division. But ticket demand started its decline during that season. Scalpers weren’t doing much business.

For Joe’s money, the enhanced TV experience, the chilled economy, lukewarm excitement for the post-glory-years Bucs, fantasy football and a stadium that’s becoming outdated are all to blame, if you’re looking for an answer as to why Derrick Brooks Day isn’t a hot ticket.

29 Responses to “Will It Be A Packed House For Derrick Brooks?”

  1. lightningbuc Says:

    God, the Bucs seriously need to at least upgrade the Jumbotrons, or whatever they call them now. Can’t see anything on them as the sun shines on it.

  2. BucDan Says:

    I’ll be in attendance. Mostly to support the team before they go on a grueling road trip, but especially because we will be honoring one of the greats to play the game.

    The bobblehead doesn’t hurt either.

  3. Jim Says:

    My wife & I have had season tickets since 1977. Tired of being forced to pay full price for pre-season games. Seems like the secondary market is the way to go. If the Bucs EVER turn things around, we may have to pay a bit more for the games we want to see but will pay less over the season.

  4. gatrbuc17 Says:

    You guys remember when the Bucs went 56 straight games with a Sack or a Takeaway? I do but that was a long time ago. Man those were the days

  5. RCH Says:

    You better believe me and my crew will be there! I can’t wait for the Bucs to beat the Rams and get one of those bobble head dolls boy!

  6. gatrbuc17 Says:

    @Jim…….wow man. My parents bought season tix in 76. I sat through the first 20 yrs on the 2nd row 40 yardline starting at 9 yrs old.
    Nice to meet as long-time a fan as me.

  7. Tom Edrington Says:

    Have a wonderful Derrick Brooks bobblehead from the Super Bowl team sitting in my home office.

    At night, I sometimes hear him softly crying, probably as a response to where this franchise has fallen.

  8. RastaMon Says:

    I’ve had season tickets every year other than 82-86 when I was starting a family…still went to a few each year….Sec 123

  9. Mort Says:

    One word. Pathetic.

    Support your team, Tampa. If you can’t fill a stadium when the greatest player in franchise history is going in the ring of honor and you can’t sell that game out? Embarrassing.

  10. Phaneuf Says:

    They should gave those tickets too the really poor community of the bay area. How many person there only wich is to go to a bucs game but theymake 400$/month

  11. DB55 Says:

    Who’s your favorite player?

  12. Mike 45 Says:

    Ridiculous! One of the pieces that helped us bring a Championship to Tampa and we can’t sell it out! I sure hope Bucs fans step up and buy tickets to this game to honor Derrick Brooks and what he meant to this franchise.

  13. Evan Says:

    GETTIN MY BOBBLE HEAD YEEEAAAH

  14. Buc1987 Says:

    My favorite player is Sapp. Brooks comes in 2nd for me and I’m a Nole.

    Side note. For those that don’t know. My cousin played LS for the SB Champs. I called him last night about getting my Brooks jersey and possibly Sapp signed.

    I asked him about some kind of banquet dinner like they had for Sapp. That maybe he could get it signed there. He said that would be mission impossible. From what he told me Sapp had about 400-500 people show up for his retirement jersey thingy. Brook’s on the other hand he said, it looks to be well over a 1000. He said it would be kind of hard to get them signed but would try for me.

    No surprise that Brooks is more popular than Sapp. That’s the only reason why I told you guys the story. To show just how popular #55 really is.

  15. Buccfan37 Says:

    If they gave a double bobblehead giveaway the stadium could sell out. Say a Lovie bobblehead with the Brooks one. That would be a keepsake item. Probably sell out overnight.

  16. jb Says:

    Considering that if we lose this game Sunday, we could easily be looking at one of these recently patented Buccaneer losing streaks of between 9 & 11 games. Unless you’ve already bought season tickets, why on earth would anyone pay to see this team lose like that? Sorry Derrick…..

  17. BirdDoggers Says:

    It’s a shame to see all the empty seats at the stadium. Football has become a made for TV sport. HD TV with all the camera angles and coverage, cold beer in the fridge and burgers, wings, brats, etc. sizzling on the grill. All this for a fraction of the price of attending the game in person. I still enjoy going to the games but it’s not hard to see why ticket sales have fallen off a cliff. The teams lack of success plays a big role too.

  18. richardtyson Says:

    It’s to bad that Sapp and Brooks have these ceremonies during a time when the team is a complete embarrassment.

  19. RJ CHRIS Says:

    I took my wife and 3 kids last year including parking, food, drinks etc it cost me almost $600… I make a decent buck but that is crazy, I am a big fan and have not missed a game on TV ( I live outside area ) in 20+ years… We can watch the game at home on high def and same food, drinks for about 20 dollars… I dont know if anything can be done about it but thats why I dont go!!

  20. BUCTROOPER Says:

    Dear RJ, it’s not the fact that you spent $600 on your family that has me upset. It’s the fact that you spent $600 to see the product that’s on the field.

    People want to talk about attendance issues. They have every excuse in the book for empty seats. How come no one looks at the most obvious one? The team isn’t very good and they arent very exciting to watch. It’s that simple.

  21. OB Says:

    Joe

    As I have said many times the communications industry is a changing, in the not too distant future, we will buy a season pass to watch on TV and/or pay for each game on TV. TV as we know it will be gone since the frequencies are worth so much more for other things like data. TV will be streamed over the internet which would be either wired or wireless. Just like the print system has changed.

    Number 55 is a class act and I believe he should be the next NFL Commissioner, he has standards and would never sell out or overlook what needed to be done. You couldn’t find a better one.

  22. nate Says:

    Brooks would make the best comish of all time!

  23. Greg Says:

    Just got out tickets on stub hub.
    Looking forward to honoring Brooks.

  24. JS1506 Says:

    I live in Panama City, Panama. I’m 25 and I’ve been a die hard bucs fan since 2000. I’ll be flying to tampa just to watch Mr. Derrick Brooks get into the Ring of Honor because that’s how much he means to me. Let’s beat those Lambs and GO BUCS!

  25. Adrian Says:

    I got my tickets and I was at the Panthers game too. But I had bought my tickets for this game first.

  26. Espo Says:

    I’m just so happy we’re doing this against the Rams and not the douchebag Eagles like our 10 year Super Bowl anniversary. They booed the entire time and drowned out Gruden, which is a tough task.

  27. Schlomie Gentile-Mohel Says:

    People realize what a sham professional sports is. It’s a subsidized entity. As people continue to become increasingly more intelligent, fan fervor will continue to drop.

  28. Schlomie Gentile-Mohel Says:

    It doesn’t embarrass me one bit that the stadium may not be full for the millionaires. I have other issues that are more important such as paying my mortgage and volunteering at a skilled nursing home. You all are a bunch of rubes.

  29. Joe Dunn Says:

    I am going because of Brooks being honored. September games and half of October are really steaming hot.

    HD large TVs make a huge difference. Stadium is about 90 Bud Light everywhere…..why not more GOOD beer?

    Stadium only offers liquor in club area….Rays and Bolts dont pull that crap.

    Food is inconsistent…… when I see people out in the hot sun grilling food at noon for a 4 pm game I honestly think that is nuts, not admirable. I would usually just turn on the game 5 minutes before it starts. It is a long-ass day to attend a game…..Sunday likely the only one I will attend this season.

    Gruden never won a playoff game, therefore the buzz began to wear off.

    I enjoyed Buc1987 story but i wouldnt walk across the room to see Sapp or get an autograph. He is really a poor excuse for a celebrity, role model, Tampa area hero or anything you wish to call him.

    For the record, I’ve been a fan and gone to games since about 1978. End zone tickets then?? Five bucks, I think,