Sports Talk

[Beguile's Mistress]

Just heard a story on the news that the Nashville Predators are keeping people who are not from the Nashville area from buying tickets to the Stanley Cup finals games played in their city. 

Kinda sucks for you when you have to try to pad the arena because your team is afraid of people from other towns.

[Iniquitous]

Just heard a story on the news that the Nashville Predators are keeping people who are not from the Nashville area from buying tickets to the Stanley Cup finals games played in their city. 

Kinda sucks for you when you have to try to pad the arena because your team is afraid of people from other towns.

Got it wrong there BeMi - it isn't padding the arena.  The Nashville Predators are for US -  the Nashville citizens. Not for other teams' fans.  Thus, the majority of the seating is for Nashville Predator fans.   This is not new pricing strategy - it has been this way for two seasons now.

[Raziel]

Got it wrong there BeMi - it isn't padding the arena.  The Nashville Predators are for US -  the Nashville citizens. Not for other teams' fans.  Thus, the majority of the seating is for Nashville Predator fans.   This is not new pricing strategy - it has been this way for two seasons now.

Wish the MSG group would do that for Rangers, except only sell them to actual Rangers fans and not the suits who don't know the first thing about hockey instead, that would be great.

[Ket]

Got it wrong there BeMi - it isn't padding the arena.  The Nashville Predators are for US -  the Nashville citizens. Not for other teams' fans.  Thus, the majority of the seating is for Nashville Predator fans.   This is not new pricing strategy - it has been this way for two seasons now.

I'm curious then, is it wrong to encourage fans of other teams to come and watch the game? Not only is this fair, but it also brings revenue into the city above and beyond the cost of the game ticket. Pricing differently for non-Nashville residents is, in effect, pushing people away from the city.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Got it wrong there BeMi - it isn't padding the arena.  The Nashville Predators are for US -  the Nashville citizens. Not for other teams' fans.  Thus, the majority of the seating is for Nashville Predator fans.   This is not new pricing strategy - it has been this way for two seasons now.

I heard that.  While other cities are welcoming and love the spirit of competition, Nashville has to keep the competition out so their team isn't intimidated.  Upstarts that they are, Nashville is too timid to allow other fans in or know how to work off the energy such a challenge creates.  They still have a lot to learn, being from a geographical location that doesn't support natural ice.

After all, sharing is caring and we do allow others here in Pittsburgh so they can enjoy watching their team play out of town.  I just hope Nashville hasn't managed to paint their fans, those that we will share with, as being super-entitled and standoffish and therefore having a bad attitude when they come to Pittsburgh.

[Beguile's Mistress]

$1060.00 is the cheapest ticked in Nashville for the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals along with the fact they don't want out-of-towners in Nashville. 

Now I wonder if the nickname I heard someone call the Predators shouldn't be bandied about.  I don't go for revenge, but...

[Beguile's Mistress]

I keep listening to the local 11:00 news and it just keeps getting worse.

Seems the Predators fans have the disgusting habit of throwing catfish at the opposing team.  These, of course, are raw catfish that they throw on the ice.  Filthy pigs.

They'll have to bring them here from home because no one here is going to sell raw fish to them.  Remember, too, you need an out-of-state license fish here, too.

[Iniquitous]

I heard that.  While other cities are welcoming and love the spirit of competition, Nashville has to keep the competition out so their team isn't intimidated.  Upstarts that they are, Nashville is too timid to allow other fans in or know how to work off the energy such a challenge creates.  They still have a lot to learn, being from a geographical location that doesn't support natural ice.

After all, sharing is caring and we do allow others here in Pittsburgh so they can enjoy watching their team play out of town.  I just hope Nashville hasn't managed to paint their fans, those that we will share with, as being super-entitled and standoffish and therefore having a bad attitude when they come to Pittsburgh.

Thing is, every city that has a sports team does this. Season ticket holders always get first dibs at seats. It has always been this way.  That is why it is called home town advantage. When the Predators go to Philly, there wont be as many seats available to us as there will be for fans in Philly.  Getting upset and slamming another city for something that -every- city does is pretty petty imo.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Thing is, every city that has a sports team does this. Season ticket holders always get first dibs at seats. It has always been this way.  That is why it is called home town advantage. When the Predators go to Philly, there wont be as many seats available to us as there will be for fans in Philly.  Getting upset and slamming another city for something that -every- city does is pretty petty imo.

I know that side of it but the thing is, people from Pittsburgh who bought tickets, and they buy them for most away games, had their tickets canceled by the Predators because they don't live in Nashville or the area.  Pittsburgh is known for having fans that travel and I have lots of friends who do.  Everyone I work with who bought tickets, or tried to, was turned away in some fashion.  People from other cities who have tried to buy tickets for their teams when they played the Predators have had the same problem.  It seems, from all the research we've been doing, that Nashville is the only city that does this.  Other venues set aside a block of tickets for out-of-town fans and have no problem selling them.  They are usually gone within hours of opening them up for sale.  There have also been stories about Nashville fans who are planning to bring dead fish to throw on the ice here so I know Nashville fans are buying tickets.  I'm not meaning to slam anyone but it just doesn't seem fair that everyone else in the league welcomes out-of-town fans and Nashville won't.  Fans should be allowed to go to games and cheer for their team no matter where the game is held.  I'm just glad Pittsburgh is generous enough to give out-of-town fans a sporting chance.  Good sportsmanship is one of the greatest things about my home town.

[Iniquitous]

First, the throwing of catfish is not done as an insult towards the opposing team (and you are the first I have ever heard take it personally) nor is it something that we Predators fans started. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Octopus  Sometimes, it helps just to look things up before you take offense at things because, usually, there is nothing to take offense to.

As I don't work in the ticket selling industry, I cannot speak to why already purchased tickets were canceled.  I can only hazard a guess as to the reason since it is not something that is controversial here and not in the news.  The only thing I could even think of is tickets were sold before taking into account season ticket holders wanting to purchase - though that doesn't make sense since my understanding is season ticket holder seats are withheld already.  Could be wrong on that, but it's the only thing I can think of outside of the fact that we want all of our Predators fans to be able to get in and see the Predators. We certainly are not the only team to block out of town fans from purchasing tickets though and I am sure we will not be the last. *shrugs*  Hometown advantage - other teams restrict the number of tickets sold to opposing team fans, Nashville puts their fans first.  Same difference the way I see it.

[DominantPoet]

Thing is, every city that has a sports team does this. Season ticket holders always get first dibs at seats. It has always been this way.  That is why it is called home town advantage. When the Predators go to Philly, there wont be as many seats available to us as there will be for fans in Philly.  Getting upset and slamming another city for something that -every- city does is pretty petty imo.

Pretty sure no city in Canada does this. In fact, if Nashville does this, that's rather despicable. I lived in Calgary most of my life, Flames tickets cost the same whether you were from Calgary or not. Now, it's true, season ticket holders would get first crack at home games for any playoff games, but then, you didn't have to live IN Calgary to get season tickets, so. That was simply a matter of people who support the team all season, get first crack. Not a matter of "eff people who aren't from Calgary".

It's especially sickening for a Stanley Cup final bracket.

As for the catfish stuff there BeMi, I can't really say that surprises me that much. THAT does happen in the NHL all the time, Calgary is particularly inclined to do it if they're playing against Edmonton and vice versa. Although I don't recall there ever been anything as gross as live catfish being thrown on the ice or anything like that.

One of the nice things I remember from the last time the Flames had a good playoff run, was the "C of Red", where home games were, indeed, mostly people wearing the red jerseys and doing the wave and what not. People downtown and in bars did it was well, we even came to call it the red mile or avenue, it was one of those two. Me thinks Nashville could do with some lessons on good sportsmanship in general from the sounds of it. Just my two cents.

[RedRose]

It is fascinating to me how other countries have this whole sport culture! In mine, unless you're a "sporty", you may not even know IF your city has a team.

[DominantPoet]

It is fascinating to me how other countries have this whole sport culture! In mine, unless you're a "sporty", you may not even know IF your city has a team.

Most every major and even small city/town in Canada, at least, has a hockey team in some sort of league, be it a national, provincial, or NA based one. It is really only the big, major cities in Canada that have an NHL team though, but there are a hell of a lot of national or provincial based leagues and teams to go with them. Hockey hockey hockey, everywhere you look ;)

[Iniquitous]

Although I don't recall there ever been anything as gross as live catfish being thrown on the ice or anything like that.

Not a live catfish. It is dead. And you didnt see Nashville arresting anyone from Detroit when they threw octopi out on our ice. We just laughed it off and started doing catfish. To bitch at Nashville doing something that is done by plenty of other teams is low down and just looking to bitch at Nashville about.

As for the tickets - if the Predators are Nashville's team, was formed for the residents of Nashville, and we can pack our stadium to capacity without fans from the other teams, why should we be forced to sell seats that Nashville natives want? More money coming into the city? Hunny, we have plenty of tourists in Nashville without the fans of a sports team. We are a tourist city. So our team can have opposing fans screaming against the record level noise that our fans make? Why? Plenty of people from Nashville want those seats, and pay for those seats. Just as those who werent able to get seats filled the streets so that we broke the record for NHL tail gating.

Why should a city be forced to sell tickets when they know those tickets will be bought by hometown fans? Doesn't make sense to be bitching because Nashville wants it's hometown fans to have those seats.

[DominantPoet]

Not a live catfish. It is dead. And you didnt see Nashville arresting anyone from Detroit when they threw octopi out on our ice. We just laughed it off and started doing catfish. To bitch at Nashville doing something that is done by plenty of other teams is low down and just looking to bitch at Nashville about.

As for the tickets - if the Predators are Nashville's team, was formed for the residents of Nashville, and we can pack our stadium to capacity without fans from the other teams, why should we be forced to sell seats that Nashville natives want? More money coming into the city? Hunny, we have plenty of tourists in Nashville without the fans of a sports team. We are a tourist city. So our team can have opposing fans screaming against the record level noise that our fans make? Why? Plenty of people from Nashville want those seats, and pay for those seats. Just as those who werent able to get seats filled the streets so that we broke the record for NHL tail gating.

Why should a city be forced to sell tickets when they know those tickets will be bought by hometown fans? Doesn't make sense to be bitching because Nashville wants it's hometown fans to have those seats.

Throwing things on the ice in general is just a dick move, unless it's for a charity thing they started doing back in Calgary years ago, encouraging people to bring stuffed bears or what not and hurl those onto the ice instead of other things. Seemed to work pretty well.

Because the entire point of being in a league that encompasses many cities is to celebrate a sport and the love of said sport with other people. Friendly rivalries are all well and good, but it still comes off as super dickish to do things like, especially going to such lengths as to cancel tickets already paid for simply because people live outside of Nashville? Home advantage is all well and good, but it's still meant to be a game. It's supposed to bring people together. Not make people be assholes to anyone who doesn't live in their particular city just because they like a different team. It's divisive action, basically.

Just reminds me of the absolute bull crap that happened in Vancouver in 2011 when Boston beat out Vancouver in game 7 to win the Stanley Cup. People just went full on asshole, rioted, did tons of damage to business and shops, at least 140 people were injured, there was something like 300 people that had various charges laid against them in the end. And for what, because they couldn't deal with the fact that their team lost to another? That's lunacy.

Whoever wants to pay to see the game, they should be allowed to do so, that's my opinion. Otherwise, maybe they should just withdraw from the NHL entirely if they're so against other teams fans coming to their city to watch their own team play a simple hockey game.