An Open Letter to the Glazer Family

My name is Nick Houllis,  and I  run this blog www.Bucstop.com, and I do it because I have been a die  hard Bucs fan since 1979. I love your throwback game, and am so pleased you decided to wear the Orange Uniforms at home once again. There is just one problem; I probably wont be able to come to the game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to cry poor, Ive been to two games already. I went to week One Cleveland and got a nice tan, and went to the Rams game. Both times I bought tickets from ticket master so I would help support your cause. But sometimes things come up when we live paycheck to paycheck like so many of us do these days in our area. Yes, you have made tickets affordable with your 40 dollar section, and there were still seats available there last time I checked, so I realize its more than just the economy as to why your stadium is not sold out. But I believe you’ve done the right thing with Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik, and that you have started the process of building us a winner once again. The die hard fans are already at your stadium, you just need to get the casual ones back too. That will happen over time as they hear about the winning. But you need more people to watch your games, and to do that, you have to sell that stadium out and get on TV. To do that, you need to bring your ticket prices, ALL of your ticket prices, to an area that is more in tune with what the dollar is worth around here in Tampa Bay. Chicken is 5.00 a pound. A Gallon of Milk costs 5 dollars too, and a Gallon of gas has been so high for so long, that we say “Oh Thank God its under 3.00”! Not only has the economy eaten away at our friends and neighbors jobs, but those of us that are lucky enough to work have our buying power seriously diminished. I would love to go to more of your games, and I’m betting that a lot of people do. The 40.00 seats are nice, but they are only in one section, far up, and far over. If you sit one section to the right, the price doubles to 80.00. I say, don’t worry about the 40 dollar sections, just give us all a discount on tickets. Your stadium, no , OUR Stadium that we love so much, is only half full. Why not take 30-40% off of all tickets remaining, the rest of the year. Across the board (Club seats withstanding),30- 40% off of all prices. Sure some people may get upset who purchased season tickets, no problem. Give them 30-40% off their season tickets next year if they ante up NOW. That will get season ticket sales going, because thats how you will save a lot of money if you want to go see a game next year. Maybe even half season packages. A Pick 4 games type deal. Im sure you have talented people in your payroll who can achieve an exciting promotional idea. If someone who purchased a ticket already complains, no problem, give them a 20.00 voucher for any food or non alcoholic beverage items purchased in the stadium, or throw in a free parking pass! By giving this kind of discount, you wont have to worry about it looking like prices when back up when the discount is no longer  needed. The prices would still be the same on the ticket, it would just be the discount that is gone. When the Tampa Bay Rays gave away 25,000 free tickets, they sold out that stadium on that day. That could happen here. All of a sudden people will be seeing the Bucs play at Home, to sold out crowds, and thousand more people will get to watch Josh Freeman hit Mike Williams for Touchdowns, and your product will gain popularity at an unbelievable pace. Your family has been instrumental in the Tampa Bay area enjoying it’s Bucs franchise. From the purchasing of the team and saving it from leaving, to the hiring of Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden, and now Raheem Morris; you’ve made sure you’ve done what it takes to do the right thing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I Thank You for your consideration, in this delicate matter at hand. Sincerely, Nick Houllis Palm Harbor,FL www.Bucstop.com