The Nashville Predators are poised to do something that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago, when attendance hit an all-time low. In a letter to season ticket holders, the Predators say they may stop selling individual tickets to certain games. The team is also willing to pay a premium to buy back tickets.
Why?
The Predators have one of the best records in the NHL this season and they’re trying to keep their home-ice advantage in the face of the raucous
enemy crowds that sometimes infiltrate Bridgestone Arena.
Sea Of Red
At a game in early December, Greg Atwood arrived at his seat just like he normally does.
“I typically get there right at faceoff. I walked in when it was dark and when they turned the lights on it was pretty shocking just how much…I mean it was a majority red, ” said Atwood.
That red was a sea of fans in Chicago Blackhawks t-shirts and sweaters supporting their team. Thousands chanted “Let’s Go Hawks”.
As a reliable Preds fan, Atwood has been coming to games for 14 years and says he actually doesn’t mind seeing out-of-towners.
“For me and most of my friends, it’s usually ‘Hey, welcome, glad y’all are here,” said Atwood. “We’re glad they’re coming to see us and spending money in the city. But maybe a thousand or two thousand would be good and not so much eight or nine thousand at once.”
Nashville lost that game to the Blackhawks 3-1 — one of only two home losses for the team this year. Team president Sean Henry says the complaints came flying in from fans and players.
“It didn’t help that we lost. After that game I probably got, I don’t know, 50-75 e-mails; 10-12 phone calls,” said Henry. “And I’m not the only one. You spread that across our whole staff. People are saying ‘I don’t know if I want to come to the game any more.'”
Taking A Stand
So now, the team is outlining steps to maximize the amount of Predators gold and navy blue in the stands. The team says it’s considering a mandate that season ticket holders clear it with them before re-selling their tickets. The team is also offering to buy back tickets to certain games at 10 percent above face value.
“The first opportunity and last opportunity to buy Predators tickets should stay right here in our greater market,” said Henry.
It’s not the first time a professional sports team has tried to keep its tickets from winding up in the secondary ticket market. Unlike goods that can be bought and re-sold, many teams consider their tickets non-transferable licenses to attend events.
The New England Patriots
took the ticket resale site StubHub to court a few years ago. In 2014, the Seattle Seahawks prevented
anyone from California from buying a ticket when they played San Francisco in the postseason.
If the Predators end up doing something similar, not only would that keep out-of-town fans away from the arena, it would likely keep them out of Nashville altogether, meaning hotels, bars and restaurants would lose out.
Before And After The Game
In the latest study conducted for the team back in 2012, it was estimated the Predators and the arena have a $410 million impact on the community, particularly downtown.
Despite the increased hotel business during the hockey season, Renaissance Nashville general manager John Fleming says he understands the team’s predicament.
“I had two reactions,” said Fleming. “One, as a fan, and I said ‘absolutely right’, the best thing we can do is protect our home ice and go for it.”
And as a hotel executive?
“We’ll lose some business obviously if we do limit that. It means we’ll just have to find other business,” said Fleming.
Season ticket holders are conflicted too. Atwood may not like half the arena filled with rival fans, but he also doesn’t want the team to go overboard with new rules.
“I spent a lot of money on these tickets and when I buy these tickets they’re mine to determine what I do with them.”
The Predators say they’re most concerned with building a championship franchise and a regional fan base that will last for generations. They say keeping home-ice advantage is a key to moving in that direction.
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