FanPost: "Club Red"
by RPC on Aug 18, 2011 2:13 PM EDT
Email
Print 
Say goodbye to sections 134, 101 and 102; they are going to become "Club Red"...
Well what can I say. Club Red is going to engulf these three sections at a 2 year min and $22,500 per seat, it is essentially kicking all season ticket holders out to make way for the very wealthy and corporate buyers. Granted your $45,000 investment will give you two years of EVERY event at the BAC with posh food and alcohol at no additional cost, but what about those of us who've been in the same seats for nearly 10 years. "Whoops, thanks for your money and support but its time to relocate you." For the 2012-2013 season, you have to make your choice of 'equal value ' seat by Aug 31, 2011.
I have been in section 134 row 10 for almost 10 years, whether it was for 10 games for 40. Exactly where is a seat equal to my joy in being over the opposing team for heckling? Or grabbing my personal favorite Sveda drink? Oh and if this area is now going to be cut off from the fans does that mean you won't be able to high five the guys when they get on or off the ice? Has that become part of the elite crowds privaledge? I thought the ownership and management was finally moving in a direction to bring fans and Pathers closer. This is sounding more and more like today's political climate, catering to the elite at the expense of the common people.
I am heated about this topic, that is apparent. I am also incredibly disappointed. I will savor my time in my seats this coming season and try to make as many amazing memories as I can, it may very well be my last season as season ticket holder.
Editor's Note: LBC has received a number of emails regarding this subject in recent days from seat holders in the affected sections; here's a bit of what's landed in the inbox.
51 comments
|
3 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Thanks for bringing this up, RPC. There will be a follow-up story this weekend.
Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus
That was my polite version. :-) I’m pretty certain, last game of the season I am leaving WITH my seat. I’m very curious to hear what others are saying and I wonder, really, who the BLEEP is going to be in the Club during games? When did Sunrise become the new South Beach? It says in that letter that the response was great.. who the F-k got asked? Kim Kardashian, the moron housewives of Miami? Was there a tweet by The Jersey Shore cast to say the BAC would be so much better with a Club inside? Now I’m just being emotional, sorry. Its just utter BS!!
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...
by RPC on Aug 18, 2011 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Apologies again for the disrespectful language.
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...
No worries :)
Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus
by Donny Rivette on Aug 18, 2011 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Ouch, thats rough
What a great way to reach out to season ticket holders…
The unaimed arrow never misses
Head Coordinator of the Weaver for Capn campaign
Find me on Twidduh And look at my Marmots
by Chris S Roberts on Aug 18, 2011 4:58 PM EDT reply actions
Why would they put the high-rollers behind the benches? If they were going to have a luxury section then put them on the penalty box side. Full disclosure: I live in Canada and have never been to the BAC. But Leafs games look stupid because of all of the empty seats behind the benches at the start of the game and the start of the 2nd and 3rd.
How will they separate us?
This affects me too! They have offered similar seats on the opposite side. How will they separate the “upper echelon” clients from the the poor slobs in Sec 103 and 133. They will probably spill their “top shelf” beverages on our heads. But we can take it because we are loyal SSH fans who have put up with a losing team for 10 years. Maybe some of that haut cuisine will fall over into 133 & 103 and we will get to taste some real Yormark specialties. Are they going to get a new scoreboard for the "Upper Echelon " also?
Club Red is the new, high-end, all-inclusive club overlooking center ice in the BankAtlantic Center’s lower bowl. This luxurious new club directly targets the upper echelon of sports and entertainment clients with tickets starting at $20,000 per year as well as plush furnishings, a trendy bar and lounge setting, top shelf drink and cuisine options, and the best viewing locations in the professional sports industry.
Shouldn’t they be in the Club section where they belong?
Florida Panthers, Good Hockey, Great Sponsors!! Panthers STH since 1994 and Lightning STH since 2011.
Exactly. I’ve got club level seats (right on the shoot twice goal line) because I enjoy the plush seating, but no one up there freakin’ gives a hoot about the game. If you’re lucky, you’ll get 1/4 of the section to cheer. Christ, when I yell “How much time is left” right before the minute announcement, everyone looks at me like I’m a freakin crazy person. I’m not repeating my mistake from last year.
That and I swear that the BAC ushers really liked throwing me out of that Ikea couch every night….
Wow, ushers. We don’t have them upstairs very often. When we do they don’t seem to understand basic things like you don’t let people enter the section during play and people need to sit in the seat on their ticket. So I’m not sure why they bother even having 3 or 4 ushers for the entire upper level if they’re not even going to bother training them.
"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
This is the first I’ve heard about it, and I don’t get it. Isn’t that what the “Club” level is for? Is there really a 3 section demand worth of “upper echelon of sports and entertainment clients” that don’t have their own boxes already? How will there not be empty seats in the only spot in the arena that is consistently on TV? Is a team with a 10 year playoff drought really in the right position to be sectioning off 3 of the best sections in the arena for people who, for what I am sure is a strong majority, aren’t even fans? Kind of sounds like when New Yankee Stadium opened with $2,500 seats or whatever it was behind home plate…and seeing them stay empty, front and center, on every pitch…
Just when you get excited about the hockey aspect of the organization coming around, making changes, new faces and new excitement… back to earth we come thanks to those who see the team soley as a source of income.
This is very disappointing. But I bet the new plush seats will look great empty for the only nationally televised game this year!!
One step forward, three steps back.
That will be the one game that won’t be empty since it involves the Penguins. Fair weather Penguin fans will fill those seats if Crosby is back.
Florida Panthers, Good Hockey, Great Sponsors!! Panthers STH since 1994 and Lightning STH since 2011.
Small Correction
Not that it makes a huge difference, but that $22,500 is the highest, the lowest for the new Red Club is going to be $17,500
Understandable to put it out there LACats but $35K doesn’t make it any more palatable for long time supporters of the team to be ‘relocated’. You saw how long I’ve been a fan, I have every right to voice my discontent with my fellow fans here.
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...
My buddies who have been season seat holders since the day tickets bacame available in 93.. They had 4 seats in 101, and even though they could afford these new seats as soon as they heard of this they canceled their tickets saying they would not be back until the day their seats are re-awarded to them at the same cost.. biggest fans i know, money to spend, and putting their foot down.
Ironically enough they’re Native and belong to one of the south florida tribes.. I guess they decided they wont let the man move them from their land.
by Rob PKane McMahon on Aug 18, 2011 6:28 PM EDT reply actions
On another note, Yormark had started to redeem himself slightly only to ruin it once again.
“F” Yormark.
by Rob PKane McMahon on Aug 18, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That will be enough of the “F” this and “F” that.
Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus
by Donny Rivette on Aug 18, 2011 6:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What survey?
They never sent me a survey about this even though it says that in the letter. My opinion, is that this letter was the survey and now they are getting the blowback. Hope it keeps up.
More disgruntled fans makes the C&B section stronger?
The unaimed arrow never misses
Head Coordinator of the Weaver for Capn campaign
Find me on Twidduh And look at my Marmots
by Chris S Roberts on Aug 18, 2011 8:05 PM EDT reply actions
Well, it’s already smaller by two. I haven’t renewed, largely because of the way that upper bowl STH are treated. I came very close to renewing and then changed my mind. When my rep sent out a mass email right before the renewal asking if any of us had any “issues” with our accounts, I took him up on it and laid out exactly how I thought the organization treats its upper bowl STH as second-class citizens.
To date, no one has addressed my concerns, though I still get the odd robo-call or mass email from someone at SSE.
But yeah, I’m not surprised they’re doing this. They care a lot about the big spenders and not at all about the rest of us.
"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
It worries me when a team so invested in bringing in new fans will turn their backs on the fans most invested in them. Thats pretty sad.
The unaimed arrow never misses
Head Coordinator of the Weaver for Capn campaign
Find me on Twidduh And look at my Marmots
by Chris S Roberts on Aug 18, 2011 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Question for you John..
If you did not renew, does that mean you will not be attending any games during the season?
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...
I’ll be at opening night, and I still have a credit on my account that I need to use. I haven’t decided if I want to get a mini-pack or just pick like 5 games I want to see, but I’ll be at a few. I’m just not going to put the money and time investment into an organization that doesn’t even pretend to care about a large number of its customers.
I’ll stay home and watch the Sharks and Flyers on GameCenter. As long as they’re not playing the Rangers or Bruins, the game shouldn’t be blacked out.
"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
:-(
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...
My general rule is that if I’m treated poorly as a customer, I spend my money elsewhere. And I’ve been treated poorly enough over the last five years that I’d rather take that chunk of my entertainment budget and spend it on some road games. I never fail to have a good time in other buildings when I take in games.
I can’t say the same for the BAC and SSE and their “customer service” and “product.”
"We don't need the designated goon. Those fights aren't even fun to watch." -Mike Milbury
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Aug 22, 2011 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Disappointing...
As has been mentioned, this will be an embarrassment for those of us who care about how our fanbase looks to TV viewers. These seats will NOT be filled by hockey fans. In fact, I predict that they will not be filled by ANYONE. Only the wealthiest of the wealthy (and corporate entities) will be able to afford these seats, and they will almost certainly go empty on a nightly basis.
This is going to be a disaster on multiple levels. Although SSE will most-likely get their money for these seats, the ill will created amongst some of the most loyal fans of this franchise will overshadow the positives created by the incoming revenue. This move will hurt so many people that there are bound to be negative consequences. You cannot displace three sections of fans who sit in some of the most desirable seats in the hockey arena and expect there to be no repercussions.
“Choice of equal value”… Who’s value? How do you put a value on a seat you’ve sat in for a decade? A seat in which you’ve accrued countless memories; a seat in which you’ve been surrounded by friends and fellow hockey fans. Equal value? If you’re among the people being displaced from your center-ice seats so that they may go unoccupied by an person who ponied up more money than you can afford, I truly have empathy for you. I’ve been watching you enjoy yourselves at Panthers games for years, and now I welcome you to the penalty box side of the ice. Even though you’re being forced from your seats for reasons still not understood by me or anyone here, I hope you’ll enjoy your new perspective on the game.
One positive aspect of facing the benches during the games is being able to see the best logo in all of sports right-side up.
If it’s any consolation, I predict that this move will either die on the vine before it’s implemented or it will not last beyond the first opportunity to reverse it. History is replete with bad ideas that were soon reversed. This is a bad idea. After ‘12-’13, when the entire season has been played in front of an apparently empty arena (to TV viewers), maybe this will be revisited and reconsidered… In the meantime, it’s been a pleasure staring across the arena at you for years! :o)
Hopefully you’ll be back in your seats soon!
By the way… Anyone remember reading a couple of months ago that SSE had approached the county about them footing the bill for building a new club at the BAC? Well guess who’s paying for this? The tax dollars of the very people being displaced. Ironic, eh?
They need to get rid of that stupid solid centerline cutting through the logo. Keep the dot, lose the line in the inner circle.
The unaimed arrow never misses
Head Coordinator of the Weaver for Capn campaign
Find me on Twidduh And look at my Marmots
by Chris S Roberts on Aug 18, 2011 8:44 PM EDT reply actions
As long as the players promise not to dump it in from inside the circle…. lol, sorry but no line would make it kinda hard on the guys calling the icings… but I understand what you’re saying. Maybe there’s a way to make the logo appear to be on top of the line instead of under it?
Or the giant panther head
Fish, Heatles, Cats, Fins, Noles
by National Mario on Aug 18, 2011 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Good call, hadn’t thought of that. They could still try and make it more transparent though, something more like this.
The unaimed arrow never misses
Head Coordinator of the Weaver for Capn campaign
Find me on Twidduh And look at my Marmots
by Chris S Roberts on Aug 18, 2011 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Not to get this thread any further off course... But:
The reason the logo in the photo I posted above appears to be so stark is because I took it while they were painting the ice (note the paint bucket above the Panther’s head). Once the logo is painted on, a layer of ice is applied above it, giving it the faded look like the one in the Kings photo (The red line in Kings photo also splits right down the middle of their logo).
The red line is the same throughout the NHL, in that it cuts right down the middle of every logo (except in the places were they have two logos; like Philadelphia
Bottom line on this article is: I feel sorry for the fans of this team who are at the mercy of someone who has no regard for their well-being, and someone who has repeatedly proven to be unworthy of trust, respect, or relevance…
By the way: Panthers logos are STILL in the urinals of the BAC as of two days ago…
By the way, this is very similar to what Yormark did in Tampa and almost killed the franchise in the process. Its also the reason why the Lightning are treating their regular fans extraordinarily since they are trying to reestablish their relationship with them.
Florida Panthers, Good Hockey, Great Sponsors!! Panthers STH since 1994 and Lightning STH since 2011.
Contempt and 2 cents
For 18 years I’ve held 4 season tickets in the section behind the Panthers bench. These tickets have been harder and harder to afford, as it has become ever more difficult through the years to find people to share them. Still, I hung on…For this? To get dumped? “This is our house and these are your seats!” Remember that promotion? Names on the seats to instill a sense of ownership? Feel like a sucker? I do.
Some of the following I know for a fact, some I believe to be the case:
1. Yormark’s Folly. Yes, I believe that this is what this will prove to be. It is his baby. I have been told by a Panthers director that this has been planned for a while but was not supposed to happen for a ‘few years" but then “the NHL and the County Commission came through and we accelerated it.” Did our county commissioners know that their concessions would be used by SSE to steal from the loyal to sell to the rich? That they were evicting some 500+ Broward county voters? Is it really possible that they did not look at how the money would be spent?
2. Club Dead. That’s right, corporate seats are often empty and worse, who do you think the corporate types are going to be taking to the game when they do attend? Loyal Panthers fans? No, fans will arrange for their own seats, not count on being brought. These seats will go to the client that loves the Rangers, or the Flyers, or Montreal. On TV front and center, and sadly behind our boys on the bench, Club Dead will be a bunch suits, empties, and guys cheering for the other team. Winning would have taken care of the transience that has allowed the visitor fan infestation we now have; Club Dead locks in transience permanently. Geniuses.
3. Tenure based seat substitution? Nonsense. They have stated that are contacting season ticket holders and substituting "fairly" in order of tenure, but it is not true. They are contacting holders first who renewed for 2 seasons because the Panthers can’t deliver to them what they promised. That’s not "fair"; that’s self serving.
What to do? I guess we could go quietly and just not renew. But why punish ourselves? Someone smarter and more tech savvy than I should start a twitter campaign and we should organize. The next step would be to contact the landlord (i.e. our Broward County Commissioners) to thank them properly for helping SSE do this to us, and to let them know that fans are passionate folk with long memories. Then there is the opportunity to likewise thank the Panther’s corporate sponsors for supporting this Robin Hood in Reverse…and so on.
Cliff Viner seemed like a good guy, saying the right things. But ultimately, this is his responsibility. Mr. Viner, please step in and say:
"Enough is enough. We’ve got to take care of our fans, not take their money and smirk. Michael, pack up your desk."
Shout it- I’ve been rolling ideas in my mind like you state here for the last few days. In particularly about the twittering bit. Try putting all that in 160 characters. I’m totally up for it, input welcome.
One big question I have thought is, would the Panther players support the fans in this instance? How about the media- would George or Harvey write anything that would be seen as negative regarding the SSE?
My email is online.. feel free to send me any ideas you have. No disrespect to anyone but its better to put plans of action on in private emails.
Be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best...
Does anyone think Yormarks time is ticking down? I mean he brings in the fans although the team is bad, but should the team do really well and prosper from the NBA lockout, would we really need such a shrewd guy calling the shots?
The unaimed arrow never misses
Head Coordinator of the Weaver for Capn campaign
Find me on Twidduh And look at my Marmots
by Chris S Roberts on Aug 19, 2011 6:26 PM EDT reply actions
Love hin or hate him, he’s kept the franchise viable when the hockey ops dept was an incompetent mess.
Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus
by Donny Rivette on Aug 20, 2011 4:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Are you saying that the franchise didn’t die on his watch and therefore he is doing a good job? Or are you suggesting that the Panthers are a successful franchise financially—I doubt the latter since they just had to go back to the County Commission with their hand out. Truth is, what makes the Panthers terrible is the accumulation of mediocre seasons, but in most of these seasons the Panthers have been been “just out of” the playoffs. It doesn’t take a genius to leverage that into taking SSHs for another turn, while slapping adds by plaintiffs lawyers, and other very local service businesses (few if any major corporations) all over every square inch of the only major sports arena in Broward County. Hardly a classy looking space is
it? No, I don’t think it is really such a rabbit out of the hat. Lots of others could do it. Not saying he’s done a bad job at any point (till now)…but the fan mistreatment will hit its tipping point and, like the Panthers, he will look terrible in retrospect.
Anything to say which doesn’t qualify as “trolling”?
Litter Box Cats - Your tarp-free Florida Panthers Colossus
by Donny Rivette on Aug 23, 2011 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
A while back the Nashville Predators were looking to create an ultra-luxury section by using two sections of the club level that had particularly poor ticket sales. At least in that instance, they were trying to minimize the impact on existing season-ticket holders (but that plan got derailed for other reasons).
It’s too bad that this deal seems to be at the expense of some of the Panthers’ biggest fans.
Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and HockeyGearHQ, a site devoted to hockey equipment and accessories. Catch me on Twitter, or join OTF on Facebook!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Litter Box Cats
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
