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Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Flames probably aren't in a position to turn away season ticket holders. I know a lot of people that aren't renewing for various reasons.
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Well, that's the big question. Which policy is likely to keep more people away?
I suspect it would be something similar to what we saw when smoking bans were introduced. Restaurant and bar owners were predicting total destruction of their businesses if smoking was banned. Then, the ban came into effect, and if anything, business went up at most restaurants and bars because it turned out that some people had been avoiding going out (or staying out for a shorter period of time) because they didn't like choking down the smoke just to have a couple of drinks with friends. They just weren't as loud about it as the smokers were.
If you look at the current vaccination rates, Calgary overall has very high rates. That's especially true in the more-affluent areas of the city and among older age groups. Older, affluent Calgarians tend to be the ones who buy Flames season tickets. Because of that, I would suspect that Flames STHs are likely vaccinated at a rate higher than the general population.
The other thing they need to factor in is the potential negative impact of an outbreak tied back to an event in the Saddledome. That could lead to further cancellations or reduced attendance at future events. That's a big risk to take just to appease a small but loud minority of potential ticket buyers.
Another interesting thing that came out today is the Calgary Chamber of Commerce has asked the province to implement a vaccine passport:
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...ccine-passport I think that's a sign that the tide is turning in public opinion around vaccine passports, so it's likely just a matter of time before they start to become common, especially for large events.