2016 Calgary Roughnecks and NLL Thread

[jayswin]

Wooohoooo, we get the honour of getting murdered by the Rush!!!

[Yoho]

Love it

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

LMAO!

Avalanche, Mammoth, doesn't matter. The PBP guys are so pathetic.

Woo Roughnecks!

That was the absolute most pathetic goal call I've ever heard in any sport, lol. NLL playoffs need more Grant Farhall!

[Resolute 14]

Game 1 of the West Final is in Calgary on May 14. Game two, and the possible sudden-death mini-game, are May 15 21 in Saskatoon.

[GeoffSK]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Game 1 of the West Final is in Calgary on May 14. Game two, and the possible sudden-death mini-game, are May 15 in Saskatoon.

Game in saskatoon is on the 21st.

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

[Resolute 14]

Crap, you're right. Thanks. I misread the tweet I saw from the Rush.

[dirk diggler]

Originally Posted by jayswin

That was the absolute most pathetic goal call I've ever heard in any sport, lol. NLL playoffs need more Grant Farhall!

those pathetic announcers were almost in tears, i dont think they will beat the rush but i am glad to see colorado lose and now "Jr." can retire hopefully.

[JiriHrdina]

Roughnecks can beat the Rush. Bold hasn't been himself this season and at times they have been sleepy.
Best team in the league for sure. I think the Riggers have about a 25% chance of winninng the series.

[JiriHrdina]

BTW that was indeed the longest overtime playoff game in NLL history

[Dion]

Looking forward to the game next Saturday. Hopefully fans will show up in droves and pack the Dome.

If anyone hasn't been to a Roughnecks game, it's great entertainment.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Dion

Looking forward to the game next Saturday. Hopefully fans will show up in droves and pack the Dome.

If anyone hasn't been to a Roughnecks game, it's great entertainment.

They won't. I'd imagine anywhere between 11-13k. I would be surprised at 14k+

[Resolute 14]

11-13k is mammoth for an NLL playoff game. Minor leagues often experience attendance declines in the playoffs, and that's what the NLL is.

Last night's games:
13,116 in Colorado (season average: 13,832)
3,266 in New England (season average: 3,751)

Last year...
12,785 in Calgary (season average: 11,642)
6,527 and 5,808 in Rochester (7,051)
16,027 in Colorado (14,787)
10,210 and 9,257* in Toronto (10,011)
7,690 and 12,275* in Edmonton (6,578)

(*= NLL championship series)

[jayswin]

The NLL really hit it's high mark in the mid 2000's. Looking back we took gate numbers for granted at the time, but wow was the league ever flying back then.

Toronto and Colorado we're legitimate packed crowds at 16-18k a game and I remember being jealous that Calgary was very strong but slightly behind in the 13-15k range. Now fans don't even blink at Toronto and Calgary being 9-11k markets and Colorado leading the pack at 11-13k.

Obviously a lot of leagues have taken steps back with the comfort of the home viewing experience being what it is, but still disappointing to see in such a gate driven league.

[Resolute 14]

Before the Flames took over, Calgary was usually in the 7-8 thousand range for actual fans. Bannister almost always faked the numbers to make it look better - in those days, if he announced a crowd just over 10,000, you knew it was total bullcrap. Calgary has actually been remarkably consistent - both in terms of announced attendance, and in my subjective recollection of actual fans in seats. If anything, the crowds have gotten a little bigger since the Flames took over:

Looking over Calgary's attendance:
2016 - 11,471 (4th)
2015 - 11,642 (3rd)
2014 - 10,615 (3rd)
2013 - 10,215 (4th)
2012 - 8,312 (5th)
2011 - 10,384 (3rd)
2010 - 10,418 (3rd)
2009 - 10,398 (6th)
2008 - 12,211 (4th)
2007 - 12,707 (4th)
2006 - 11,777 (6th)
2005 - 10,207 (5th)

But the bigger problem is as you say. In any given year, two of Toronto, Buffalo or Colorado usually posted gaudy numbers. How much was real, and how much was paper is unknown, but the NLL really misses the years when the Rock and Mammoth claimed 17,000 fans per game, and the Bandits and Wings were battling Calgary around 10k. While we've remained steady, the general trend has been down.

In Calgary, we're actually spoiled because the Roughnecks always make the playoffs. It has done a great deal to help us build a lacrosse culture here. Didn't happen in Minnesota, where they went from 10k to 6k before relocating. Edmonton always plodded along in the 6-8k range. Other big markets failed outright - Chicago, NYC, Boston, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix. Vancouver failed once and will fail again.

How many times has the NLL shifted plans? They went on a big Canadian expansion run - adding Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver (Ravens) and Edmonton. Only Calgary remains. They tried to recruit NHL owners for access to NHL buildings - of the NHL teams that brought in their own teams, only Colorado remains, while Calgary and Buffalo were subsequently taken over. Going big didn't work, so now they are going mid-market. Langley, Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun), Duluth (Atlanta), Saskatoon. Long term, it seems only Saskatoon is likely to survive.

[Weitz]

Tickets are too expensive now IMO. Most of the people I know have stopped going because of this.

[TheAlpineOracle]

I would like to attend, but there is no way I'm paying the ticket prices they are asking for professional Lacrosse. I'll wait to see if I get an offer from the Flames for my season ticket account. If not, I won't be attending. $55 a ticket to sit in the second bowl is outrageous.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Tickets are too expensive now IMO. Most of the people I know have stopped going because of this.

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

I would like to attend, but there is no way I'm paying the ticket prices they are asking for professional Lacrosse. I'll wait to see if I get an offer from the Flames for my season ticket account. If not, I won't be attending. $55 a ticket to sit in the second bowl is outrageous.

I don't know. When I compare it to the Flames, it is a great deal. I actually don't have an issue paying that for a play-off game. The product/sport is great and hopefully it continues to grow.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I don't know. When I compare it to the Flames, it is a great deal. I actually don't have an issue paying that for a play-off game. The product/sport is great and hopefully it continues to grow.

It's a fringe sport, and it's way too expensive to gather general interest. I would probably pay $50 if it was just me going with some friends because I really like the game, but none of my friends are colleagues who really don't care are going to pay that. Hard sell at that price.

So that leave me with my wife who:

A) I'm not going to pay $50 for her to sit there on her cell phone and add another $50 on concessions on top of that to keep her occupied.

B) Will ask me how much it is (because she really is only going for me) and as soon as I say $50 a ticket will determine it's a $200 night and tell me we can better spend that money elsewhere (go to a nice restaurant, go to Canmore for the night, etc.).

I don't have kids, but i'm also assuming a lot of parents aren't going to want to be throwing down $50 a ticket to bring their kid to a lacrosse game.

If the Roughnecks got me in the door on Saturday I'm spending at least $100 on beer/food and probably any in the circle of people who come with me are doing the same. They'd be better off Charging me $25-$30 to get in and getting my concessions than they are charging $50 and losing on all my revenue. There's tons of empty seats, it's not like demand exceeds supply here.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

It's a fringe sport, and it's way too expensive to gather general interest. I would probably pay $50 if it was just me going with some friends because I really like the game, but none of my friends are colleagues who really don't care are going to pay that. Hard sell at that price.

So that leave me with my wife who:

A) I'm not going to pay $50 for her to sit there on her cell phone and add another $50 on concessions on top of that to keep her occupied.

B) Will ask me how much it is (because she really is only going for me) and as soon as I say $50 a ticket will determine it's a $200 night and tell me we can better spend that money elsewhere (go to a nice restaurant, go to Canmore for the night, etc.).

I don't have kids, but i'm also assuming a lot of parents aren't going to want to be throwing down $50 a ticket to bring their kid to a lacrosse game.

If the Roughnecks got me in the door on Saturday I'm spending at least $100 on beer/food and probably any in the circle of people who come with me are doing the same. They'd be better off Charging me $25-$30 to get in and getting my concessions than they are charging $50 and losing on all my revenue. There's tons of empty seats, it's not like demand exceeds supply here.

It is a fringe sport, and I agree that is one of the things holding it back.

I still don't think that is too much for what you get, which is a fast well played sport.

Clearly we will have to agree to disagree.

I don't know if you have kids involved in Lacrosse, but I get emails all the time from Roughnecks with deals on tickets.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

It is a fringe sport, and I agree that is one of the things holding it back.

I still don't think that is too much for what you get, which is a fast well played sport.

Clearly we will have to agree to disagree.

I don't know if you have kids involved in Lacrosse, but I get emails all the time from Roughnecks with deals on tickets.

It doesn't really matter what me and you think though as we are big sports fans (based on posting here) and we are probably going to cave and pay what is asked in the end. It does matter though what casual people just looking for some entertainment think. Here's the conversation i've had with quite a few of my friends/colleagues over the past two days.

Me: Hey let's go the Lacrosse game Saturday Night and have some beers. I've been to some games and always have a great time. It's the Western Final.

Friend/Colleague: Saturday Night? Sounds Great. I'd probably go, how much are tickets.

Me: $65 in the lower bowl or $45-$55 in the second bowl.

Friend/Colleague: Wow, for lacrosse??? That's a bit ridiculous. I would have went before you told me how much it was. Let's go to a bar and watch the UFC fights instead.


As soon as I tell them the price, it's a 100% deal breaker.