I'm becoming a fair weather Flames fan. Am I alone?

[Deegee]

I am not as interested as I used to be, but not for a lack of caring, but because I just don't have the time. Between helping out with my kids team doing various odd things, being on the minor hockey board where I live, and being the treasurer for a junior B team where I live, I feel I don't have much time to watch the Flames. I still watch when I can and check scores, though.

[spuzzum]

I completely agree with the comments around getting older and becoming less interested in sports. Perhaps it is other priorities in life, the stresses of life in general, developing other interests, or a combination of factors.

I used to watch the Stamps and the CFL like religion. Haven't seen more than 10 minutes total over the past 5 years including the Grey Cup.

I lived overseas and would watch every Flames I could. Or read about the results on CNN Teletext as soon as I woke up. For those that don't know, you could read News, Weather, and Sports via text on the tv. Was pretty cool before mainstream internet and would be updated several times through out the day.

One theory I have is that NHL hockey games used to be special on TV. We would have a maximum of two or three games on a week and you would plan your schedule around those time slots. Choice is wonderful, but we are now inundated with so much selection that maybe it's not a big deal anymore. Imagine back in the day being able to watch Carolina vs Columbus.

I do also agree that sports in general has become way too expensive. I can afford season's tickets but I would never drop thousands of dollars on such a product we have now with the Flames. My 2 cents nevertheless.

[Azhouse]

I watched the game until the third when the Stars scored and then turned the channel...game over. LA game down 3 to zip...turn the channel. That is my pattern of Flames watching. No push from this group. Glen has to go.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I have season tix that I split with some others. When I offer them up I get a lot more declines from people now than ever. The going rate in the Tickets thread is often STH cost or below. That is the temperature out there.

I will strongly consider declining the renewal as it has almost become more of a hassle having them.

[Locke]

Its definitely tough. For me the Flames used to be an opportunity to unite and be with friends, after work everyone would meet at the pub and watch the game.

Look at all the commercials you see with people getting together, having beer and wings on the couch and watching the game.

I guess my life just turned out differently. Wife, kids, work, friends have lives or have moved, etc. I have to fight to clear an evening to watch a hockey game and even if I manage it, its almost impossible to get everyone together.

So I started PVRing the games and outside of tax season I'd watch them when my family went to sleep.

But when they're playing terrible its just too easy to pull up TheScore app, check the score and save a couple hours of my life to do something else.

There is definitely something coming to change how Sports operate. All sports. In the advent of streaming TV, unbundling cable, Sports is the glue holding a lot of things together and that glue isnt all that strong. The real question is whether whats coming is a correction, or a reckoning.

Leagues are pricing, angering and inconveniencing fans out of the games, they're diluting their own product and not providing incentives to attend.

Ten years ago I'd have told you that one of my dreams was to become a Flames Season Ticket holder.

Today? I can afford it, but the thought of going to even ~10 games a year live fills me with dread. Its a chore. And an expensive one at that, I have more fun with my friends at my local pub at a ridiculous fraction of the cost. Especially when one of those considerations is 'how could this money be better spent?' On my house? A Car? Kid's educations? A vacation?

But even then, when the team is playing like this...I dont need this.

I echo the sentiment of some other long-time fans, I went through the Young Guns era and in comparison this is child's play, but regardless of that I dont want to have to do it again.

I remember wearing my Flames jersey to school on game days and being ridiculed. I dont need that anymore.

It sucks putting all the effort in, even just to go to your neighbourhood bar with your friends and then the Flames get blown out.

So, I dont know if that terms me a fair-weather fan, I'll echo the sentiment of many others here the concept of 'changing teams' isnt even an option. Not even on the table. And in Oilers' terms I'm a Tier 2 fan at the best of times because I'm not what drives Revenue for the Calgary Flames.

I never had a lot of money and when I do I have other, more important things to do with it (see: Wife, kids, house, car) so its not like my fandom can be measured by my purchases.

But when I'm in, I'm in! I flew to Anaheim for Game 5 with some other CPers, I know the contract status of our players, I know how much cap space we have, who is on IR, who we've drafted and the status of our prospects. I think I'm up there in terms of fans and I dont like the 'fair-weather' title, but at the same time I feel that I've done my time in the trenches.

[Par]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

I have season tix that I split with some others. When I offer them up I get a lot more declines from people now than ever. The going rate in the Tickets thread is often STH cost or below. That is the temperature out there.

I will strongly consider declining the renewal as it has almost become more of a hassle having them.

Do you offer the tickets for free(not for money but for friendship), than I am ready to take them off your hands.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

I have season tix that I split with some others. When I offer them up I get a lot more declines from people now than ever. The going rate in the Tickets thread is often STH cost or below. That is the temperature out there.

I will strongly consider declining the renewal as it has almost become more of a hassle having them.

It's only a hassel if you wanting to sell them. Letting your tickets go unused or kicking back to the Flames to find homes for them is very easy.

Of course ticket sales are lower with a team that isn't putting up the wins. Add on top of that the poor AB economy right now, and it's even tougher. Not sure people should be surprised about that.

Any season ticket holder needs to be prepared for the fact their tickets are going to be much harder to move in non winning years and should be factoring that in when you make the decision to buy up front. Not every year is going to one when you need bat away people who want to take them off your hands. Year 3 of a rebuild and bad economy should have been something you should have seen coming when you renewed before this season.

[djsFlames]

I also can't believe how infrequently this team gets the first goal/lead in games this season.

They come out of the gate the same way, no matter what they say beforehand or emphasize the importance of it. Get behind, usually by 2 and push back after the first half of the game is in the books (where were they then?) just to give a little hope, but come up short, just about every time.

I can't keep watching that. It's a set up for disappointment every time they pull the same too little too late act just so that the fans/media have enough 'moral victories' to hang off of. But teams that are chasing will always look possessionally better for a portion of the game, because the other team is simply protecting the lead that they've gained. Enough is enough. It's not acceptable to continue to play from behind in 8 or 9/10 games. Fans are sick of it because it's been going on much longer than with GG. They have to stop playing to come back and play to get ahead, and stay ahead. More often than not. 2014/15 will not happen again.

[Steveyoto]

For me it is political. I do not want tax payer dollars going towards a new arena. Whether it is solely for the flames, or for the olympics, or if it is a combined field house/ arena.

I have been very disappointed with the CSE multiple approaches of trying to sell this arena. They want all the benefit with none of the true costs.

Also, Murray Edwards moving to England to avoid paying more taxes rubs me the wrong way. (though he claims this is not the reason)

I am just not impressed with the CSE and its lack of focus on what the people actually want, vs the constant rhetoric that the local elite are being very vocal about.

Mark my words.. ( not that anyone here cares)- I will become an Oilers fan if the city pays for a new arena. We do not need to fund billionaires business ventures.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Steveyoto

For me it is political. I do not want tax payer dollars going towards a new arena. Whether it is solely for the flames, or for the olympics, or if it is a combined field house/ arena.

I have been very disappointed with the CSE multiple approaches of trying to sell this arena. They want all the benefit with none of the true costs.

Also, Murray Edwards moving to England to avoid paying more taxes rubs me the wrong way. (though he claims this is not the reason)

I am just not impressed with the CSE and its lack of focus on what the people actually want, vs the constant rhetoric that the local elite are being very vocal about.

Mark my words.. ( not that anyone here cares)- I will become an Oilers fan if the city pays for a new arena. We do not need to fund billionaires business ventures.

So you'll become the fan of a team for which the city contributed ta dollars to pay for a new arena?

[danimal]

I've been a fan since the mid-80's. I listened to pretty much every game on the radio from 1989-96. Knew all the players, stats, etc and was lucky enough to go to at least one game a year (usually the one right before Xmas), so I was as big a Flames fanatic as there was. Once I got a job and started making my own money, I spent a lot of it attending games. The Young Guns era was pretty brutal but I have fantastic memories of going to games with friends and just being an idiot up in the nosebleeds, back when Rick "the Dinger" Bell has his hard hat section up there. I continued to follow them as closely as I could once I moved to Sask in 03, but in recent years, my interest has trailed off dramatically. I've often wondered myself why that is. Yeah, marriage, kids, job, mortgage take up a lot of my time but the truth is, I just don't find hockey as entertaining as it used to be. I don't think it even has anything to do with the Flames themselves.

I blame the internet, the whole "all sports, all the time". The coverage is overkill, in my opinion. Back in the day, I got my Flames news from Jock Wilson and Peter Maher, and the Calgary Sun. There was a mystique about everything. Now we have everything we need to know at our fingertips. Part of the fun was being surprised by roster moves, transactions, and game time scratches. Now you know that stuff 5 hours before a game.

Maybe I just grew up and my idea of entertainment has changed, I don't know. I was a huge wrestling fan too growing up, and it was a lot more fun being a fan when I thought those guys really hated each other. Now the curtain has been pulled back on that whole deal and it ruined it.

Oh, and the amount of money hockey players make is a hard pill to swallow when you're out busting your hump and still barely making end meet. Hard to get excited about a bunch of millionaires chasing a frozen rubber disc around a sheet of ice.

I'll still continue to follow the Flames and celebrate their success, but a lot of the fun has been sucked out of it.

[saillias]

I watched the full San Jose game, that was one of the only true 60 minute, fulfilling efforts this year so far. That's about it, every other game maybe a period or 2 at most.


They spot the other team 2 goals in the first almost every game. You know when this happens it's over.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Steveyoto

For me it is political. I do not want tax payer dollars going towards a new arena. Whether it is solely for the flames, or for the olympics, or if it is a combined field house/ arena.

I have been very disappointed with the CSE multiple approaches of trying to sell this arena. They want all the benefit with none of the true costs.

Also, Murray Edwards moving to England to avoid paying more taxes rubs me the wrong way. (though he claims this is not the reason)

I am just not impressed with the CSE and its lack of focus on what the people actually want, vs the constant rhetoric that the local elite are being very vocal about.

Mark my words.. ( not that anyone here cares)- I will become an Oilers fan if the city pays for a new arena. We do not need to fund billionaires business ventures.

So...you could be the fan of a team who got their City to pay for a Billionaire's ventures because he engaged in the world's most transparent bluff of 'moving the team?'

Have fun with that.

And to be clear, I'm more or less in agreement with you, I dont want to see huge public dollars go to an arena, I'm not staunchly against some dollars as an investment thats repaid, but I'm not a proponent of just handing people cash.

[Iggy_12]

Used to never miss a flames game have had season tickets since 1995. Its not the result its the product that has deterred me. Its just plain boring. I also find the season is way too long, lately i find myself not caring until around february as i am a HUGE NFL fan. It wasn't always this way, last couple years the NFL has completely taken over my interest to the point where NHL and flames are a very very distant second. I still go to games and watch when i have time but it doesnt drive my life like it used to.

Some mentioned before the on ice product has been incredibly mediocre to terrible the last 10 years, just tough to dedicate time to mediocracy and low entertainment value. Ill also add this is hockey in general not just Flames. Id rather watch a cleveland browns vs Baltimore Ravens game over any hockey game right now. So sad

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Steveyoto

Mark my words.. ( not that anyone here cares)- I will become an Oilers fan if the city pays for a new arena. We do not need to fund billionaires business ventures.

If you're saying this, you were never a Flames fan to begin with.

[dirk diggler]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

I'm not the kind to take my business elsewhere, but I've found my support waning, particularly this season.

This is a cap team that looks listless, and a team that fired a Jack Adams winning coach. Rather than replacing him with a top notch experienced coach with a winning NHL record, they go to the scrap bin and picked a nobody with a mediocre to poor staff that look completely incapable of coaching an NHL team. Feels like a Feaster/Weisbrod move, rather than one from a so-called great GM.

Couple that with the Gaudreau holdout and flat start, and Monahan looking like a fourth liner, and its getting tough to care and substantiate the cash for season tickets.

Its not even that they are losing. Its that they look so hopeless and emotionless in doing so.

exactly, two years ago, even when the flames lost you came away entertained as they never quit, showed heart and played hard. even when they lost, they entertained. this current edition is nothing like that. i dont mind BT, but he needs to be accountable as this team has regressed big time

[Bandwagon Surfer]

Interest in something changes over time, it is natural and a sign that you are a rational human being. There is no prize for being an unwavering zealot (unless you enjoy that in itself).

What you feel is what really matters. Sports is an entertainment product, so what most people get out of it is entertainment. If it is not providing you with what you want, and/or there are other things that provide it better, then the smart thing to do is to change what you are doing. We all only have a set amount of time, needlessly wasting it is a tragedy.

The concept of team loyalty is only marketing scheme to try to keep your attention and money when the business is failing to providing a service you desire. This goes beyond sports. It is easy to play off our natural tribalistic tenancies to manipulate people. Businessmen, politicians and religions have abused this for ages. True happiness comes from seeing through this, figuring out what you really want and pursuing it. Relentlessly reevaluating to ensure you are spending your time the best you can.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Steveyoto

For me it is political. I do not want tax payer dollars going towards a new arena. Whether it is solely for the flames, or for the olympics, or if it is a combined field house/ arena.

I have been very disappointed with the CSE multiple approaches of trying to sell this arena. They want all the benefit with none of the true costs.

Also, Murray Edwards moving to England to avoid paying more taxes rubs me the wrong way. (though he claims this is not the reason)

I am just not impressed with the CSE and its lack of focus on what the people actually want, vs the constant rhetoric that the local elite are being very vocal about.

Mark my words.. ( not that anyone here cares)- I will become an Oilers fan if the city pays for a new arena. We do not need to fund billionaires business ventures.

But didn't the city and prov. government fund a significant portion of the Oilers new arena also? Or am I wrong? You're entitled to your stance, but makes no sense to switch to a team that also got the funding you don't want the Flames to get.

[Mr.Coffee]

Same as so many on here, but this pile on needs to happen and hopefully folks around the league take notice if they're reading any of this kind of stuff on the internet.

The game of hockey is a contact game. The second that everyone decided that hitting and injuries were not acceptable because players were making too much money, and people didn't want their assets at that kind of risk, well, the emotion then drained from the game.

I think that the slow drain of physicality from the game has sucked all emotion and the result is watching millionaire dump and chase.

It sucks. The game is boring as #### now. That's just the reality. What they should have done, IMO, is tried to make ways to make the game safer. Things that have been publicly said for years. Things like modify the equipment. Instead they just decided to take hitting out of it, and now the passion is gone.

Ticket prices is another big one. The Flames have raised ticket prices for a decade and it's not like the team has really warranted it. NHL players and owners do not need ever increasing revenues. I think society is taking notice and they're at the maximum price point if not exceeded it. Expect a huge amount of season ticket cancellations next year. I know people that have been season ticket holders since 1996, who have grown to resent the way the team treats them. I'm sorry but 1 or 2 playoff runs after giving over $100k of money to a team, and then no real discounts or price freezes or even giveaways like jerseys or really ####ing anything, it's just greed.

[It's a great day 4 hockey]

Just putting it out there. I've read in this threat that several people are turning down free tickets. I still really enjoy going to the games. I just got laid off yesterday from a job that didn't allow me to get to very many games because I had to work evenings. On top of that my godson is a hockey nut that lights up like a Christmas tree when he finds out he's going to a Flames game. If anyone ever wants to pay forward their good fortune and know that someone sitting in those seats they've turned down is truly enjoying the experience pm me.

Am I frustrated with the way the Flames have played? Absolutely but I'm always trying to find good in the bad. The Flames are my team but first and foremost I'm a hockey fan. If the Flames are playing a good team I enjoy studying how that other team is playing good. If the Flames are playing a bad team I enjoy knowing my team has a chance of winning. Are the flames and hockey in general the a top priority in my life? No and unless you're somehow connected to working in hockey I believe it shouldn't be. Moderation in life is key to everything, this even applies to emotionally investing yourself in something that is a business for entertainment.