Well this is a new one.
The new Philadelphia 76’ers ownership group (which includes Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, by the way) is already making some huge changes after being approved yesterday.
Not only did they immediately fire GM Ed Stefanski, they made another series of announcements including
The Sixers announced lower single-game ticket prices for the upcoming season. Over 8,800 seats will be significantly reduced for single-game tickets during the 2011-12 season. The new single-game structure results in 51 percent of seating being reduced. Certain lower-level seats that were $54 last season will be $29 this upcoming season.
Follow that link for more announcements, including a new website that lets fans talk directly to the Sixers owners.
It’s a series of good PR moves that has to make Sixers fans feel good. Cheaper tickets and direct access to the owners will make fans feel like the team truly does care about them and their concerns. A $29 ticket means a family of four can go to a game for not much more than just two people could have last season.
In tihs economy, that’s a huge deal. And even if just one parent takes one child to a game, that’s still just about what one seat would have cost last year. And when you’re building loyalty to a sports franchise, you absolutely need to make sure parents can get kids to games. It’s those early childhood memories that create life-long fans who, over the course of their lives, will spend thousands of dollars on tickets and apparel.
You don’t often hear about teams making cuts this deep in ticket prices. Good for the new ownership group for making that move so soon. They’re one day into the job, and they’re already making Sixers fans feel good about the future.
