Until next year. I think.
Observer columnist Tom Sorensen has it just about right, the Bobcats need to nab playoff spot to really win over fans in Charlotte. That and lower ticket prices. Again.
We scored two $40 tickets to last Saturday night’s game for $23 each as part of a American Heart Assn. promo. That’s a decent value even when you add in $10 for parking and $50 for munchies (an 8-year-old boy is basically a stomach with legs.) With handling fees and all, figure the night cost $120. Not cheap, but a doable special thing once or twice a year.
But at the full-price you are looking at being in $95 before you even get through the door and that’s just for two people. A full-on family night out would set you back the same amount as a whole day at Carowinds. And that should tell you the Bobcats have the wrong price point.
I know you can shave off some cost by buying into a mini-season ticket plan, but that is a substantial investment of both time and money. Too much. From the looks of the this year’s attendence numbers — up just slightly over last year despite the spiffy new arena — I’m not alone in that view.
The Bobcats improved much on the court despite all the injuries and now have two young guys — Ray Felton and Gerald Wallace — who are the kind of full-court warriors you’d pay to see. If someone tells Emeka Okafor to stay away from the weights and just watch old Buck Williams tape, the Bobcats might have three — if the price is right.
So here’s hoping the Bobcats make the right moves in the off-season (pssst, Brandon Roy) and figure out that a full-building at some price is a better deal than a half-full one at their price.
