Terry Foster: Martha Ford Wants More Fannies In The Seats At Ford Field
By: Terry Foster
@TerryFoster971
Lions owner Martha Ford does not like seeing a half-empty stadium when she sits in her luxury suite at Ford Field.
She wants more fannies in the seats.
That is one of the reasons the team fired Senior Vice President of Marketing Elizabeth Parkinson, who was hired in 2012 from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
A new team is in place and their job is to lure you into the seats before kickoff. Good luck with that.
Empty seats are not Parkinson's fault. Her biggest mess up was moving play-by-play rights from edgy 97.1 FM to 760 AM, the former blow torch. The Lions moved the team from a younger and more energetic audience to one that is older and more into politics than sports.
They moved because of another blow torch -- my co-host Mike Valenti. They could not handle his heat. That was a bad move. When are the Lions going to learn that bad publicity is better than no publicity?
Let me put in a disclaimer. I work for 97.1 The Ticket and I believe it is the best sports station in the state and one of the best in the country. The station pays my bills and allows me to buy shoes, food and phone chargers for my family.
Now let's get back to fannies in the seats.
It also does not help that the Lions announced a "modest" ticket increase. From what I've gathered that "modest" ticket price increase is an average of 13.4 percent. That's modest? Are you kidding me? How thrilled would you be if the boss gave you a 13 percent pay raise? And how angry would you be if your grocery bill increased 13 percent?
And that does not include all the add-ons people are stuck with when they purchase tickets. Fans feel ripped off before they even enter the stadium for the first time the Lions are the losers in another public relations battle. I've heard from dozens of people who say they are going to get rid of their season tickets. Now do I believe them? I do not. They will bicker and scream and then write the check even though the Lions finished 7-9 last season and missed the playoffs.
So why doesn't Ford Field fill up until midway through the first quarter?
Some of my clown friends on twitter offered some reasons.
"That's like asking a death row inmate why he doesn't jog to the gas chamber," wrote Mike Vespremi.
"We're deciding if we actually want to go in and watch the Lions play football," Mad-Martigan said.
Security has a lot to do with it. Some fans complain that it takes 45 minutes from the time they get in line to find their seats. That can be solved by going to the stadium earlier but fans enjoy tailgates, talking with friends and enjoying the festivities outside the stadium. Football Sunday is not just about the game. It is also about eating, drinking and throwing footballs around.
Eastern Market for example is filled with hot tubs and fun. It is more enjoyable walking around the market than walking around Ford Field. There is little the Lions can do to lure people in from a festive atmosphere outside. I suppose they could have concerts. People love music, but it does not match the pre-game experience outside.
The number one problem for getting fans into the stadium earlier has nothing to do with security or marketing.
Just win.
(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsradio.com)
