Who Pays the Bills: Arena Revenue.

Slippy · Nov 13, 2006

This may have been posted before. If so, let me know. Its primarily about the KEY ARENA and the Sonics but references the Palace and Detroit.

Nothin' But Profit: Winning no longer key to new NBA

The Palace, with its 179 luxury suites and 1,000 club seats, spawned an era of bigger, better and pricier arenas, said Dennis Howard, professor of sports finance at the University of Oregon. The Pistons presold the suites and seats, raking in "millions each year," Howard said.
"I call it 'The Palace revolt.' Every other owner saw what Detroit did and wanted their own fully loaded venue."
For a visionary plan, it was a bit of a gamble. Recalled Wilson, who went to work for the Pistons in 1977: "It wasn't like we knew it would work. The previous year we'd lost in the first round of the playoffs. The Redwings had half their suites empty. Same for the Lions. When we decided to do this, everyone thought we were crazy."
First, the team recognized that the potential money was in the boxes, not in the average fan's pocket. Up until that point, suites in most stadiums were the highest-price bad seats available -- exclusive, elite but not all that desirable. The Pistons dropped the boxes to prime viewing spots, just 16 rows up.

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Who Pays the Bills: Arena Revenue.

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Who Pays the Bills: Arena Revenue.

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