The Vikings recently announced that its 2008 season ticket base will be 55,000. Although that's the same as last year, it's 6,000 less than a few years ago when the team featured All-Star wide receiver Randy Moss. (Moss now plays for the New England Patriots.)
"(But) I don't think the renewal percentage is a factor of a fan-base erosion or anything; it's just a matter of the challenge of the Metrodome and people leaving their High-Definition televisions at home to come sit in the Metrodome in some of the upper sections," Steve LaCroix, the Vikings' vice president of sales and marketing, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
La Croix speculates that many fans believe they will get a better view of the game at home in front of their high-def sets. The Vikings, whose regular season games are broadcast by Fox, usually can be seen each week in HD.
The executive's comments could suggest that sports teams will have a greater challenge in the years ahead as networks and regional sports channels expand their HD lineups. With ticket prices rising, more fans may be content to watch the games at home, particularly since they have already invested heavily in those sets.
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