Brettman: Blazers President Chris McGowan Defends Ticket Price Increases

Allan Brettman of The Oregonian reports that Portland Trail Blazers president Chris McGowan met with fans recently to address questions and concerns, including his plan to raise ticket prices for the 2013-14 season.

"We're not going to do as many mass-advertised discounts," said McGowan, who was joined for the first 15 minutes of the session by Coach Terry Stotts. "The goal is to be able to look season ticket holders in the eye and say, 'You have the best price.' "

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Some fans were "wondering why would do a ticket price increase, when the team is not .500," he said. "All the time fans think we'll tie ticket pricing decisions to performance. That's a factor but that's not the only factor."

One fan also noted that the Rose Garden has empty seats -- why raise prices?

"Yeah, there are empty seats," McGowan said. "But if you look at the NBA, there are only four teams that sell more tickets than we do."

ESPN.com's database shows the Blazers ranking No. 4 in home attendance (by tickets per game, not percentage of available tickets) at 19,769 per game, trailing only the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter