That has a lot to do with the fact that they won back to back AFC champions Brian and have been a "winning franchise" for an extended period.
They suck for a couple years and those casual "Football fans" stop showing up .... that's going to have an impact on their "Game Day Experience."
Most of those fans in the seats don't really have a clue about the game .... its just a status symbol to many of them , kinda like their German import car. When it stops being cool to have those season tickets , they'll do something else on Sundays.
I think it's all about that marketing machine. They have consistently been one of the NFL's most valuable franchises for years, well before they were even getting in the playoffs. Forbes had them listed as #6 most valuable in 2009 and 2011, well before 'back to back AFC champions Brian', before they even made the playoffs.
How a team that has never achieved anything significant has been valued greater than teams like the 49ers, Steelers, Giants, Chiefs, etc., can only be explained through understanding the apparent Texans corporate mission statement, which is what Vinny said years ago and was recently confirmed by Jamey Rootes. The Texans owners simply do not define corporate success from results on the field. Their goal is all about that P&L statement.
I've been saying this since 2010.
Yep. My shine wore off in 2008, the last year I had season tickets. That was the year of Ike, and the year the Texans blasted "football is only a diversion" on their big stadium screen. At least they were honest about it. I've been using Vinny's "marketing company with a football division" statement on the forum since 2007 according to my search.
But they have a huge waiting list.
Fans are still scared of the franchise moving like the Oilers did.
The NFL has been genius at crafting that simpleton narrative that a city's "self image" must be directly tied to having pro sports teams. Not winning teams. Just having teams.
Critical infrastructure, school districts, city services, employment numbers, crime rates, etc., all take a back seat to the perception of city image because we have been conditioned by pro sports and their media sycophants to believe it. We even forego those important things to finance billions of dollars in playgrounds for entertainers and their owners to make fortunes. What a scam.
They have that huge waiting list because its the in thing and they have a population of 7 million to prey on.
When it stops being the in thing (they go 2-14 this year and another poor showing next season) that will change.
And don't forget about the Covid impact .... a whole lot of people aren't going to want to pile into that stadium with 50k people ....
Don't forget the economic tsunami that's about to slam this country, too. Even corporations might start rethinking the PSL "investment" scam when the reality of our economy finally hits. I'm certain a lot less fans will be willing to spend the required hundreds of dollars+ for a family to go to a game.
This franchise has always bragged about it's "consecutive game sellout" since the beginning, even when less than 5,000 fans were showing up to 2-14 seasons. I've remained a fan through my skepticism about the Texans because I really enjoy pro football. But, I cannot ignore what is obvious when it slaps us across the face with the nonsense.