Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hopes of a Week 1 Sellout Are in Peril

Considering all of the goodwill and positive energy that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have cultivated and delivered throughout the offseason—from hiring a new head coach, to signing and drafting several exciting, new players and so on—it's pretty clear that the organization has bought-in to improving its product.

Now, if they can just get fans to buy tickets.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the team announced Friday afternoon that they are still 9,000-plus tickets short of reaching the new 85 percent threshold needed to avoid a television blackout.

The incentives that the team has offered—everything from reduced-priced tickets and half-off concessions to free parking—have apparently not convinced enough fans to purchase tickets thus far.

Due to the late start (4:25 p.m ET.) for the opener on September 9 vs. Carolina, the team has until 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, September 6 to reach the 85 percent mark for the blackout to be avoided.

Aside from the incentives and promotions mentioned above for Week 1, the team will also be celebrating safety Ronde Barber's 200th consecutive start of his 15-year career.

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