JockStocks: Is the NFL lifting its blackout rule? Not quite

Posted Sep 11th 2009 5:00PM by Mark Fightmaster
Filed under: Columns, Business of Sports

So, a week ago, I decided to tackle the NFL's blackout policy, basically arguing that the current economic situation warrants the lifting of this archaic rule. That said, the topic has been in the collective conscience this week, what with the NFL kicking off on Thursday.

What is interesting is that several teams (including the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and my Cincinnati Bengals) have been granted a 24-hour extension to get these games sold out. Typically, a team needs to be a couple of thousand tickets away from a sell out in order to get such an extension. I wonder first if this extension may have been made to placate the teams more than to allow the fans another day to get the games sold out.

Next, what will these teams do? Will the owners of the teams buy the remaining tickets so people can see the games live in the hometown?

Bear with me here -- the television revenue may give the penny-pinching owners (I'm looking at you Mike Brown) a chance to make some more money and garner some good will with the fans. If Brown were to buy the rest of the tickets for Sunday's Bengals/Broncos tilt, cash-strapped fans would be able to see the game on TV rather than listen to it on the radio. Brown could then turn around and donate the tickets to charities -- earning himself a tax write off in the process. It is truly a win/win situation for Brown. Of course, this isn't going to happen -- it makes too much sense, right?

Want to know how much it costs to go to your favorite team's game? Check out this article from Team Marketing Report. This group determined that the average NFL ticket increased 3.9% to $74.99 for this season (yes, the main reason is the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium), and it determined how much it would cost a family of four to go to a game. The average Fan Cost Index for a family of four came out to $412.64! Yes ladies and gents, that is almost more than the payments for the FightBus. Seriously, the NFL expects a family of four to dish out that sort of cabbage to attend a game? Call me crazy, but I can think of a lot more I can do with that money than spend a Sunday afternoon sandwiched between drunken idiots watching my Bengals lose. I know that fans in Detroit probably feel the same way.

Will the teams lower prices? No. Will the NFL lift its blackout rule? No -- or at least not quite. When the Bengals don't sell out by 1 PM on Friday, I will be forced to listen to the game on the radio while building my wife a seven wood (a golf club) in the workroom. However, if I feel like watching the game, the NFL has graciously (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek) decided to allow those of us blacked out to watch the game on tape delay -- on the Internet. It is better than nothing I guess; however, it would be a far better gesture just to let us watch the game ... but it just won't happen.

Tags: blackout rule, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, NFL, NFL blackout, value

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-11-2009 @ 5:14PM

Bernie said...

The vocabulary of my post will show that I'm only 20, but that makes my point(s) no less valid.

*ahem*

The NFL is being a bunch of douchebags on this subject.

9-19-2009 @ 3:27AM

Kev said...

How is the NFL supposed to sell its product if they choose to give it away for free? The blackout rule is in place to protect the integrity and value of the ticket. The "tax write-off" you describe is far less valuable than the tickets themselves.