Headlines recently came out suggesting that multiple NFL teams have failed to sell out home games and are at risk of having games blacked out in local markets. This impacts everyone, even those with the DirecTV NFL package. The Jacksonville Jaguars are apparently at risk of not selling out one single home game. That means the Jaguar faithful could miss half of all the team’s games. (Road games are not blacked out)
We are in the middle (hopefully the later portion) of the worst recession in the United States probably since the Great Depression. The unemployment rate stands at 9.4% with Wall Street estimates for tomorrow’s employment data expecting it to rise to 9.5%. The average ticket price in the NFL last season was over $72. Assuming a family of four that wants to drink one soda each during the game, you’re talking over $300 to attend a game. And that doesn’t include parking – I paid $30 for a preseason game in Philadelphia last year. In this environment, there are a lot fewer Americans that can afford that premium.
Sports are an important part of our culture. The NFL is far and away the most popular sport in the country. Sports bring communities together. They excite us and keep our minds off the realities of daily life. This seems to be a year that people really need to rally around a local sports team. It is for this reason I think the NFL really needs to put in place a one-year suspension on the TV blackout rules.
The NFL already has the most draconian blackout rules of any sport. Can you remember the last time a baseball or basketball game was blacked out because the game didn’t sell out? I can’t. If baseball and basketball had to sell out games to be broadcast in the local market, not many games would be on TV. I partially understand the NFL’s situation. There are only eight home games a year versus 41 for basketball and 81 for baseball, so the importance of selling out home games is magnified. However, we are in unique times and the NFL needs to recognize this fact.
The NFL has an amazing marketing and publicity opportunity. People love the NFL. If Roger Goodell came out and announced a one-year suspension of the blackout rules, fans would go crazy. I don’t know who needs to approve this, presumably just the players and owners. I would imagine TV networks would love to be able to broadcast and sell local advertising in those markets. So, it seems like an easy fix. The NFL already announced a league-wide pay freeze on NFL staff salaries for 2009 due to the economy (Roger Goodell will again make $11 million), now is the time to show you really care about the fans.
Mr. Commissioner – please give the country a 1-year suspension of the NFL blackout rules.
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