In this economy, NFL should alter blackout rules
<TABLE class=storyHeader style="BACKGROUND: url(http://images.cbssports.com/images/authors-318x86/3708.jpg) no-repeat left top; HEIGHT: 91px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storyInfo style="PADDING-LEFT: 95px" vAlign=top>May 29, 2009
By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
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In a recent sideline chat with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank during one of his team's practices, he expressed concern to me about his team's ticket sales, although he said they aren't as bad as some teams. What's concerning is that Blank has a hot team with a young star in the making in Matt Ryan and the Falcons are coming off a playoff season.
He is not alone in his concern.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=200 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD width=200>
</TD><TD width=15> </TD></TR><TR><TD width=200>NFL teams may see less fans this season. (Getty Images) </TD><TD width=15> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had a waiting list thousands long a few years ago -- or so they said -- are now selling season tickets in half-season packages to drum up interest.
The waiting list doesn't exist anymore.
In Jacksonville, where I live, the Jaguars have sold roughly 35,000 season tickets. That's behind the pace of last season, and could lead to all 10 home games being blacked out.
It's the same in a lot of other cities.
That's why I think the NFL needs to revise the blackout rules for a year.
Do the fans a favor. Show some goodwill.
Too bad it won't happen.
I understand why the blackout rules are there, and I do believe in them, but for this one season it wouldn't hurt to amend them some.
Maybe lower the number of tickets that need to be sold each week, or something along those lines. The blackout rules don't apply to luxury seating -- which is a good thing because those are even tougher to sell in a tough economy -- but it could be revised down to a different percentage of the general seating.
I asked Greg Aiello, the league's senior vice president of public relations, if the league was giving any thought to changing the policy.
In an e-mail response, he replied: "There is no consideration being given to it. The policy is important in supporting the ability of the clubs to see tickets and keeping our games attractive as television programming with large crowds so we can keep all our games on free TV."
Aiello pointed out that teams are focusing on new strategies to sell tickets, and that three-fourths of the league's teams did not raise prices.
That is to be lauded. But is it enough?
Let's say you're a 12-year-old kid who has been lucky enough to have a family who has had season tickets the past two years. You're a huge fan. You love your team. But your dad lost his job. The tickets have to go.
A lot of kids will understand. That's life. It's not easy, but kids are resilient.
What will make it tough to handle is that kid not seeing his team on television each week. Local blackouts will make that happen.
That could lead to the loss of fans. It can also hurt bringing in new ones.
Out of sight, out of mind.
This coming season will test the NFL on all levels. The economy went in the tank last year, but the tickets had already been sold and paid for by that time. This year is different.
At the league's winter meetings in March, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL would be bracing for a challenge it has never seen before.
"We obviously work hard to avoid any blackouts and sell out our tickets," Goodell said. "It's clear we're going to have to work harder, we're going to have to be more creative, and we're going to have to respond to our fans' needs, not only this year, but probably going forward for some considerable amount of time."
Two words jump out there: Fans needs. What is best for the fans? I say it's to amend the blackout rules for 2009, adjust on the fly. Make it a one-year thing. Let the hometown games get to the local markets, provided the ticket sales are reasonable.
What's reasonable? Hard to say, but there are enough smart people running the NFL, including Goodell, who can figure out a way to allow the games to be shown locally.
The blackout rule has been in place for decades, dating back to the 1960s. Back then, even home games that were sold out were blacked out. That was changed in 1973 by a law passed by Congress that said the blackout would be lifted if a game were sold out 72 hours before kickoff.
The NFL lifted the blackout rule for the New Orleans Saints in 2005 because Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to play games in three other stadiums in three other cities, rather than in the Superdome.
It was the right move at the time. There were catastrophic circumstances involved.
Some say this weakened economy has the same feel. The NFL can be an escape for a lot of people who are in the midst of the most-trying times of their lives. Those Sundays on the couch watching football can be cathartic.
That's why the NFL should at least consider a reprieve from its stringent blackout rules.
Too many 9-year-old kids with laid-off fathers deserve that. Heck, too many laid-off fathers deserve that
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By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
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In a recent sideline chat with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank during one of his team's practices, he expressed concern to me about his team's ticket sales, although he said they aren't as bad as some teams. What's concerning is that Blank has a hot team with a young star in the making in Matt Ryan and the Falcons are coming off a playoff season.
He is not alone in his concern.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=200 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD width=200>
The waiting list doesn't exist anymore.
In Jacksonville, where I live, the Jaguars have sold roughly 35,000 season tickets. That's behind the pace of last season, and could lead to all 10 home games being blacked out.
It's the same in a lot of other cities.
That's why I think the NFL needs to revise the blackout rules for a year.
Do the fans a favor. Show some goodwill.
Too bad it won't happen.
I understand why the blackout rules are there, and I do believe in them, but for this one season it wouldn't hurt to amend them some.
Maybe lower the number of tickets that need to be sold each week, or something along those lines. The blackout rules don't apply to luxury seating -- which is a good thing because those are even tougher to sell in a tough economy -- but it could be revised down to a different percentage of the general seating.
I asked Greg Aiello, the league's senior vice president of public relations, if the league was giving any thought to changing the policy.
In an e-mail response, he replied: "There is no consideration being given to it. The policy is important in supporting the ability of the clubs to see tickets and keeping our games attractive as television programming with large crowds so we can keep all our games on free TV."
Aiello pointed out that teams are focusing on new strategies to sell tickets, and that three-fourths of the league's teams did not raise prices.
That is to be lauded. But is it enough?
Let's say you're a 12-year-old kid who has been lucky enough to have a family who has had season tickets the past two years. You're a huge fan. You love your team. But your dad lost his job. The tickets have to go.
A lot of kids will understand. That's life. It's not easy, but kids are resilient.
What will make it tough to handle is that kid not seeing his team on television each week. Local blackouts will make that happen.
That could lead to the loss of fans. It can also hurt bringing in new ones.
Out of sight, out of mind.
This coming season will test the NFL on all levels. The economy went in the tank last year, but the tickets had already been sold and paid for by that time. This year is different.
At the league's winter meetings in March, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL would be bracing for a challenge it has never seen before.
"We obviously work hard to avoid any blackouts and sell out our tickets," Goodell said. "It's clear we're going to have to work harder, we're going to have to be more creative, and we're going to have to respond to our fans' needs, not only this year, but probably going forward for some considerable amount of time."
Two words jump out there: Fans needs. What is best for the fans? I say it's to amend the blackout rules for 2009, adjust on the fly. Make it a one-year thing. Let the hometown games get to the local markets, provided the ticket sales are reasonable.
What's reasonable? Hard to say, but there are enough smart people running the NFL, including Goodell, who can figure out a way to allow the games to be shown locally.
The blackout rule has been in place for decades, dating back to the 1960s. Back then, even home games that were sold out were blacked out. That was changed in 1973 by a law passed by Congress that said the blackout would be lifted if a game were sold out 72 hours before kickoff.
The NFL lifted the blackout rule for the New Orleans Saints in 2005 because Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to play games in three other stadiums in three other cities, rather than in the Superdome.
It was the right move at the time. There were catastrophic circumstances involved.
Some say this weakened economy has the same feel. The NFL can be an escape for a lot of people who are in the midst of the most-trying times of their lives. Those Sundays on the couch watching football can be cathartic.
That's why the NFL should at least consider a reprieve from its stringent blackout rules.
Too many 9-year-old kids with laid-off fathers deserve that. Heck, too many laid-off fathers deserve that
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