“We are one step closer to ending the blackout rule,”

[michael89156]

Rapping Sports with Rick B

FCC Steps Into NFL Blackout Game

Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 12:44 by Rick Brown
http://balling.blogs.theledger.com/10956/fcc-steps-into-nfl-blackout-game/


The Federal Communications Commission better known as the FCC is looking into the Sports Blackout Rule, a 1970s regulation that allows sports leagues, like the NFL, to black out broadcasts of a local sports game when the game does not sell out within a certain amount of time before the start. In the NFL, sell outs must occur before 72 hours of a contest for the broadcast to go to local television.
 
“We are one step closer to ending the blackout rule,” stated Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in a release on Thursday. “Today, the FCC announced that it would begin taking public comment on the blackout rule, an outdated rule which is unfair to teams, the fans, and especially the taxpayers. Although the Bengals season ended last week, I’ll keep fighting to repeal the blackout rule.”
 
Six of Cincinnati’s eight home games this season were blacked out. Five of Tampa Bay’s seven home games were blacked out this year (one home game was played in London) and all of the games in 2010 were blacked out.
 
The FCC is a powerful entity but is this in their area?
 
Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio has been at the forefront of this fight.

[Morgan]

Hopefully they'll work on the Tampa Bay Times Forum events as well.  Kenny Chesney is in concert  here this summer, and I can't afford the $100 ticket. Hopefully they'll televise the event as well.

[Ladyfan]

About time!!!  Punishment is not the answer to poorly attended games.....and in fact makes the fans even more disenchanted.  Just doesn't work any more as an incentive.

[The Anti-Java]

About time!!!  Punishment is not the answer to poorly attended games.....and in fact makes the fans even more disenchanted.  Just doesn't work any more as an incentive.

Agree

[Biggs3535]

Hopefully they'll work on the Tampa Bay Times Forum events as well.  Kenny Chesney is in concert  here this summer, and I can't afford the $100 ticket. Hopefully they'll televise the event as well.

The Kenny Chesney concert isn't televised, so it's pretty pointless to bring up in a thread about blackouts.

Go listen to the radio.  Maybe those doofuses you like will have better comparisons.

[caradoc]

Actually it's a legit comparison.  If you are forcing one event to be televised then you need to force all, it's a legal mandate something about equal applicability, forget the formal term.  Televised games are a bonus.  A reward for selling out rather than a punishment for not.

That said, it's a stupid and counterproductive rule in most cases.   The stadium experience itself is enough to draw the crowds and lost ticket sales are a small portion of overall revenue anyway.  In those areas they aren't selling out your best marketing tool is a four hour weekly commercial for your product.

[traew01]

Once again government butting into private enterprise.

If I have a product, and I license it to another company to distribute, and I put a clause in that license dictating where the product can and cannot be sold - who is the government to tell me how I can distribute my product??

   

[BucBalla85]

If the team is competitive and you got them on tv every game it's going to make fans want to come to the games. You see the fans cheering and hopefully your team is making exciting plays. When you see that on tv you want to be a part of it. When it's blacked out its a disadvantage in my opinion to your team. Especially in a city like Tampa where's there is so much more to do than go to a football game. Put the games on tv I think more fans show up. As long as your competitive or on your way to being competitive at least.

[caradoc]

FCC needs to be banned, not the blackout rule.   Government keeps trying to score points with nonsense instead of dealing with the real issues.  Cut the whole damn thing by half, spending, regulations, number of congresscritters, and the country would be a hundred times better off.

[dalbuc]

The blackout rule might be counterproductive BUT that is the NFL's call to make. They have a product and they can choose to sell/distribute it how you want.

The weak argument on this is that these things are played in taxpayer funded stadiums so we have "rights". Well that's stupid - almost as stupid as taxpayers funding these boondoggles. The govenrment funds or subsidizes a lot of areas - agriculture for example or GM. They don't control those businesses. The NFL seems to be making money fine using their business plan so leave them alone and let them do their thing.,

[Biggs3535]

Actually it's a legit comparison.  If you are forcing one event to be televised then you need to force all, it's a legal mandate something about equal applicability, forget the formal term.  Televised games are a bonus.  A reward for selling out rather than a punishment for not.

Not really.  Nobody is "forcing" the game to be televised.  The television contracts are in place regardless and the NFL gets their $$$ whether the games are televised locally or not.

I'm sure if Kenny Chesney could sign a billion dollar contract to have his concerts televised, he would.  But not many people would tune-in to see the same concert night-after-night-after-night.

[caradoc]

Both are private industry.
Both decide whether they want to televise or not.
Same thing. 


Just because the nfl has conditional televising makes no difference, both decide if, when, and how much is televised.  Government has no business there. 

[ryan24]

I absolutely agree that the blackout rule is counterproductive. I also don't see any successful overturning of the rule....which has been unsuccessfully challenged a couple of times already....nor why it should be.

[Morgan]

If the team is competitive and you got them on tv every game it's going to make fans want to come to the games. You see the fans cheering and hopefully your team is making exciting plays. When you see that on tv you want to be a part of it. When it's blacked out its a disadvantage in my opinion to your team. Especially in a city like Tampa where's there is so much more to do than go to a football game. Put the games on tv I think more fans show up. As long as your competitive or on your way to being competitive at least.

Why would I want to spend $1000/season for tickets if the game is televised?

I wouldn't. I'd stay home and watch on the HDTV. 

[The Anti-Java]

FCC needs to be banned, not the blackout rule.   Government keeps trying to score points with nonsense instead of dealing with the real issues.  Cut the whole damn thing by half, spending, regulations, number of congresscritters, and the country would be a hundred times better off.

Ron Paul fan?