When you got a crappy product you don't get a lot of people who want to see it. Once they have won a few games, things will change slowly. I know had my seats not been discounted this year I would have probably not stayed on as much as I love the Bucs. However, This week thanks to a free upgrade for one game I am sitting in the club section. air conditioning inside when we need a break, a bar, better food and drink,whats not to love ?

Good point Scubog. You said it all. My friends and I got 10 tickets to the first game for $32 a piece through the One Buc Club. $32! You can't blame the economy for not being able to put aside $32 to support your Bucs for at least one game a season. If this hadn't been such a bad month financially (brother-in-law passed and we have to help pay for the funeral) I would probably be on my way to this game too. This will be one of the biggest games of the year. I hope I can find my way to another home game this year.

I cant really jump on the Glazers for not buying up the tickets again this season. They did last year, and still, a lot of fans really got into calling them cheap and not willing to spend money. If you've got the name might as well as play the game. The way they decided to spend the money this year on the draft and not on free agents seems to be working so far. Dont know why the nfl has to be so hidebound about the blackouts though. They're the ones I'm griped at.

I just want to watch the Bucs kick the Steelers butts! Thanks for nothing Glazers.

Some of you people are just pathetic. The glazers are selfish because they wont buy out there own product so the rest of us can see if to for free. Have you ever heard of any other company doing that?.... i seriously doubt you have. Now first off dont get me wrong I am absolutley one of those people who would rather stay home and watch it on TV. So this sucks I cant see them but if I had the money I would absolutley pay for a ticket to watch the game. I would never sit here and cry like a bunch of girls and make excuses and call names and make excuses... the problem isnt the Glazers its your own laziness and stupidity... And Glazers have nothin to do with the blackout thats handled by the NFL. Quit your bitchin and go buy a ticket or just STFU.

A billionare wont spend money on a team but expects fans to pay full price for the product??? I dont go to restaurants that serve crappy food, i dont stay at hotels, i wont let a doctor who has made multiple mistake operate on me and i also wont pay money to see a team at full price where only 1/10th the resources are being put in.

With the economy the way it is, the NFL should lower the standard for blackouts to 85 percent. What company sells out 100 percent of their product? Listen,with a lock out looming, NFL network that most cable companies don't carry, showing games no one can see, blacked out games, the NFL could very well become extinct.

Having been to every home game since 1976 and paid thousands of dollars that I could never really afford, for them, I have no sympathy for local "fans" who think they have some entitlement to the point of expecting the team to purchase the same tickets that they won't buy themselves. You don't see concert promoters buying their own tickets to show the event on TV. You don't see new movies released to theaters and shown on HBO the same day so you can watch it for the price of a Bright House subscription. The problem is that sell-outs are dependent on the original season ticket sales. As one poster said, it's highly unlikely that 20,000 tickets will be sold as "walk-ups" . It's understandable that many people simply can't afford to pay for season tickets. Many people can't pay for a car either, but that doesn't mean they should expect free transportation. The problem is with so-called fans who jump on and off the band wagon so fast they look like a pogo stick. Instead of going to the game, they decide to stay home and watch it on TV. All around me there are only a few people who were the original season ticket holders in 1998. Why? Each season the team digressed so more and more dropped out. Since 2003 there has been little to excite the area fans who seem content with returning being a "casual" fan or going back to their former team up north. So this week, I'll sit in my very expensive seat and be inundated with "Here we go Steelers, here we go" chants from the fans from my home town who were able to buy those tickets from former Bucs season ticket holders who gave up.

Hey Glazers...go f yourselves

Believe me with the lowest payroll in the league... Again... The Glazer's are making their money. This came down to what a thousand tickets? Way to build a following.. I would lay money that they are not the cheap seats... I went to the first game and bought a $15 hotdog and $50 in beer. Reading that this game will be blacked out on a winning streak over a few tickets not only pisses me off me but makes me totally not interested in this team of nobodies (not including Ronde you da man), thugs, and drug addicts. Let me know when you start caring about the community Glazers its not like we have supported your team for years bought your overpriced jerseys of underpaid overhyped players even subscribed to websites that talk up this semi pro team. Thank God for the Rays at least they have ownership that gives a..... /unsubscribe

All I know is that I look forward to watching the Bucs game all week long and a blackout is a huge disappointment to me. Screw the Glazers! I'll try to stream it on the internet again, but last time the quality was low with a lot of buffering so the experience is not nearly what I am used to getting. I never really intend to go to a game in person again, but not because of the blackout issue, I just don't like the experience that much and can't follow the game very well.

I think this rule before thursday is B.S. Alot of people don't get paid until Friday so don't know why the deadline isn't until Saturday. I don't blame the Glazers for not antying up the money. They're the reason why you fair weather fans still have a team in Tampa. They could have moved it like they almost did. All this cry about they intentionally hurt businesses and don't care about the community needs to stop. They're not in the business of buying back their own product just so the so called fans can see it on t.v. That's why you stayed your asses home so you could see it for free. I guantee you all waste your money on things that you don't need but if you saved it up would be able to see a couple of games a season and support the team you so called love, I know I would if I lived in Tampa. How many of you do anything in your community to help the less fortunate or people in need? The Glazers give hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to charities and organizations that help in 'your' community more than I can say for all of you crying. So please stop with the boo hooin about them. They really don't owe you anything.

So Bucdiesel, you're a fair weather fan if you don't buy a ticket where the blackout is, but you're a fan outside of the blackout area? I'm glad i live outside the blackout area because I'm a real fan, not a fiar weather fan. Think about it. The owners make their big Bucs due to television not game tickets sold. It wouldn't have hurt them to buy up a few thousand tickets (>34 cents to the dollar) and still take a legal write off for it as a donation if they hand the tickets out.

You don't make money in this league by spending $100k a game to ensure your game is on TV. Not to mention, the league makes the final decision on extensions. For all we know, the Glazers asked (which they'd have no reason not to do), and got denied by the league. As the team and economy get better, people will be more willing to spend the money on tickets. Keep in mind, the Bucs were also one of only 5 teams to drop prices this season, so immediately screaming at ownership isn't prudent at all.

The Bucs publicly stated that they had no intention of filing for an extension.

You're right. You make money in this league by fielding a team that, year in and year out, has the lowest payroll. Then in an uncapped year, you take advantage of the fact that there is no salary floor, so you save about 30 million that way. The fact is the Glazers stand to reap huge profits this year. Shelling out $100,000 for a game is nothing. This was a big middle finger to the fans and the whole community. This doesn't just hurt the fans who live in Tampa, it absolutely kills the local restaurants and bars that rely on locals to come to their establishments to watch the Bucs. So once again...f the Glazers...douchebags...

Screw the glazers. There was only a few thousand tickets remaining. They didn't even ask for an extension. What a bunch of jerk offs! They are saving millions of dollars on salary this year but they won't spend $100,000 to televise thee game. A-holes

I'll be watching it in Tallahassee. My son and grandson tried to buy tickets at the Browns game outsidethe stadium before the game starter and all that was available was $100 tickets and above unless you wanted to wait in line at the ticket purchasing booth and miss several minutes of the game! They said the heck with it and went home. Owners you couldn't offer a deal of any sorts? Stupid is stupid. The days of forcing fans to purchase over priced tickets is over. It's the economy stupid! Go Bucs! Stay Focused

If you know someone outside the Tampa area who's willing to let you use their address, you can order DirecTV that way and then install the dish yourself at your home. Their satellite has no way of detecting the geographical location of the box or dish. They blackout games based on the physical address you have on file with them. I can have a friend in Orlando receive the billing statements for me as well as receive the original equipment shipment & forward it to me, all the while still watching the game in Tampa because DirecTV thinks I live in Orlando. Sometimes you just have to stick it to the man any chance you get.

At least that's the way it was a year or two ago. Hopefully they haven't upgraded their location detecting ability. ;)

Not unexpected. Selling over 20,000 tickets during the week is quite difficult, if not impossible, during normal times let alone these days. But we’ll be in our usual tailgating spot near HCC, as we have for every home game since 1993. Come on out true Buc’s fans!

Does anyone in Ocala, Gainesville, or Tallahassee know of a good place to watch the game? I live in Orlando and will be in Tally for the weekend. I'm debating going from Tally to Tampa and just getting tix, but not sure if I can pull that one off with my friends with me; so I figure I'll either stay in Tally or stop along the way and watch it (since it's blacked out in Orlando too). Thanks.

The local fans lose. Having Direct TV and living inside the 75 mile radius or whatever the radius is, doesn't make a difference. The local fans still lose here, because DTV still adheres to the NFL rules re: blackouts. They never show the games on Direct TV that are local. If local is blacked out, and you live in the city, you will not be watching the game. It's the best way to get fans to come to the stadium.

can somebody please tell me how to watch it on the internet for free???

I always watch them on atdhe.net or at vipstand.net/sports/american-football.html each week. The links will be posted just before the game starts or shortly after the start. They've never failed me yet.

Too many fair weather fans waiting for a winning team to come back. Just the hardcore fans buying (and the road teams!). Wish I lived closer to support the team in person.

The Buccaneers have intentionally hurt local businesses by not buying out the remaining tickets. The remaining tickets were ones that nobody could afford to begin with. Ticketmaster did not have any tix together for less than $100. The Glazer's are very selfish people and they don't care about this community. The NFL's blackout policy is meaningless for the average fan. This game will be free ALL OVER the internet so in the end the NFL loses because we still get to watch the game AND they don't get the royalties!

Im glad i have the NFL sunday ticket.

Think it means there are enough tickets moving that it might get close to a sellout vs some of the later games that have only the 40K season ticket base sold. Guessing the the T-Jack announcement didnt inspire anyone to run out and buy tickets this week.

yeah - pretty funny baybuc... if they're that close - can't they get an extension?

So sad, but I don't understand this line in your article. "Pewter Report has learned that there is a chance that the Bucs next home game against the New Orleans Saints could avoid a blackout." Isn't there always a chance, up until 72 hours before game time? You're just now learning that?

lol