Holy Crap! Play-off games might be blacked out!

[JTsyo]

When they get into these situations, don't radio stations or other local businesses tend to to buy up tickets?

 

[slag]

This is the result of greed by the NFL. League policy forces STHs that want to buy playoff tickets to buy tickets to TWO playoff games. Non-refundable. If that 2nd game isn't played, then it gets credited towards the next season season ticket package.

Factor in gouging on parking (unless you are smart and hit Parkwhiz a week in advance, $5 to park downtown in Indianapolis this Saturday FTW!) and its absolutely disgusting.

I agree. Who wants to buy $100+ tickets, plus pay parking, plus pay for food in subzero temps when they can sit at home in heat, watch the game on their big screen, etc. Sporting events are pricing themselves out of fans. I make good money, but honestly don't see how people can afford to go to games anymore.

Plus, on Saturday in Indiana there is a pacers game and a college basketball game just an hour south. 3 sporting events roughly around the same time.

 

[olds]

I'd think the Packers would buy them up.

 

[TheSandman21]

Sporting events are pricing themselves out of fans. I make good money, but honestly don't see how people can afford to go to games anymore.

Plus, on Saturday in Indiana there is a pacers game and a college basketball game just an hour south. 3 sporting events roughly around the same time.

It all depends on the franchise. I can't understand how someone can pay the amount of money it costs to go see the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got teams like the Pacers who are consistently ranked by sports magazines as some of the best "bang for the buck" operations in sports.

BTW, the Colts just sold out minutes ago. Regional retail chain (whom I believe ironically is a sponsor of the Detroit Lions) bought up the remaining 1200 tickets for military families.

 

[gorcorps]

I agree. Who wants to buy $100+ tickets, plus pay parking, plus pay for food in subzero temps when they can sit at home in heat, watch the game on their big screen, etc. Sporting events are pricing themselves out of fans. I make good money, but honestly don't see how people can afford to go to games anymore.

Plus, on Saturday in Indiana there is a pacers game and a college basketball game just an hour south. 3 sporting events roughly around the same time.

Even without the miserable conditions I don't understand how it's worth it. I love watching football, but I hate crowds, hate driving in traffic, and wouldn't be able to afford great seats so there's ZERO benefit of me being there.

This is for fooball though. For some reason I don't mind going to hockey games. Maybe because the arenas are smaller so the views are usually a lot better, even in the "cheap seats"

 

[IndyColtsFan]

It all depends on the franchise. I can't understand how someone can pay the amount of money it costs to go see the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got teams like the Pacers who are consistently ranked by sports magazines as some of the best "bang for the buck" operations in sports.

BTW, the Colts just sold out minutes ago. Regional retail chain (whom I believe ironically is a sponsor of the Detroit Lions) bought up the remaining 1200 tickets for military families.

I knew they'd sell out.

 

[rudeguy]

I knew they'd sell out.

Meijer is an awesome company. FREAKING AWESOME!

Its the only grocery store I will go to and when they do stuff like this it makes me even more loyal.

Fred would be proud :rose:

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Meijer is an awesome company. FREAKING AWESOME!

Its the only grocery store I will go to and when they do stuff like this it makes me even more loyal.

Fred would be proud :rose:

Yeah, I like Meijer and they're building a new one in my town, so maybe I'll start going there more often.

 

[SP33Demon]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...out-cincinnati-bengals-green-bay-packers-wait

Absolutely sad that the legendary Packers, who have no competition from any other sport this time of year, cannot sell out a fcking playoff game. Weather? Aren't they supposed to be tough as nails up there? Yeah right. Also sad it took the Colts this long to sellout + the threat of the Bungholes not selling out as well.

I said it last year and I'll say it again, the NFL (by today's standards) won't be relevant in 20 years. Like others mentioned in the thread, there are simply much better business sport models like MLB's $15 tickets that can even compete with the movie market. The NFL's greed (DISH monopoly, $150 nosebleed ticket prices) and concussions will either be its undoing or completely alter the game to where it's a bastardization of flag football. Not to mention the internet illegally streaming these games (if you don't know where to go, you're not looking hard enough) from other countries + alternative means of entertainment (Candy Crush/gaming market, Facebook/Twitter/social media, other streaming media like Netflix/Hulu, tablets and ubiquitous information, new consoles, so on and so forth). What incentive is the NFL giving us to come to the game and pay $10/beer vs watching it at home/online with our friends and drinking out of a kegerator? Nothing, especially as general IQ goes up 20 points per generation and there won't be anymore suckers to watch "defenseless receivers" get lovetapped or penalties on QB hits that are below the knee or above the sternum.

Stay tuned ladies, more to come in the next couple of years on the decline of the NFL.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...out-cincinnati-bengals-green-bay-packers-wait

Absolutely sad that the legendary Packers, who have no competition from any other sport this time of year, cannot sell out a fcking playoff game. Weather? Aren't they supposed to be tough as nails up there? Yeah right. Also sad it took the Colts this long to sellout + the threat of the Bungholes not selling out as well.

I said it last year and I'll say it again, the NFL (by today's standards) won't be relevant in 20 years. Like others mentioned in the thread, there are simply much better business sport models like MLB's $15 tickets that can even compete with the movie market. The NFL's greed (DISH monopoly, $150 nosebleed ticket prices) and concussions will either be its undoing or completely alter the game to where it's a bastardization of flag football. Not to mention the internet illegally streaming these games (if you don't know where to go, you're not looking hard enough) from other countries + alternative means of entertainment (Candy Crush/gaming market, Facebook/Twitter/social media, other streaming media like Netflix/Hulu, tablets and ubiquitous information, new consoles, so on and so forth). What incentive is the NFL giving us to come to the game and pay $10/beer vs watching it at home/online with our friends and drinking out of a kegerator? Nothing, especially as general IQ goes up 20 points per generation and there won't be anymore suckers to watch "defenseless receivers" get lovetapped or penalties on QB hits that are below the knee or above the sternum.

Stay tuned ladies, more to come in the next couple of years on the decline of the NFL.

You forgot full-price preseason tickets and some teams having ridiculous playoff ticket policies. I agree with you though -- I only go to Colts games when I get free or relatively cheap tickets. Sitting at home and watching a game on TV is just better and certainly cheaper IMO.

IIRC, the bulk of the NFL's money comes from TV deals and because of this, I'm hoping the FCC does eliminate sports blackouts. I've read the NFL could still get around that rule change, but they need to start using some common sense and have more reasonable rules regarding blackouts. It does piss me off that many of us subsidize the cost of NFL franchises (the donut counties of Indianapolis pay for Lucas Oil Stadium too!) and may not be able to watch the games on TV. Fuck that -- if I'm paying for your stadium, you'd better let me watch the games on TV, especially when that TV contract forms the bulk of your income.

 

[waggy]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...out-cincinnati-bengals-green-bay-packers-wait

Absolutely sad that the legendary Packers, who have no competition from any other sport this time of year, cannot sell out a fcking playoff game. Weather? Aren't they supposed to be tough as nails up there? Yeah right. Also sad it took the Colts this long to sellout + the threat of the Bungholes not selling out as well.

I said it last year and I'll say it again, the NFL (by today's standards) won't be relevant in 20 years. Like others mentioned in the thread, there are simply much better business sport models like MLB's $15 tickets that can even compete with the movie market. The NFL's greed (DISH monopoly, $150 nosebleed ticket prices) and concussions will either be its undoing or completely alter the game to where it's a bastardization of flag football. Not to mention the internet illegally streaming these games (if you don't know where to go, you're not looking hard enough) from other countries + alternative means of entertainment (Candy Crush/gaming market, Facebook/Twitter/social media, other streaming media like Netflix/Hulu, tablets and ubiquitous information, new consoles, so on and so forth). What incentive is the NFL giving us to come to the game and pay $10/beer vs watching it at home/online with our friends and drinking out of a kegerator? Nothing, especially as general IQ goes up 20 points per generation and there won't be anymore suckers to watch "defenseless receivers" get lovetapped or penalties on QB hits that are below the knee or above the sternum.

Stay tuned ladies, more to come in the next couple of years on the decline of the NFL.

before this year i didn't agree. but i do now.

NFL is going to have to change or die. they are still thinking they are going to rule. years ago the game would have sold out fast. the fact it hasn't is big.

Also that they may blackout the game is insane. the backlash is going to kill them.

also all the mistakes made that cost teams chances to be in playoffs. its terrible.

 

[smackababy]

Too bad GB didn't sign Ochocinco. This wouldn't be a problem if they did. He regularly bought out the remaining Bengals seats to avoid blackouts when he played there.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Even without being able to stream the games from places like Europe, does the NFL seriously think that threatening to not air a game in a market will really encourage people to go spend hundreds of dollars to go to a game? You can still listen to the games on the radio or even get play-by-play from "legal" sources.

Conversely, if the NFL suddenly dropped the blackout rules, I seriously doubt that it would impact tickets sales that much.

 

[rudeguy]

Yeah, I like Meijer and they're building a new one in my town, so maybe I'll start going there more often.

I live within 5 miles of 3 of them. Its a rare day that I don't stop at one or one of their gas stations.

 

[waggy]

Even without being able to stream the games from places like Europe, does the NFL seriously think that threatening to not air a game in a market will really encourage people to go spend hundreds of dollars to go to a game? You can still listen to the games on the radio or even get play-by-play from "legal" sources.

Conversely, if the NFL suddenly dropped the blackout rules, I seriously doubt that it would impact tickets sales that much.

I doubt very much them threatening to blackout the game made many go at all.

Those that want to go would have got tickets ASAP. It MIGHT have got those that were on the fence to order.

Even my 70 yr old dad knows how to find games he wan'ts to watch that aren't aired where he lives.

 

[Genx87]

Who cares about why they don't sell out? I'm more concerned about why the ability to televise the thing is tied to what's happening with ticket sales. The licensing bullshit with the NFL is maddening and I don't understand how it's all legal. Somehow directv is the only place to get Sunday Ticket, so there's no price competition and they can do what they want... But it doesn't count as a monopoly because it's a license issue.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

The NFL is a govt sanctioned fleecing machine.

 

[SP33Demon]

You forgot full-price preseason tickets and some teams having ridiculous playoff ticket policies. I agree with you though -- I only go to Colts games when I get free or relatively cheap tickets. Sitting at home and watching a game on TV is just better and certainly cheaper IMO.

IIRC, the bulk of the NFL's money comes from TV deals and because of this, I'm hoping the FCC does eliminate sports blackouts. I've read the NFL could still get around that rule change, but they need to start using some common sense and have more reasonable rules regarding blackouts. It does piss me off that many of us subsidize the cost of NFL franchises (the donut counties of Indianapolis pay for Lucas Oil Stadium too!) and may not be able to watch the games on TV. Fuck that -- if I'm paying for your stadium, you'd better let me watch the games on TV, especially when that TV contract forms the bulk of your income.

Very true, why should it be blacked out if the locals helped pay for it. Also, I saw a petition go out DISH owning exclusive rights to NFL - not sure how far it got but people are getting fed up with that. Something will have to give eventually as other entertainment options continue to erode sports in general + the concussion issue.

In the future (10-20 years) I envision much much cheaper seats ($50 or less for nosebleed - don't worry, they'll still get you with the $19 beers and $10 hotdogs) and a game where rules will slow the game down. Not even sure I'd want to even pay an inflation-adjusted $50 in the future to watch that in person.

The big hits/violent nature were what brought us to the game in the first place, once that is completely gone and the "tough guy image" is erased I'm not seeing much interest.
IndyColtsFan:"Hey Harold, did you see the Colts win last weekend? Luck threw for 600 yards and 9 TDs."
Harold: "Was he wearing a tutu before getting two-hand touched? No I missed it, I was at a live streaming zombie event and practicing with my new virtual Benelli M25 shotgun that shoots 50 rounds, it was epic - a zombie hit my crotch sensor and it shocked my nuts! I was super bloody by the time I made it through the course but my buddy Rossman beat me by 12 seconds! Next week we're competing with virtual AK48000's, want to go?"<----doesn't that sound way more fun than watching football?!

UFC or NHL may transcend NFL due to the chance to see actual violence, assuming that UFC or NHL doesn't get sued into kingdom-come for their concussions as well. There will always be boxing - however, I'm still not paying money to watch 12 rounds of a stupid decision, they need to change the sport to unlimited rounds. For example, Paquiao is barely breaking a sweat in 12; modern athletes' endurance has surpassed the 12 round limit. Don't get me started on how they need to change boxing.

 

[KeithTalent]

Even without being able to stream the games from places like Europe, does the NFL seriously think that threatening to not air a game in a market will really encourage people to go spend hundreds of dollars to go to a game? You can still listen to the games on the radio or even get play-by-play from "legal" sources.

Conversely, if the NFL suddenly dropped the blackout rules, I seriously doubt that it would impact tickets sales that much.

Apparently local businesses are looking to buy up all the extra tickets, if need be, so the games will not be blacked out. I would think the local affiliates would have a vested interest in having the games shown on TV, so would not be surprised to have someone related to them buy up the tickets.

Pretty stupid though. I can't imagine this blackout policy works at all. If a game is ever blacked out here I just go to a bar to watch it.

KT

 

[waggy]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

The NFL is a govt sanctioned fleecing machine.

There are a few trying to change that though. they want to revoke its tax status becuase of some of the shanangians its been pulling over the years.

 

[Imported]

Kroger bought out the remaining bengals tickets I hear. Also donating to the military. Green Bay was down to 1000 tickets 2 hours ago.

Edit: Kroger only bought some. Game still not sold out.

 

[Jeff7]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

The NFL is a govt sanctioned fleecing machine.

....wow.

Judith Grant Long, a Harvard University professor of urban planning, calculates that league-wide, 70 percent of the capital cost of NFL stadiums has been provided by taxpayers, not NFL owners. Many cities, counties, and states also pay the stadiums&#8217; ongoing costs, by providing power, sewer services, other infrastructure, and stadium improvements. When ongoing costs are added, Long&#8217;s research finds, the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Tennessee Titans have turned a profit on stadium subsidies alone&#8212;receiving more money from the public than they needed to build their facilities. Long&#8217;s estimates show that just three NFL franchises&#8212;the New England Patriots, New York Giants, and New York Jets&#8212;have paid three-quarters or more of their stadium capital costs.

Press materials distributed by the Bengals declare that the team gives back about $1 million annually to Ohio community groups. Sound generous? That&#8217;s about 4 percent of the public subsidy the Bengals receive annually from Ohio taxpayers.

They get public money to build their stadiums, and they get public money to run the facilities.
Meanwhile states and municipalities will cut public services, while still ensuring that they can send taxpayer dollars to those who already have immense wealth.

There are a few trying to change that though. they want to revoke its tax status becuase of some of the shanangians its been pulling over the years.

It'd also be nice to go after the corrupt politicians who approve and allow this to happen.

I doubt it'll happen though. There's too much money in play. Whatever (unlikely) legal changes might be made, there will still be sufficient loopholes in there to ensure that the status quo remains untouched. They'll get to keep their money, and they'll certainly get to keep sucking down taxpayer money.

 

[Imported]

A group of Packers' corporate partners, led by Associated Bank, bought remaining tickets for Sunday's game. Sellout, no blackout.

Just the Bengals left.

 

[Squisher]

Back when the Lions played in the 75,000 seat Silver Dome as opposed to the 45,000 seat Ford Field the Fords, owners of the team, bent the arms of the surrounding Ford dealerships to buy up the tickets. It was kind of an incestuous relationship.

 

[rudeguy]

Back when the Lions played in the 75,000 seat Silver Dome as opposed to the 45,000 seat Ford Field the Fords, owners of the team, bent the arms of the surrounding Ford dealerships to buy up the tickets. It was kind of an incestuous relationship.

??

Ford Field sits 65,000 and can expand up to 70,000.

 

[destrekor]

Yeah, I like Meijer and they're building a new one in my town, so maybe I'll start going there more often.

Kroger I believe is doing the same thing (who was first?) with the Bengals. I received an email from my unit saying Kroger is giving them to military.
neat

Not sure if they bought all the remaining ones, or if they aren't sold out yet...