Will the NFL EVER "get it"??

[vi edit]

i thought that blackouts were due to a lack of ticket sales. why go to a game and pay 40+ dollars when you can not take a shower and not put on pants and watch from your trailer.

You'd think you'd make more by offering a combination of ticket sales AND local advertising via local broadcasts.

Seriously though...stadiums only hold what...an average 20,000 people for an NBA game, and upwards of 120k for football stadiums?

In a city like Chicago that represents single digit percentage of people that can physically attend the game in person. And you punish the rest of the viewing audience in the city for it?

 

[Cuda1447]

Originally posted by: slurmsmackenzie

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: slurmsmackenzie

Originally posted by: John P.

IIRC, it's not really something that the NFL(or NBA, or NCAA) does per se. It's a practice put in place by the broadcast companies. They really are the bastards procreating this.

OK, then I hate them too

8-0 PA in the 2nd, great game. Think I'll go read a book....

seattle sucks, anyways. catch a pass for god's sake.

What, you didn't like their game plan in the playoffs last year? Keep throwing it to the clutzes who keep dropping it and don't even throw once to Jerry Rice? Made a lot of sense to me.

playoffs??? the NFC playoffs were a joke. i'll pick three teams that DIDN'T go to the playoffs in the AFC that would would smoke seattle and the dodgeball wide receivers they covet. buffalo, jacksonville, and baltimore... and the texans for extra credit.

news flash... jerry rice is OLD. give him a headset and a clipboard and maybe he'll make a difference.

Newflash, he's still good enough to make ANY NFL team. And start on quite a few. If he wants to keep playing, thats his decision, not yours. He's earned the right to retire whenever the fvck he wants.

did i say he wasn't good enough to play? no. my point is that he's not the receiver you look to for a decisive play in a win or go home situation. you'll see that in denver this year. look for all of the defensive schemes NOT doubling up on him. 3 catches a game, tops. and if he was better than that, he would be starting on these teams you speak of.

You said he should retire. Guess what, there's only a handful of players on every team you look for when in need of a decisive play. So what if Rice isn't one of those guys anymore, he can still play the game. He doesn't need to get a clipboard and headset if he's not ready to yet, thats my point.

 

[Kelemvor]

They black on freaking pre-season games? That's pretty retarded.

 

[hellman69]

Originally posted by: John P.
OK, so I sit down to relax for a bit and enjoy some pre-season football in HD. But, it's freaking blacked out?? A pre-season game blacked out? What a great way to build a fan base!!

Why does the NFL continue this ancient practice? They are the only sport that does the blackout thing correct? What's the point, is it some sort of business strategy or what?

Oh well, guess I'm stuck with the LL World Series..... sheesh how many home runs did those PA kids just hit in the first inning, 3, 4? Looking to be a blowout.....

QFT.

Last year I actually spent over $150/ticket to see them. It was like burning money. They won, but they shouldn't have. I can spend $50/game for awesome seats to the Mariners (who also suck), but at least with those tickets, I get a large, padded seat with in-seat service. At the football game all I got was access to the "club". Basically I could sit inside and watch the game on a small TV or go sit in my small, plastic seat way away from the field. :disgust: After living in Sacramento (in the Oakland blackout area, despite being 2 hours away) and now this, I'll never waste my money on another football game. If they want to blackout the games, that's fine with me, I'll just root for another team.

Trevor

 

[MrCodeDude]

All sports do it.

 

[Indolent]

Originally posted by: aplefka

Originally posted by: vi_edit
The NBA does it. The NCAA does it.

Nothing restricted just to the NFL.

Not in Sacramento they don't. Hell, we just got an entire network dedicated to the Kings last season. Every single game was televised and I know we didn't sell out every game.

I think it's based on a percentage of ticket sales, not sell outs.

speaking of blackouts though, the stupid cubs vs. braves game was blacked out on tbs...This is especially annoying since tbs is broadcast a lot of places, not just the atlanta area

 

[SludgeFactory]

NFL is the only one I know of that does the local blackout when your hometown team doesn't sell enough tickets. If you're within X miles of the stadium, you cannot see the game on TV. I think that's what's happened to John P.

The other blackouts that I know of are due to subscribing to:

a) season ticket satellite/cable packages. If you subscribe to a season ticket package, games involving your regional hometeam will be blacked out, to force you to watch them on your local broadcast station or regional Fox station -- because they want you watching their ads. I know MLB is this way and am pretty sure all pro sports do it like that.

b) those satellite "sports packages" that consists of 20 or so out-of-market regional Fox Sports stations. They will black out all pro sports on those things (to force you to buy a $150+ season pass for whatever sport you want to see).

BTW, if the NFL is blacking out preseason games, that's idiotic.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: Indolent
speaking of blackouts though, the stupid cubs vs. braves game was blacked out on tbs...This is especially annoying since tbs is broadcast a lot of places, not just the atlanta area

MLB defines who your local teams are, and I would guess they include the Cubs for the Milwaukee area along with the Brewers. If that's true, this is yet another type of blackout where whoever holds the local rights to air that particular game wins out. I think TBS was blacked out for you tonight because the game involved the Cubs and was also being shown on ESPN. When there's an overlap in coverage and you live in a market involving one of the teams (particularly when you're in a metro area), some channel will usually have exclusive rights and get the other channel(s) blacked out.

In Louisiana it aired on both ESPN and TBS, and if WGN had been carrying it nationally, it would have aired on that channel too, because there are no local market restrictions on the Braves or Cubs down here.

 

[slurmsmackenzie]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: slurmsmackenzie

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: slurmsmackenzie

Originally posted by: John P.

IIRC, it's not really something that the NFL(or NBA, or NCAA) does per se. It's a practice put in place by the broadcast companies. They really are the bastards procreating this.

OK, then I hate them too

8-0 PA in the 2nd, great game. Think I'll go read a book....

seattle sucks, anyways. catch a pass for god's sake.

What, you didn't like their game plan in the playoffs last year? Keep throwing it to the clutzes who keep dropping it and don't even throw once to Jerry Rice? Made a lot of sense to me.

playoffs??? the NFC playoffs were a joke. i'll pick three teams that DIDN'T go to the playoffs in the AFC that would would smoke seattle and the dodgeball wide receivers they covet. buffalo, jacksonville, and baltimore... and the texans for extra credit.

news flash... jerry rice is OLD. give him a headset and a clipboard and maybe he'll make a difference.

Newflash, he's still good enough to make ANY NFL team. And start on quite a few. If he wants to keep playing, thats his decision, not yours. He's earned the right to retire whenever the fvck he wants.

did i say he wasn't good enough to play? no. my point is that he's not the receiver you look to for a decisive play in a win or go home situation. you'll see that in denver this year. look for all of the defensive schemes NOT doubling up on him. 3 catches a game, tops. and if he was better than that, he would be starting on these teams you speak of.

You said he should retire. Guess what, there's only a handful of players on every team you look for when in need of a decisive play. So what if Rice isn't one of those guys anymore, he can still play the game. He doesn't need to get a clipboard and headset if he's not ready to yet, thats my point.

ever seen what a second string QB is doing on the sideline.... clipboard and headset, guy. a person doesn't have to be retired to coach, nor do they have to be the best player on the field to retain a postition (IIRC i never said to the contrary). But if you think Jerry Rice is gonna be on the field, much less the decisive factor (as the gentleman with whom i was actually arguing had implied), i think you should put him on your fantasy roster and tell me how that goes.


8 home games a year..... i take every chance i can get to see a jags game. it sucks when they lose (those days are poised to become a memory), but i'm happy to be there. i'm just thankful that there isn't a strike, or steroid controversy, or stacked teams because not having a salary cap leaves owners to buy championships. if you wanna see the game that bad, buy a ticket. otherwise hear it on the radio (which actually is much better than nothing).

 

[John P]

I wasn't the only one that thought the blackout was lame:

Seattle blue over blackout - Hawks CEO optimistic no other games affected

Looking at the outcome of the game it's probably better that they blacked it out

My whole thing about Jerry Rice and the Seaslugs last year - the other guys kept dropping the ball, at least throw once or twice to Jerry, maybe he'd at least catch the dang thing.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Ooh good point. I dunno, they are both abnormally slow. Would be a good race.

Add in Trent Green. They'd be like the meat race in Wisconsin, except in slow motion.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: John P.
What, you didn't like their game plan in the playoffs last year? Keep throwing it to the clutzes who keep dropping it and don't even throw once to Jerry Rice? Made a lot of sense to me.

Dude, face it: the NFL was doing you a favor by sparing you the sight of your pitiful Seahags.

GO RAMS!!!

BTW, how'd you like the sweep last year?

(Oh, and this year if Hasselbeck continues throwing like he was last night, we're in trouble.)

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: slurmsmackenzie
if the hometown team doesn't sell enough tickets before gametime, they blackout the game in that area. quit being a cheap ass and support your franchise by purchasing tickets to the game. seattle sucks, anyways. catch a pass for god's sake.

Not where I live Lambeau has sold out since 1919


Don't under estimate fan loyalty

Ausm

 

[kranky]

The NFL is brilliant when it comes to marketing and they know what they're doing.

They have managed to elevate pro football over baseball as the most popular team sport (phrased that way to shut the NASCAR people up ) and they only play one day a week for 16 weeks as a regular season. They get coverage on the local news every single day - for training camp! They have turned their championship game into a week-long event that brings in millions and millions for the host city.

You might not like their blackout policy, but you can't say it's stupid. They don't do stupid.

 

[royaldank]

Originally posted by: Indolent
speaking of blackouts though, the stupid cubs vs. braves game was blacked out on tbs...This is especially annoying since tbs is broadcast a lot of places, not just the atlanta area

Did you check ESPN? That's who was showing it here.

 

[jalaram]

Originally posted by: kranky
The NFL is brilliant when it comes to marketing and they know what they're doing.

They have managed to elevate pro football over baseball as the most popular team sport (phrased that way to shut the NASCAR people up ) and they only play one day a week for 16 weeks as a regular season. They get coverage on the local news every single day - for training camp! They have turned their championship game into a week-long event that brings in millions and millions for the host city.

You might not like their blackout policy, but you can't say it's stupid. They don't do stupid.

They blackout pre-season games for the same reason they charge full price for those tickets. Because they can. Season ticket holders have long since complained about being forced to pay for 2 preseason games in addition to 8 regular season games. Since the revenue stream is equal for both pre and regular season, they have to black out in case the game doesn't sell out.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: jalaram
They blackout pre-season games for the same reason they charge full price for those tickets. Because they can. Season ticket holders have long since complained about being forced to pay for 2 preseason games in addition to 8 regular season games. Since the revenue stream is equal for both pre and regular season, they have to black out in case the game doesn't sell out.

To an NFL owner, the season is 20 games long.

 

[MrMaster]

Originally posted by: royaldank

Originally posted by: Indolent
speaking of blackouts though, the stupid cubs vs. braves game was blacked out on tbs...This is especially annoying since tbs is broadcast a lot of places, not just the atlanta area

Did you check ESPN? That's who was showing it here.

and I swear I didn't see that game on ESPN and it was blacked out for me.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
IIRC, it's not really something that the NFL(or NBA, or NCAA) does per se. It's a practice put in place by the broadcast companies. They really are the bastards procreating this.

Not that the leagues are stepping and stopping it because they are getting big bucks from the exclusive contracts....

i thought it was the what the franchise and or stadium owner wanted.

if the game doesn't sell out for the home team than the televised part is blocked out, i believe MLB does that too.

to OP

so, what exactly is it that the NFL doesn't "get"??

ummmm, let's see, the NFL in the last 20 yrs has gone from a distant 2nd in popularity to the MLB to currently the MOST popular sport in America. ya, they really don't "get it" at all.

 

[wyvrn]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: John P.

Bledsoe is suicidial

??

Did you not see the most immobal QB in the universe not only take off and run (at which I gasped) but dive head first in a pre-season game? Don't get me wrong, I admire the courage he has, and its great to see him going for it especially in a pre-season game... but bledsoe is SLOW.


And just for the record, Im a huge Cowboy fan!

I think he was timed at something like a 4.7 in the 40 during training camp this year. He is not quick or overly mobile, but does have decent speed once he gets moving.

 

[John P]

so, what exactly is it that the NFL doesn't "get"??

I would think that if the game were televised that the team would get more exposure and therefore a bigger fan base - which would result in more team merchandise and tickets sold. Like ya'll are saying - there are some shrewd business people out there smarter than me that have all this stuff figured out I guess.....

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: John P.

so, what exactly is it that the NFL doesn't "get"??

I would think that if the game were televised that the team would get more exposure and therefore a bigger fan base - which would result in more team merchandise and tickets sold. Like ya'll are saying - there are some shrewd business people out there smarter than me that have all this stuff figured out I guess.....

NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL.

ya, of the 4 it's really the NFL that doesn't "get it".

just because something pisses you off it doesn't mean they don't "get it".

 

[John P]

just because something pisses you off it doesn't mean they don't "get it".

Not sure where you're coming from here, do you work for the NFL or something? I'm right and they are wrong. They should hire me to do their marketing and pay me lots of money. Nuff said.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: John P.

just because something pisses you off it doesn't mean they don't "get it".

Not sure where you're coming from here, do you work for the NFL or something? I'm right and they are wrong. They should hire me to do their marketing and pay me lots of money. Nuff said.

Yeah...you're right. They are so stupid. John P. for Elite!

 

[John P]

Yeah...you're right. They are so stupid. John P. for Elite!

Headline, August 2005: "John P. hired as new NFL marketing director"
Headline, September, 2005: "NFL to give away free stuff"
Headline, October, 2005: "NFL looking for new marketing director"

Hopefully I get a full retirement package.