Bucs And Blackouts
September 22nd, 2010
In the latest TBO Bucs vlog, Woody Cummings and eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune tackle the subjects of blackouts, the Bucs and the NFL. Joe would like to read your reactions to their comments.
As for the Steelers game with the Bucs Sunday, the deadline for a sellout is Thursday at 1 p.m., though the Bucs can always ask the NFL for an extension if the team believes there’s a chance of selling any remaining the tickets.
Joe reported Friday that the game will be televised.
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
I’ve been saying it for a while. The NFL has to modify the rule. There are too many people that cannot afford, regardless of economy, the overall price of attending an NFL game. Tickets, parking, concessions, etc.
I went to the Bucs\Panthers game because I live in Charlotte – tickets, parking, concessions for 4 of us was about $350. My wife won’t b!tch about the NFL Sunday ticket anymore (though she knows not to go there anyway).
There needs to be an across the board reduction in prices and an adjustment to the blackout rule. The population and economy is not what it once was. Quite frankly, I have grown accustomed to my comfortable recliner with the Sunday ticket and remote in hand.
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:52 pm
The league is believed to have had an annual revenue last year of 8 Billion + dollars (http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/65348). Almost 4 Billion Dollars are believed to come from television contracts (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/09/AR2010060905653.html). This means that almost half their revenue comes from people who watch the game on television. The part that I think needs to be discussed more is whether the networks (Fox and CBS) should fight against the Blackouts. They pay over a billion dollars a year for these games and they should be the ones arguing against a blackout. Mainly my argument is that the NFL makes a ludicrous amount of money airing the games, they should air them.
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:56 pm
The rule needs to go but current NFL management seems unwilling to deal with the realities on the ground. Despite the President’s assertion that the recession is “over” the average fan probably sees no reason to shell out several weeks worth of groceries to see a lesser product or even a .500 product.
There will be some cities where sell outs are routine Green Bay Washington… but even in the Great Depression some parts of the country did better than others.
Many businesses other than the NFL also don’t seem to fathom the economic reality.
With regards to future Buc blackouts I tend to agree with them, its likely (even if the team is winning or respectable) to be difficult to completely sell out the stadium given the schedule and the cost of tickets. The best we can hope for is at least to get close and hope someone steps in and buys up the rest.
We should be able to beat both St. Louis and Detroit at home yet I would venture that those games won’t excite the average wage earner or casual fan who might be willing to go.
Go Bucs!
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Joe…I feel it is an outdated practice that hurts the fan base. Back in the day you had to search the sporting goods stores for a Bucs jersey, but they would have Cowboys, Packers, SF, etc. jerseys on display in the front of the store. Now, some will say that is due to all the transplants, which is in part true. We always have had MN, Chi, Green Bay, and both NY teams fans in the area…oh, Fins too. I do not meet a ton of people from CA or TX around here! Also, how do they expect those fans to change an support their local team if they never get to know them? The game is a three hour commercial for the two teams playing. I also went to Disney World this weekend, we took my five year old son for the first time, and we did not wait more than ten minutes in any line. I understand that it is off season, but I have never seen such a small crowd at the Magic Kingdom! I now retract my earlier statements and say the economy plays a big role in this…People that go to games live do so because they love to go to the game, it not being on TV will not change this. No one decides, “well, the game is blacked out so let’s hit the ATM and head to Tampa:. They either listen to the radio, do something else, or jump on Joe Black Out Tour! I say change the rule!
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Both of you make very good points. The solution to this problem is just not that cut and dry. It’s very complicated.
If the Bucs continue to win games though, it will definitely bring more fans to the stadium. Thus helping to solve the black out problem.
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Rah is on the Scott Van Pelt show right now…lol
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:46 pm
I heard on the radio this mourning that there were all kinds of blackouts this past week. I couldn’t hear the exact number, but I thought they said 8. I know for a fact that the Chargers game was blacked out! The Panthers had quite a few empty seats I noticed during the Bucs game. There is no clear cut answer unfortunately, but there are several facts that you can’t argue: First the NFL has priced themselves out of the blue collar market. These are your hard core fans that you want to be able to go to the game. Second is the economy: Company’s that would buy up blocks of tickets to hand out to their clients are no longer able to do so. Walk up sales are non existant because no one has a C-Note burning a hole in their pocket. Another factor is that the cost of going to a sporting event has gone up way faster than the cost of living average. Cost of living doubles about every 20 or 25 years. The NFL ticket prices have doubled in about the past 10-12 years. Like I’ve said on here before; try and fill your seats with white collar fans and you’ll end up like the Falcons. 50,000 fans who would have a hard time telling you who is winning. Complete Social event and nothing to do with football.
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:57 pm
I think there was only three blackouts!
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Bucnjim, Ditto! BTW I heard eight as well.
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:32 pm
According to keith Morreli of TBO…
“NFL blackouts are happening with more regularity. The NFL had 22 in 2009, a five-year high, and there have already been three this season after two weeks of play.”
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Tanard Jackson has been suspended for the season and more. Substance abuse!
September 22nd, 2010 at 5:01 pm
OUCH! That sucks! Tanard you idiot!
September 22nd, 2010 at 5:01 pm
ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 22nd, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Ira thinks a 50-year old rule is senile then what does that make Ira? Super-senile????
But seriously folks when the stadiums only seated 30-40 thousand sellouts were a lot easier. Newer stadiums are larger and the ticket prices are WAY too high
I’ll tell you I’m not one to watch pirated anything but if the NFL keeps up this $hit I know where I can watch the Bucs games and all it will do is piss me off and the NFL won’t get a dime of my $$$ in the future.
BTW Woody – nice switch of the outfits you didn’t blend into the background today. Ira stick to the pen and paper buddy…Bring back Anwar minus the girlie shirt.
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:50 pm
If the stadium at least comes close to selling out, why don’t the Glazers just purchase the couple hundred or couple thousands of seats left over?? Especially for an exciting matchup between two 2-0 teams with very good defenses. If the Bucs win this game, it’ll be huge for them. Everybody will be talking about them. Another blackout would really suck.
I live all the way over in Texas, far away from any blackouts so I’ll be fine. But still, the people in Tampa deserve to see their team play.
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:48 am
The good point they make is that this is a league wide problem; not just the Bucs. The NFL can forget about a team in LA now because the results will be the same as in San Diego & Oakland only worse. A few other teams that will have major problems this year are: Jaguars, Bills, Panthers, Lions, Vikings, Cardinals, 49ers, & Rams. If these teams don’t win now they’ll be in the same boat: Dolphins, Jets, Seahawks. So that’s about half the league with the potential for black outs this year. Throw in the possibility of a lockout next year and the NFL could be facing some serious problems getting fans back in the seats.