RealGM

Good news, cash-strapped fans in Jacksonville, San Diego and Detroit, you can watch your favorite team this weekend! As long as you have a good internet connection and wait 12 hours. Those games will be available online at NFL.com for free starting at midnight Monday for those who couldn't see the game because of blackout restrictions. But how dare you decide to watch during Monday Night Football, that's not allowed, sillies! So you'll have to rely on going to the NFL's site and watching the live game tracker (well isn't that odd...) and then watch the game online long after you heard about it.

What a great idea. Or, you know, you could just lift the blackouts altogether and understand the country's economic situation. Or that.

You know, the economy is a pretty poor excuse. Detroit sells out games and they have a **** team and their fans live in the worst economic city in America same thing with Cleveland. Teams like Jacksonville, San Diego, etc had trouble selling out games before the economy went to hell (is the economy really in hell anymore anyways?). The Jags really need to be moved to LA.

That being said, the blackout rule is idiotic and really needs to go. I shouldn't be forced to go out and sit in -20 degree weather in the middle of a blizzard just to see my team play because the game is blacked out.

SportsWorld wrote:You know, the economy is a pretty poor excuse. Detroit sells out games and they have a **** team and their fans live in the worst economic city in America same thing with Cleveland. Teams like Jacksonville, San Diego, etc had trouble selling out games before the economy went to hell (is the economy really in hell anymore anyways?). The Jags really need to be moved to LA.

Detroit isn't selling out games. They're one of 10 teams that are having these issues.

And yes, the economy is in hell. Very, very much so.

These rules have been in place for decades and they're horrendously outdated. Oh woe is me a 75,000 seat stadium can't sell out. You're losing even more money by blacking the games out.

WEFFPIM wrote:

SportsWorld wrote:You know, the economy is a pretty poor excuse. Detroit sells out games and they have a **** team and their fans live in the worst economic city in America same thing with Cleveland. Teams like Jacksonville, San Diego, etc had trouble selling out games before the economy went to hell (is the economy really in hell anymore anyways?). The Jags really need to be moved to LA.

Detroit isn't selling out games. They're one of 10 teams that are having these issues.

And yes, the economy is in hell. Very, very much so.

These rules have been in place for decades and they're horrendously outdated. Oh woe is me a 75,000 seat stadium can't sell out. You're losing even more money by blacking the games out.

I understand the economy is a problem but it's no worse than it was at this time last year. I guess people are spending their money more wisely than they were a few years ago. And as I said, the blackout rules are ridiculously stupid. It seems like every league in sports has to have something that everyone hates yet they insist on keeping it like the BCS in College Football, the horrible blackout rules in Major League Baseball, etc.

The blackout rule isnt bringing any extra fans to the games IMO...the fans that are buying tickets would go regardless of the rule....they have the extra cash to spend and love to see their favorite team live. It costs an insane amount to take a family to a game, if I remember right its like 400+ for a family of four. Why would anyone want to drop that much 8 times a year? Not this guy and the blackout rule wouldnt change my opinion.

You can't use the economy as an excuse for the Jaguars. They're just in a bad market. Tarp-ville.

Jacksonville is puzzling. They're the only pro team in that city, they shouldn't have these issues. I have a feeling they'll be getting a London game by next year, and they'll play a game or two in Orlando as well.

It still doesn't change the fact that the blackout rules need to go.

nfl games really arent that fun to attend in my opinion - especially when taking into consideration the cost of everything, quality of seats and lameness of tv timeouts...id much rather go to a buddy's place with a bunch of other friends, get some food/alcohol and watch the game and follow fantasy from right in front of my tv

Gordon Bombay wrote:nfl games really arent that fun to attend in my opinion - especially when taking into consideration the cost of everything, quality of seats and lameness of tv timeouts...id much rather go to a buddy's place with a bunch of other friends, get some food/alcohol and watch the game and follow fantasy from right in front of my tv

Yup, I think football is the worst major sport to watch live, especially if you live in a cold weather climate and you're going to see a game from November-January. I appreciate football a lot more when I'm comfortable at home.

_venom_ wrote:

Gordon Bombay wrote:nfl games really arent that fun to attend in my opinion - especially when taking into consideration the cost of everything, quality of seats and lameness of tv timeouts...id much rather go to a buddy's place with a bunch of other friends, get some food/alcohol and watch the game and follow fantasy from right in front of my tv

Yup, I think football is the worst major sport to watch live, especially if you live in a cold weather climate and you're going to see a game from November-January. I appreciate football a lot more when I'm comfortable at home.

I agree with you both. I even get the luxury of sitting in the press box when I go and I still would rather be at home or at a bar. College games are better (less interruptions, more fan craziness most places) but still I prefer to be at home. I don't even like going to HS games; I've been to one in the last 15 years and that was to watch former students of mine on Senior Day.

Baseball is the opposite for me. I can't stomach more than about two innings on TV before I'm snoring, but I love going to games, even minor league ones.

college games are longer than pro games, it's just the atmostphere is 100X better

as for high school games, i really enjoy them, mainly cause my high school was really good year in and year out the past dozen years or so, our town really gets into hs games and we travel as well as anyone in the state

did u use to be a teacher icness?

studcrackers wrote:college games are longer than pro games, it's just the atmostphere is 100X better

as for high school games, i really enjoy them, mainly cause my high school was really good year in and year out the past dozen years or so, our town really gets into hs games and we travel as well as anyone in the state

did u use to be a teacher icness?

yep. Taught 7th grade history and government for a year in Petersburg VA, then I got an NFL job.

Gordon Bombay wrote:nfl games really arent that fun to attend in my opinion - especially when taking into consideration the cost of everything, quality of seats and lameness of tv timeouts...id much rather go to a buddy's place with a bunch of other friends, get some food/alcohol and watch the game and follow fantasy from right in front of my tv

there's nothing less fun than going to a stadium to have my wallet squeezed like an orange, having to walk 75 yards to get to a toilet, (and have that toilet being not a toilet but a piss trough), and having to control my alcohol consumption. So you're eating crappy food, drinking crappy beer, sitting in an uncomfortable seat, and going to the bathroom is a chore. And you pay an arm and a leg for the privilege.

Actually Detroits economy is much worse than one year ago. Detroits unemployment rate is now up to 25%, over three times the national average. Michigan has the 6th highest floreclosure rate in the nation. When fans are unemployed and losing their homes, they won't be trying to go NFL games.

Lions fans have sold out game after game for years. Last season was the first season they stopped selling out. I don't know about every teams situation, but the Lions ticket situation is directly related to the economy.

Just to pile onto what liquorish said...
It used to be that in DET and CLE and CIN and IND that when there were tickets still needing to be sold to lift the blackout, a local business would usually step up and buy them. I know in Cleveland it was always the Spitzer car dealerships, in Indy it was a Ford dealer, in Cincy it was usually P&G. Those companies can't do that anymore. Suite sales are in the tank all over the league--over half of Ford Field's top-end suites are unsold, even the gorgeous new Cowboys facility is having issues for some games in filling up the high-end boxes.

When I worked for a company in Chicago, we had 12 season tickets to Bulls games and shared a box with another firm. Now that company and the one we shared with are both defunct, but the guy who ran our old company still gets calls from the Bulls begging him to buy seats.

Gordon Bombay wrote:nfl games really arent that fun to attend in my opinion - especially when taking into consideration the cost of everything, quality of seats and lameness of tv timeouts...id much rather go to a buddy's place with a bunch of other friends, get some food/alcohol and watch the game and follow fantasy from right in front of my tv

I disagree. The atmosphere and view make it so much better.

If you're a hardcore fan, NFL.com lets you watch every game online starting Mondays for $50/season. I've watched a couple online and it's different but nice. Great if you're a fan of an out-of-market, lower-profile team,

Icness wrote:If you're a hardcore fan, NFL.com lets you watch every game online starting Mondays for $50/season. I've watched a couple online and it's different but nice. Great if you're a fan of an out-of-market, lower-profile team,

I got it in the offseason, I think it was $5 for a week.

I would think that the blackout rules would be disadvantageous. It seems to go on the assumption that the NFL is irreplaceable in people's lives. If they're not going to show me the game, I have two alternatives: Go to the game, or find something else to do. You have to figure a vast portion of the fans will either watch other games or find something else to do, eroding their interest share in football.

So far the only link I see for these blacked out games on NFL.com is on NFL rewind which you need a subscription to.