NFL Doesn't Get It: Blocking Fans Doesn't Make Them Like Teams Any More
from the this-is-still-happening? dept
I knew this was common years ago, but I honestly had no clue that modern sports leagues were so clueless as to think that it made sense to blackout local TV broadcasting if the attendance at the event wasn't a sell-out. Those rules were from a time (apparently still existing for some) where people actually thought that being able to see a game on TV would mean fewer people coming out to the actual game. Of course, as any sports fan knows, there's a massive difference between watching on TV and "being there." But allowing fans to watch their favorite team on TV does seem to encourage fans to care more about their team, making it more likely that they'll go out and see the team live when they can. But... not according to the NFL, who still has such blackout rules in effect, and is suddenly worried that attendance this season is dropping (thanks Carlo) due to the economy, meaning that many more games won't be shown to local fans. It's difficult to see how that makes any sense at all. All it does is piss off the biggest fans, and give them reasons not to pay attention to the team, and to cut out the most compelling local TV for many fans (harming ad revenue). On top of that, you risk a sort of death spiral. Teams that don't get enough fans at the live event piss off their fans who can't watch the games on TV -- and without the games on TV, they're less interested in following the team... leading to less interest in going to the game... leading to more empty seats... leading to even fewer games getting on TV.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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That's pretty easy to fix. I'm from Detroit Lions territory. Needless to say in last year's awful season (16 straight losses, worst season ever in the NFL!) people stopped going to the stadium to seem them.
It got so bad that the team dropped the black-out rule. So even though nobody was going to see the games at the stadium, we could still sit in our homes and watch them lose.
Still, I totally agree that the entire premise of the black-out rule is asinine. To me it would be like a musical act refusing to allow their music to be played on the radio until their concert sells out. But that's essentially what the NFL are doing.
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Wait, the NFL rule isn't set in stone?
As an aside they mentioned the percentages of games that were locally televised. I'd be interested to see which games stadiums/teams didn't get televised. For last season, where and when were those nine games did not get televised?
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Re: Wait, the NFL rule isn't set in stone?
I have no idea if the team decided on its own. Maybe the Lions had to get permission from the NFL. I'm just saying the rule was dropped last year towards the end of the season.
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A little clarification:
However, one point of contention from a hardcore sports fan to a suspect football fan:
"Of course, as any sports fan knows, there's a massive difference between watching on TV and "being there.""
Absolutely true, but, as any FOOTBALL fan knows, football is the one sport that might actually be better to watch (for a fan of the sport) on TV rather than at the stadium. Fans of the teams go to the stadium, along with the boozers. Fans of the game AND the team get two 30 packs of Pabst, 3 deep dish pizzas, and a poker game going around the living room table while the Bears pound the packers in the tailpipe.
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Re: A little clarification:
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Re: Re: A little clarification:
You could call it (soccer that is) "footie" no one over here actually calls it soccer and "football" creates a transatlantic confusion.
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Re: A little clarification:
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Re: Re: A little clarification:
I don't know about cheered, but let out a huge sigh of relief and began to seriously start thinking about hockey again? Oh yeah!
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Good thing I live in Pittsburgh
As for some of the other NFL cities (especially ones that have had a couple blackouts in the past few seasons), there may be a lot of home games getting blacked out this season if what the NFL's home office says is true.
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Bears pound the Packers?!?
But seriously I really don't understand the blackout rule. I believe it must be an agreement forced on to the NFL by the team owners to maximize revenue.
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Re: Bears pound the Packers?!?
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National Felons League
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Braves fans
This is the exact opposite of that.
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Re: Braves fans
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Re: Braves fans
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Re: Braves fans
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Re: Re: Braves fans
Ludacris was in town.
That is all it took...
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Re: anonymous coward
I do not have satellite so I will have to take what you say as truth for now. going with that assumption...
Why risk missing the game because you have not bought an expensive programming package from the cable company or subscribed to satellite.
Could this blackout rule be another tactic to encourage the average consumer to buy not only stadium tickets but more service for when they can't be there in person?
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Great Idea Huh!
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Great Idea Huh!
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TV isn't the magic solution, people having money in their pockets is. Abolishing blackout rules won't change the real problem, it won't suddenly put money in everyone's pocket.
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Re:
What affect, if any, do you think a blackout has upon advertising dollars earned and how does that affect the NFL ?
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Re: Re:
You miss the important point: If people don't have money, they ain't going to the game. Just as importantly, they are immune to advertising at that point, because they don't have disposable income. So all of the issues turn back to the lack of money in the economy, and nothing else.
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The effects are negligible. if the local market was the only income, perhaps, but that just isn't the case.
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Re:
Whew... I feel better, now.
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Ima -- awesome comment
_perfect! it reminds me of HOV lanes, -- you can't actually encourage people via punishment, it has never proven to work. the NFL should realize that american football, auto racing, and several other sports are *much* better enjoyed on TV, yet the overall experience of actually attending an event is different and unique experience, and for every person who "steals" a bleacher seat by watching it on TV, they are actually increasing the value of the entrance ticket, by creating a culture and social experience that TV cannot replace. The nfl has actually been brilliant at this, by branding the sports league as a lifestyle and personal identity trait that is bigger than the sport itself, sure going to a nfl game or a car race sucks, you can never tell whats going on, it's all a confusing mess, but the social experience outweighs the actual experience, hence there is a value to spending $300 on a ticket as an entrance fee to the cultural and social experience
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Re: Ima -- awesome comment
The football game? In person or on TV, the game is the game. You don't get just the warmups on TV and only game in person, you get the game no matter what. So the only difference is the atmosphere.
Music isn't a good parallel here at all.
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Re: Ima -- awesome comment
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Confused
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Re: Confused
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Entitled?
Sell outs are a divine right, and the owners know it down to their bones. Nothing will change because the owners know what they are entitled to. Fortunately, the owners have managed to forget anything to the contrary that they might have learned in basic economics or marketing courses they may have taken in college.
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Re: Entitled?
pass on the unsold tickets to the broadcasters to resell. If the broadcasters show the game they have to pay for the tickets they don't resell (or if they resell for less than face value then they have to pay for the difference.
The broadcasters will know how the sums work (and they also might be better at selling tickets...)
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NFL
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So it's illegal to sell a ticket at more than face value, but it is perfectly fine for the stadium to sell beer at over six times the 'street' value.
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Dear NFL
If you blackout my team, I won't watch NFL football.
I went to the teams official website and clicked the link to buy tickets. The cheapest ticket for my home town team is $115. Cheapest. Per ticket. Even if I bring my own food and beverage, when you add in parking you are talking $250 for two people to go to a game. For lousy nosebleed seats? No thanks.
This is why I stay home and watch. I don't have to deal with drunken idiots. I don't have to deal with weather. I don't have to worry about buying ridiculously over priced food. I can watch on my nice HDTV, relax with friends and have a good time.
If you take my team off TV, I won't go to a game. I just won't watch the NFL. Sorry, you priced yourself right out of my reach. Bye!
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Re: Dear NFL
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Re: Dear NFL
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Protection
The crux of the issue is where the revenue and demand curves intersect - is it more profitable to sell discounted seats and keep the ad revenue or maintain high seat prices for a more limited audience and relinquish the ad revenue? Furthermore, do you think most team owners really care THAT much?
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In San Diego
A) Die Hard tailgaters and in the stadium screaming constantly at every game, no matter what
B) Die Hard fans that scream at their 60 inch HDTV for every game while watching the replay, wearing a jersey, and indoctrinating their children. (Some of these HATE the stadium experience)
C) Fair Weather Fans that go to the stadium ot watch on TV when the team is doing well or to the beach when they aren't
D) Casual fans that will go to the stadium if there is a really good matchup or cheap tickets but don't really care that much. They'll watch the game on TV if they aren't doing anything else at the time.
So of these, A won't care about the black out, B will be INCREDIBLY pissed, C will go to the beach, and D will not even notice.
In the long run B's children won't care about the team because they don't watch the games with dad anymore and a new generation of die hard fans vanishes. Good job NFL
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Stupid rule
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Dumb
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Dumb
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