NFL blackouts are a sure bet
By: Jim Williams
Examiner Sports Columnist
September 2, 2009
In an exclusive story published in Sports Business Journal, there is the distinct possibility that as many as a dozen NFL teams will fail to sell out games this season, causing blackouts that would keep teams' home games from being seen on local television.
The league did not identify the teams likely affected, however there are more than a handful that are feeling the effects of a rough economy.
Jacksonville leads the list of cities where blackouts are a certainty. It is possible that Jags fans may not see a single home game on TV this year.
Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis, who were on the list last year, likely will reappear this season.
You can add a few playoff contenders to the list -- Miami, San Diego and New Orleans -- where it is possible that two or three games will be blacked out.
There are teams with long waiting lists for tickets, too. The Jets, Bucs and Chiefs could be on the blackout list. In the past, those teams fans would never miss a game.
The NFL does not intend to amend or change the current rule: "A game that is not sold out within 72 hours of kickoff cannot be broadcast locally."
However, the key point made in the Sports Business Journal story was that the NFL is in great shape overall. In the 1970s, when the blackout rule was first established, more than half of the games routinely did not sell out. The league did better in the 1980s, and, by the 1990s, about six or seven games out of 10 made their way onto local TV. In 2002, the league reached the 90 percent mark for games selling out. By 2007, the league hit its high water mark of 97 percent, with 13 out of 17 weeks entirely sold out. Only seven of the regular season's 256 games were blacked out.
So while things are tough in some areas, the NFL remains the best brand in American sports.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
