As news spread that this week’s National Football League playoff games wouldn’t be broadcasted on local channels because of the Federal Communications Commission’s pesky blackout rule, corporate sponsors for the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts have found a way to sell out the games themselves: by snatching up the remaining tickets and distributing them to military families.
Both the Bengals and Colts were granted an NFL-imposed extension to sell their remaining tickets, 8,000 and 1,200, respectively, before this weekend’s playoff games. But as Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline drew closer and closer, corporate sponsors Kroger and Proctor and Gamble stepped in and bought the remaining tickets to the Bengals game against the San Diego Chargers. In Indianapolis, which has sold out 138 of the last 139 games, Meijer, a superstore chain, purchased the franchise’s remaining tickets.
Both Kroger and Meijer announced they would donate the tickets to both active-duty and retired military families.
“This is an exciting time to be a Bengals fan,” Sukanya Madlinger, president of Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton Division, said in a statement. “And, Kroger is a huge supporter of the brave men and women who protect and defend our country. Giving them the opportunity to watch the ‘undefeated at home’ Bengals in action is a great way for us to say ‘thank you’ for your brave service.”
The tickets were purchased in an effort to avoid the blackout and will be distributed at select Kroger stores throughout the Cincinnati region. Customers will need to show their military identification before receiving two tickets.
To avoid a blackout of the Colts game in the Indianapolis area against the Kansas City Chiefs, Meijer decided to donate the unsold tickets to a number of military organizations, including the Indiana National Guard, Indiana Blue Star Salute, Survivor Outreach Services and Wish for Our Heroes, the team announced on its website.
In addition to the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals, the Green Bay Packers also struggled to sell out Lambeau Field for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. But in an effort to avoid the FCC’s blackout rule, a group of fans and corporate sponsors purchased the remaining tickets.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) slammed the FCC’s rule in a letter to Chairman Tom Wheeler on Thursday after learning the Bengals game was in jeopardy of not being shown.
“This is unacceptable at a time when the price of attending games continues to rise and the economy is not yet where it needs to be,” Brown said. “Fans, through local taxes, often help pay for the stadiums. They should be able to cheer on their local teams, especially during the playoffs.”
The FCC’s blackout rule was first introduced in 1975 as a way to encourage fans to attend the games and drum up revenue in ticket sales. If games aren’t sold out, the rule states, they cannot be broadcast on channels in the team’s home market.
But as many fans instead opt to watch the games from the comfort of their homes — and avoid the freezing weather plaguing Sunday’s match-ups — the government agency has taken the first steps to eliminate the rule, voting unanimously to end it last month.
Next steps to end the blackout measure include public comment. A final ruling is expected to be handed down in early 2014.
The NFL, however, has come out against ending the blackout rule as it puts ticket sales and revenue in jeopardy.
