Is it time for the NFL to dump blackout rule?

[MN Sportsfan]

Before the season starts I thought I would start a thread on the NFL's blackout rule which requires a game to be sold out in order to be televised locally. I think the rule is outdated, it was good for the 70's & 80's but I think now it's time to get rid of it and allow every team's home game to be televised in their local market no matter if there are tickets available or not. With gas prices & the economy today, not every fan can afford tickets. If games get blacked out, there goes big TV ratings & a lot of interest too. If fans can't watch their local team on TV, they may just say forget about it.

[jazzyd971fm]

This rule is outdated, especially for preseason games. With the other major leagues televising most of their games locally without this kind of rule, it is time for this rule to go.

[n3ntj]

Just curious.. approx. how many NFL games are sold out by game time?

Most of the TV rules in sports nowadays seem definitely outdated.

[Randal Graves]

A lot of times the NFL will extend the deadline, 24 hours, I think...not sure, Also, the tv station sometimes buys the unsold tickets to avoid the blackout. Because it's bad for the station not to be able to televise the game.

[Steve Mehs]

The rule is stupid, plain and simple. It should go.

[Doug Brott]

I'd say now would be a good time to end the blackout rules ..

[zimm7778]

As nice as it may be to get rid of the blackout rule, they won't. I live in a market where there have been many blackouts in recent years, and the number of tickets that get sold after the blackout occurs is higher than those in the last 72 (or 48 if an extension was granted) when the game is technically sold out. Plus, if you don't have a blackout rule in football, people wouldn't pay those high prices to go down to the stadium and watch.

[Koz]

Like it or not (and I don't), the blackout rule does have some nice unintended benefits. It's very embarrassing for an NFL team to have a blackout, so they have a lot of incentive to sell any remaining tickets as the deadline approaches. So, they make a lot of deals, give away a lot of free tickets, etc. It also may make them lower prices for the next season, or at least not raise them as much.

[SamC]

Any city that cannot sell 70K or so tickets to one of only EIGHT football games it has all year has no business pretending it is a major league city.

[zimm7778]

Any city that cannot sell 70K or so tickets to one of only EIGHT football games it has all year has no business pretending it is a major league city.

Insert "Jacksonville, Fl" into the any city slot.

[Msguy]

Yes Blackouts need to be abolished. This is the 21st Century for cryin' out loud.

[Z-Todd from Phx]

I think they should lift the blackout when 90 percent of the tickets are sold. No one wants to sit in the top 4 rows of the stadium, especially when it's hot outside.

With today's computers tied into Ticketmaster.com, it should be easy to determine when the 90% level has been reached, giving the local station time to announce its televising plans.