Read Loyal Homer’s argument that the NFL should update their game blackout rules and Bleacher Fan’s argument that the NFL should not.
Last season was a good one for the NFL as a business product. The key to the league’s success is the tremendous television coverage it receives, and 96 percent of the league’s games were broadcast in their local markets. The more television coverage, the better – especially locally. Local television is really important to enhance local brand and keep the fan base engaged and energized. However, none of those awareness business marketing goals are met if the game is not broadcast on television because the NFL’s blackout rules are triggered.
The NFL’s blackout policy is not that complex. If an NFL game fails to sell out, the broadcast of the game is blacked out from local television within a 75 mile radius of the stadium.
If the game is close to being sold out, often the broadcast partner will purchase the remaining tickets to secure the sell out, then donate those tickets to charity to ensure the game is broadcast.
For the upcoming 2009 season, it appears that more games could be blacked out than ever before… sorry charities.
The blackout rule was originally intended to drive fan attendance, forcing fans to attend the game if they want to see it. However, that is becoming difficult.
There are a couple of elements to consider for this argument. First, fans have more access to NFL games than ever before. With the NFL Sunday Ticket package on DirecTV, watching games online, or hitting a local bar that shows all of the day’s games simultaneously – to mention just a few content options – fans simply do not have to attend games anymore, and their own TV and buying a ticket are not the only way to see a game.
The other element to consider is, why would fans want to attend a game in this recession? The uncertain economy – not to mention the uncertainty surrounding ticket sales for teams like Jacksonville, Oakland and St. Louis – means fans have no compelling reasons to shell out the extra cash for increasingly higher ticket prices.
In other words, there seems to be some momentum behind the idea of changing the policy, given that content distribution and a recessive economy have had a negative impact on the fan’s capacity to attend games.
To complicate things even more, the president of CBS Sports and CBS News, Sean McManus, has a gloomy outlook, telling the Sports Business Journal, “I don’t think there is any way they are going to change it, so it is pointless to talk to them about it.”
Fortunately, it’s not pointless for The Sports Debates… we are here to settle the question. Should the NFL modernize their local broadcast blackout rules?
Loyal Homer will argue that sports culture has changed to the point that the NFL must revisit the policy and adapt it to reflect current conditions. Bleacher Fan will argue that the NFL does not need to change the rule because it is still relevant and effective.
Okay debaters, it is time. Who should win out, the fans or the league?
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