bjtheman1
Bench Warmer
As the start of the NFL regular season draws near, at least 11 teams could be facing TV blackouts in their home markets, USA Today reports.
NFL rules require games be blacked out in the home market if they are not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff. The league, according to the newspaper, had 22 games blacked out last year, a five-year high. Five teams, all of which had losing records, were part of the blackouts last season: Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams.
Tampa Bay is preparing for a possible Week 1 blackout, as team spokesman Jonathan Grella told USA Today that the Buccaneers are “grappling with the attendance issue.”
Since March, Buccaneers officials have mentioned the possibility of blackouts after last season's 3-13 record. The Tampa Tribune notes, “a struggling Florida economy and uneasiness about the team's direction have contributed to the lack of ticket sales.”
The newspaper notes three 2009 playoff teams could face blackouts, including the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers.
Reasons vary for why certain teams face blackouts, including a down economy, quality of the viewing experience in fans’ homes and sustained poor performance.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t likely to change the blackout rules any time soon. He told the newspaper: "We worked hard last year knowing what our customers are going through. I think the teams have done a terrific job on that. I'm optimistic that we're going to be able to hopefully improve that number (of 22 blackouts in 2009)."
UPDATE, Sept. 9: The league, for a second consecutive season, will rebroadcast blacked-out games on NFL.com for 72 hours beginning at midnight the day of the game. ProFootballTalk.com reports DirecTV will show live updates of blacked-out games in the affected markets, via its RedZone channel.
NFL rules require games be blacked out in the home market if they are not sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff. The league, according to the newspaper, had 22 games blacked out last year, a five-year high. Five teams, all of which had losing records, were part of the blackouts last season: Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams.
Tampa Bay is preparing for a possible Week 1 blackout, as team spokesman Jonathan Grella told USA Today that the Buccaneers are “grappling with the attendance issue.”
Since March, Buccaneers officials have mentioned the possibility of blackouts after last season's 3-13 record. The Tampa Tribune notes, “a struggling Florida economy and uneasiness about the team's direction have contributed to the lack of ticket sales.”
The newspaper notes three 2009 playoff teams could face blackouts, including the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers.
Reasons vary for why certain teams face blackouts, including a down economy, quality of the viewing experience in fans’ homes and sustained poor performance.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t likely to change the blackout rules any time soon. He told the newspaper: "We worked hard last year knowing what our customers are going through. I think the teams have done a terrific job on that. I'm optimistic that we're going to be able to hopefully improve that number (of 22 blackouts in 2009)."
UPDATE, Sept. 9: The league, for a second consecutive season, will rebroadcast blacked-out games on NFL.com for 72 hours beginning at midnight the day of the game. ProFootballTalk.com reports DirecTV will show live updates of blacked-out games in the affected markets, via its RedZone channel.
