Are Blackouts Supposed To Make Me A Fan?

[muggins]

Quote: Originally Posted by Burns11

The guy said the only thing keeping him from going to these games is an extra 40 minutes, that's a minor inconvenience at best. Also, yes, a fan is a fanatic as fan is just the american shortened form of the word. To try and differentiate the two is ludicrous.

It is about 2 hours from where the dude lives to where the Lions play. Couple that with he'd have go to down 75 south on a Sunday (TONS of people coming back from vacationing up North) and the exit near Ford Field is awful, and it would likely take 3.5-4 hours no the way down to pay high ticket prices because Ford Field is still relatively new.

[burnstuff]

I don't think the people who made the blackout rule anticipated this big a recession...

[lonewolf371]

Quote: Originally Posted by fugazi

Finally.... Your reply, Burns?

Not the right way to look at it at all. TV revenue is shared among all teams in the league, but an unfilled-stadium directly impacts the home team with lost revenue. Couple that with the fact that in the current system, the home team is required to spend to an average league level in player contracts, an unfilled stadium combined with a rising salary cap is financial disaster. For teams to be financially successful, the stadium has to be filled and generating revenue to its potential.

The home team makes absolutely ZERO extra dollars by not blacking the game out. In fact, they usually lose money by buying up all the unsold tickets (30% of the ticket sales go to the away team).

[bkfount]

Quote: Originally Posted by Freelance

It has become a stupid rule. Once upon a time, teams made most of their money on attendance; hence, the blackout rule. Now, attendance is a pittance compared to TV and radio contracts. It makes no sense.

So? The whole league gets the broadcast contract money regardless, and the teams still want to maximize their own game day revenues. If the stadium isn't sold out, you just can't give the games away for free. People are still paying for season tickets or the occasional game, as something like 96% of games actually aired on their local stations last year. The NFL expects 20% blackouts this year, while the 90's usually had 40% blackouts.

No blackout rule would undermine the value of these tickets in a rough economy.

[slickdtc]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

I can't tell you how to do it or where to find it, but the internet is full of places where you can watch live NFL games if you're really that desperate to see your team. Now that I'm on the west coast of Florida, I don't get nearly as many Fins games as when I live 15 minutes from the stadium.

[J0nnD0ugh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Burns11

The guy said the only thing keeping him from going to these games is an extra 40 minutes, that's a minor inconvenience at best.

For you. FOR YOU. You have no idea what kind of situation he's in. Does he have a family? Does he have to work on the weekends? Does he have reliable transportation? Does he have a congregation he attends on Sunday?

You don't know, so stop judging other people's passions.

Quote:

Also, yes, a fan is a fanatic as fan is just the american shortened form of the word. To try and differentiate the two is ludicrous.

Its derived from "fanatic". If it was meant to mean exactly the same thing, it wouldn't be derived, we would just say "fanatic". But if you want to say it means exactly the same, then that is a plus for him & a minus for you. Fanatic carries w/it an excessive, irrational connotation. Are the only people who are true fans extremely irrational people who can't realisticly assess what holds true value?

[Burns11]

Quote: Originally Posted by J0nnD0ugh

For you. FOR YOU. You have no idea what kind of situation he's in. Does he have a family? Does he have to work on the weekends? Does he have reliable transportation? Does he have a congregation he attends on Sunday?

40 minutes is nothing, and all of those reasons don't add up to anything in the face of 40 minutes. Again, the only thing keeping him from games is 40 minutes. I don't think I've ever met a football fan, who I would seriously consider a football fan, who would let 40 minutes stand in the way of going to a game. I know people who live here in Louisville and have Colts, Bengals, Bears, Vikings, Packers season tickets, so if the only thing standing between this guy and seeing his team play is 40 minutes, then he's just not really a fan.

Quote: Originally Posted by J0nnD0ugh

You don't know, so stop judging other people's passions.

I'll judge whatever I like, thanks.

Quote: Originally Posted by J0nnD0ugh

Its derived from "fanatic". If it was meant to mean exactly the same thing, it wouldn't be derived, we would just say "fanatic". But if you want to say it means exactly the same, then that is a plus for him & a minus for you. Fanatic carries w/it an excessive, irrational connotation. Are the only people who are true fans extremely irrational people who can't realisticly assess what holds true value?

You are little too literal in your definition, but the argument that the shortened slang term makes the definition wildly different is flimsy at best.

For the record, I'm not a big proponent of the blackout rule (mostly due to current technological advances, but that's another thread), but I can understand it. What I can't understand is someone who considers himself a fan of football, not necessarily just a team, saying 40 extra minutes is the only thing that keeps him from games.

I also don't like the way the teams are handling the economy with regards to game day costs. Especially teams that knew they were going to black out most of their games anyway, take a little hit across the board (that you were going to take anyway) and just maybe those people who got in cheaper today will have such a good time they will be more likely to come back when the economy, their individual finances and ticket prices all go back to normal.

[Cebby]

Quote: Originally Posted by burnstuff

I don't think the people who made the blackout rule anticipated this big a recession...

The blackout rule was created during a recession that was about equal to this one (and with much tougher traveling due to the oil embargo) and survived the higher unemployment recession of the early 80s