All eyes will be on a trio of NFL cities this afternoon - Green Bay, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati - as blackouts seem like legit possibilities for three of the four wild-card-hosting cities.
According to the Washington Post, its been 12 years since the last playoff blackout (in Miami). Use whatever excuse you want (like winter weather), but one fact is clear: more fans are choosing to watch sports from home instead of the stadium.
However, don't be shocked if the NFL finds a way to help dodge blackouts this week....it would be a terrible moment for the league given the growing momentum in Washington to ban blackouts.
If the NFL lets any playoff blackouts happen, it would be a HUGE TRAVESTY. The per team Network TV deals jump from an average of $80 million per team this year - the final year of the current contract to $138 million per team in 2014 with the new 9 year contract (2014-2022). With an additional $58 million per year going to each of the 32 teams for the next 9 years, they better come up with a couple hundred thousand dollars, if needed, to prevent the blackout(s).
ReplyDeleteI guess the "fans" in those cities aren't real "fans." That's what they always say about us here in Tampa. People are losing interest in attending the games because of the insulting prices.
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