Goodell: NFL teams could face TV blackouts....2011 lockout? NFL in trouble?

[mjp28]

Goodell: NFL teams could face TV blackouts
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—Avoiding local television blackouts will be a challenge as the NFL approaches its first full season in the economic downturn, commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday.

During a visit to the Washington Redskins, Goodell was asked specifically about the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose season-ticket base dropped from 42,000 to about 25,000 this season. The decline is such that the club might not even bother asking for extensions in hopes of avoiding blackouts this year.

Goodell said Jacksonville, one of the smallest markets in the league, is “one of the markets where we’re seeing some challenges from ticket sales coming into the 2009 season.”

“And we’ll have other markets that’ll have those challenges. It’s all part of the challenges that we’re seeing in the economy, and what our clubs are going through,” Goodell said. “Our clubs have been working hard in the offseason to create other ways to try to get people in the stadiums and to have policies that are a little more flexible, and hopefully they’re going to pay dividends for us.”

The San Diego Chargers had an exhibition game blacked out for the first time since 2006 and will have Friday’s game blacked out as well. They say regular-season blackouts could be on the way as well. Other teams that could have trouble selling out their home games include the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders, who both had blackouts last season.

The Cleveland Browns nearly had their first blackout since 1995 for a preseason game last month, but Goodell said some of the August ticket sales could be attributed to the nature of exhibition football.

“I think the fans have seen that the quality of the games aren’t up to NFL standards, so I think that’s a factor,” said Goodell, who is looking at the possibility of reducing the preseason and expanding the regular season.

Goodell had a meeting planned in Washington with NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. Goodell said it was more of a get-together than a formal negotiating session. The NFL and the union have been talking about a new labor agreement in hopes of avoiding a lockout in 2011.

“Anytime you’re negotiating you take a step forward and maybe a step back,” Goodell said. “We’re communicating, we’re trying to get information to the union leadership, make sure they understand the challenges we’re facing as a system and as a business and make sure they understand that so we can design a system that addresses the issues for the players and the coaches and the game.”

Ethan Albright(notes), the Redskins’ interim player representative to the union, said this week he was telling his teammates to save up their money because the word from Smith is “the owners are taking all the steps to set up for a lockout in 2011.”

“Listen, I think everybody in the NFL wants to play,” Goodell said. “The owners want to play, the players want to play. It’s our job to get a deal done. That’s why I keep saying a lockout is not a strategy, nor an objective. What we want to do is get an agreement that works for the players and the coaches and the game and allows to continue to grow it.”............

[mjp28]

By Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 28, 2009

Sold-out stadiums have been the norm in the NFL in recent seasons, so commonplace that games blacked out on local television in the home team's market for failing to sell out have been rare.

That could change this season as some franchises experience difficulty selling tickets in an uncertain economy. With the regular season set to begin in two weeks, at least four teams face potential local TV blackouts of their home games because they have not sold enough tickets, according to people involved in the league.

The NFL as a whole continues to operate successfully, thanks in large part to the league having negotiated extensions to its national television deals that pay each team about $125 million a year. However, Commissioner Roger Goodell and others in the sport acknowledge that the league is not immune from the country's economic problems, and they point to lagging ticket sales among some of the league's 32 franchises as evidence.

People in the sport say locally generated revenue may be down for some clubs this year. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, have yet to sell the naming rights for their new $1.15 billion stadium.

"We're still in the middle of selling" tickets, Goodell said last week after a one-day owners meeting at an O'Hare International Airport hotel outside Chicago. "Clubs are working hard at it. We recognize what our fans are going through. There are challenges out there, but I think our clubs are responding very well. We've still got a few more good weeks of selling."

Goodell said he was unable to provide leaguewide figures for ticket sales. "That can change very quickly, as you know," he said. "Just look at what Minnesota did."

The Vikings sold approximately 3,000 season tickets and 10,000 single-game tickets in the 24 hours after they signed quarterback Brett Favre last week. According to the club, that left the Vikings with about 7,000 season tickets still available.

"It's been a tremendous boost," Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said. "We certainly have a way to go. But our organization is very excited for our fans. They showed it in the last couple days, and we look forward to our fans getting more involved."

But what was more surprising -- that the Vikings sold so many tickets after acquiring Favre, or that they had so many tickets available before signing him?

People familiar with the situation said that teams in strong markets have had to work harder than usual in some cases but have experienced few major problems selling tickets. But they also said that at least four franchises are in danger of having a significant number of their home games fail to sell out. Some estimated that number could be as high as eight clubs, although people who said that added that several of those teams are likely to find ways to secure sellouts.

"If you're in a good market, you most likely did okay," said one team owner, who did not want his name used because it is considered inappropriate within the league for one team owner to speak publicly about other clubs' financial situations. "The NFL is still a good buy. But there are a few markets out there that aren't very good, and I think they're having some problems."

In addition to Minnesota, the teams having trouble selling tickets include the San Diego Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The list of teams with ticket-selling issues also could include the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and possibly the St. Louis Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. Thursday night's preseason game in Cincinnati and Saturday's games in Detroit and Oakland are blacked out on local TV. ..........

.......Under NFL rules, a game cannot be televised in the local market of the home team unless it is sold out 72 hours before kickoff. Last season, 247 of 256 regular season games leaguewide -- 96 percent -- aired in the local market of the home team.

That figure has been at least 95 percent in each of the last four seasons -- including a record 97 percent in the 2006 season, when 249 of 256 regular season games were televised in the home team's market.

Only general admission tickets count toward the sellout standard for a local TV blackout to be lifted, not club seats or suite tickets.

The tiny number of local TV blackouts over the past few seasons is a relatively recent phenomenon. The portion of NFL games televised in the home team's market did not reach 80 percent until 1999, and didn't reach 90 percent until 2002. It first reached 95 percent in 2005 and has remained above that figure since then.........

[buckeye2]

That is okay, after todays game at PBS between the Bungals and the Chargers was blocked out........didn't miss much.  Just more disappointment on top of a already bad weekend in football.