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Top Six Reasons NFL's Blackout Policy is Bad PR Move for Football

By: Justin Lopinot | 09/09/2009

The National Football League's 2009 season kicks off tomorrow night in Pittsburgh. Fans in the Steel City who cannot score tickets to the game will have the option to watch the game from the comfort of their homes. That's because the game is a sellout and will appear on television in Pittsburgh. Even in a tough economy, fans seem willing to support a winning team like the Steelers.

But the prospects for winning football aren't so strong for my hometown team, the St. Louis Rams. There's a good chance that some home games will not sell out. No big deal, right? People like me don't want to pay top dollar to watch bad football; we can just watch the game at home, on our HD TVs. Right? Right!?!

"Not so fast," says the NFL. League rules call for blackouts in local markets in which games are not sold out. One recent article I read cites the NFL commissioner as saying that as many as 20 percent of NFL games could be blacked out this season. Last year, the Rams had two blackouts. Who knows how many games I will miss this season?

So with all that said, I now offer my top six reasons the NFL's blackout policy is a bad PR move for football:

1. Outta site, outta mind. If the games aren't on TV, I'll find something else to do with my Sunday afternoons. Eventually, I'll realize all the things I've been missing for so many years. Maybe, just maybe, those activities will be more exciting than an NFL game. And maybe when the next Rams game actually is on television, I won't be around to watch.
2. Ad buyer beware. There's a reason why an NFL game takes three and a half hours, and the biggest is advertisements. And as excited as I am for the Rams vs. Houston Texans game on Dec. 20, everyone and their mother knows the television audience will consist almost entirely of fans of the Rams and the Texans. I'm sure the advertisers would like to get their messages in front of that big chunk of audience in the St. Louis market that likely will be missing from that game (yes, I'm predicting that game will NOT sell out).
3. A generational thing. I have a young son who someday may grow up a fan of football like his father. Part of my bonding with him will involve watching football games on television. If the games are not on, we are not bonding over football and the NFL is missing out on an opportunity to grow its future fan base.
4. Now's not the time. The U.S. economy is in the stinker, as are the housing and job markets. It doesn't really seem like the time to force families to shell out 80 bucks per person (plus $20 for a beer and nachos and $15 for parking) to see the Rams lose. (If you don't believe it's that expensive, check out this article that notes the cost of taking a family of four to an NFL game is $396.36.) Generally speaking, people just don't have as much disposable income right now. Let them watch the game at home. Then, when the economy recovers, I'm sure many will be likely to purchase tickets, paint their faces blue and gold, and head downtown to watch the game in person.
5. Nobody likes a bully. The NFL isn't the only game in town. Personally, I have refused to be bullied since my awkward junior high years. I cannot be bullied into purchasing football tickets. I'm just as excited to watch the Mizzou Tigers play NCAA football or the St. Louis Blues pound the Blackhawks as I am to watch the St. Louis Rams. And that rule applied even when our once-proud NFL franchise was good. I only have so much time to invest in sports, and I'd rather not spend it with a league that turns its back on me.
6. Show some heart. Roger Goodell still is pretty new to his position as NFL commissioner. The blackout policy has been in place since 1973. The country has changed in the nearly 40 years that have passed. People have many, many, many more ways to spend their entertainment dollars. And believe me, people will move on. There's a very real risk of snowballing the erosion of team support. However, Mr. Goodell has a chance to make a stand and show some heart. Wouldn't it be a great PR move to let fans in Jacksonville, Detroit, St. Louis and other downtrodden towns watch bad football for free?

What do you think of the NFL's blackout policy? Can you think of any other reasons why the policy is bad for football?

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Posted in Public Relations