Question about NFL Blackouts

[Beantown Bronco]

Since 1973, the NFL has maintained a blackout policy that states that a home game cannot be televised locally if it is not sold out within 72 hours prior to its start time.

I guess my question revolves around the definition of "sold out." Technically, the Broncos/Pats game the other night was "sold out" when the original tickets went on sale back in July....but then tickets kept getting released from early September or so right up until the game. I'm not sure why. Maybe credit cards got bounced or rowdy fans lost their ticket privileges. But, either way, the tickets became available to the general public via ticketmaster.

And, just to be clear, I'm not talking about the usual release of the visiting team allocation a few days before the game. I understand that those particular tickets (as well as club level seats) are not included when determining a "sell out". And I'm not talking about tickets through brokers, ticketexchange or any other 3rd party source. I'm talking about solely face value ticketmaster tickets.

So, my question is this: Why wasn't the game blacked out when tickets were available through ticketmaster for over a month prior to the game, and remained unsold through kickoff?

[tnedator]

According to Wikipedia:


Alternatively, some NFL teams have arrangements with local TV stations or businesses to buy up unsold tickets. Tickets in premium "club" sections have been excluded from the blackout rule in past years, as have tickets returned by the visiting team. The Jacksonville Jaguars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville_Jaguars) have even gone further and closed off a number of sections at their home Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville_Municipal_Stadium) to reduce the number of tickets they would need to sell (Jacksonville Municipal Stadium is one of the largest in the NFL, as it was built to also accommodate the annual Florida-Georgia game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World%27s_Largest_Outdoor_Cocktail_Party) and the Gator Bowl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gator_Bowl), but Jacksonville is one of the smallest markets in the league). However, the NFL requires that this be done for every home game (including any home play-off games) in a given season if a team elects such an option, so that they can't try to sell out the entire stadium only when they expect to be able to do so.

[Beantown Bronco]

Nobody "bought up" the Monday night tickets, though. I was able to go onto ticketmaster a few hours before game time and there were still a lot of available seats.

[Doggcow]

Nobody "bought up" the Monday night tickets, though. I was able to go onto ticketmaster a few hours before game time and there were still a lot of available seats.

You answered your own question explicitly. Ticketmaster bought the tickets, thus the tickets were considered sold. The NFL doesn't monitor what happens after the tickets leave the teams box office. Think of ticketmaster as you, at the last minute you can't go to the game, so you give/sell the tickets to your friend, thus making those tickets/seats available aftermarket, however the NFL has no knowledge, nor do they care if the seats are filled, just if they're paid for.

[boltaneer]

Also, not ever non-club seat has to be sold. I'm not sure if the percentages are different for each stadium but as long as the percentage is met, the game is considered a "sell out".

[Beantown Bronco]

You answered your own question explicitly. Ticketmaster bought the tickets, thus the tickets were considered sold. The NFL doesn't monitor what happens after the tickets leave the teams box office. Think of ticketmaster as you, at the last minute you can't go to the game, so you give/sell the tickets to your friend, thus making those tickets/seats available aftermarket, however the NFL has no knowledge, nor do they care if the seats are filled, just if they're paid for.

Interesting. I always considered ticketmaster to be THE original source, not the clubs themselves. Because even if you go to the stadium itself to buy tickets from the "team box office", you are still getting access to the same tickets that ticketmaster has access to and still paying the ticketmaster fees.

So there are clubs out there that don't sell all their non-season tickets through ticketmaster?

[Beantown Bronco]

Also, not ever non-club seat has to be sold. I'm not sure if the percentages are different for each stadium but as long as the percentage is met, the game is considered a "sell out".

Ah, I think this is the more likely answer.

[Punisher]

Since 1973, the NFL has maintained a blackout policy that states that a home game cannot be televised locally if it is not sold out within 72 hours prior to its start time.
I don't think they go by that rule because not every Arizona Cardinal game was sold out threw the 90's and i saw a few of them.

[tnedator]

Also, based on what I posted above, if the team has a contract with the local TV station, then they will still probably sell up until game time, and anything unsold, the TV station pays for. The station wouldn't want to agree to purchase any more tickets than they absolutely had to.

[Doggcow]

Also, based on what I posted above, if the team has a contract with the local TV station, then they will still probably sell up until game time, and anything unsold, the TV station pays for. The station wouldn't want to agree to purchase any more tickets than they absolutely had to.

That too, forgot about that. This is true, thats how you know in advance because the broadcasters have agreed to buy x amount of tickets, if there is > x amount left then its going to be on TV for sure.

[smalltowngrll]

Ticketmaster does not "buy up" the tickets. They only facilitate the sales...thus the fees you pay. They get nothing from the actual price of the tickets.

The tickets typically released right before a game is played are the tickets that are set aside for the visiting team. Each home team must set aside and give the visiting team first rights to a certain number of tickets. Typically a few days before game time those tickets are returned to the home team organization and can then be sold.

Also, with there are other circumstances where tickets can be released such as one purchasing more than their allotment of tickets permitted by the guidelines. So, if there is a 4 ticket limit and someone purchase 6 or more, then the additional tickets above the limit will be released to be purchased by someone else.

[hades]

Plus, it's the Patriots, rules don't apply.

[broncocalijohn]

Also, not ever non-club seat has to be sold. I'm not sure if the percentages are different for each stadium but as long as the percentage is met, the game is considered a "sell out".

these seats could have been production tickets, NFL management, broncos front office tickets (Pats in this case), city council tickets, etc. For your Chargers, they just made a sweet deal (back in the early 2000s when chargers sucked) and had the city government buy up thousands of tickets. It cost the city millions as the team considered every game sold out.

[boltaneer]

these seats could have been production tickets, NFL management, broncos front office tickets (Pats in this case), city council tickets, etc. For your Chargers, they just made a sweet deal (back in the early 2000s when chargers sucked) and had the city government buy up thousands of tickets. It cost the city millions as the team considered every game sold out.

BTW, that deal was the Mayor's brilliant idea. So blame her, not the Chargers for that loss of money.

Thanks to her I got to see every game of Ryan Leaf's suck-ass career here. We've been electing morons into our local government for a while, baby!

[GoHAM]

BTW, that deal was the Mayor's brilliant idea. So blame her, not the Chargers for that loss of money.

Thanks to her I got to see every game of Ryan Leaf's suck-ass career here. We've been electing morons into our local government for a while, baby!

I'm not sure what that exactly says about the San Diego fanbase and the implications about Charger fans in general, but I'm sure it's not a compliment! :thumbs:

[boltaneer]

I'm not sure what that exactly says about the San Diego fanbase and the implications about Charger fans in general, but I'm sure it's not a compliment! :thumbs:

Well, as a nation in general I think we've been electing morons all over the country so just for the record, I'm not bashing only San Diegans. :)

[broncocalijohn]

BTW, that deal was the Mayor's brilliant idea. So blame her, not the Chargers for that loss of money.

Thanks to her I got to see every game of Ryan Leaf's suck-ass career here. We've been electing morons into our local government for a while, baby!


why would i blame the Chargers? Brilliant move. You can suck and still make millions on unsold seats. Yet, the owners still might "bolt" out of SD.

[boltaneer]

why would i blame the Chargers? Brilliant move. You can suck and still make millions on unsold seats. Yet, the owners still might "bolt" out of SD.

Well, this has nothing to do with the Chargers "bolting" out of SD.

There is no more ticket guarantee and I don't really see what this has to do with the stadium issue.

Last year, I was fairly optimistic about a deal getting done in the near future but given how the economy has really gone in the toilet recently, it's not looking good.

[broncocalijohn]

Well, this has nothing to do with the Chargers "bolting" out of SD.

There is no more ticket guarantee and I don't really see what this has to do with the stadium issue.

Last year, I was fairly optimistic about a deal getting done in the near future but given how the economy has really gone in the toilet recently, it's not looking good.

The area is not bad as is. They need to convert this stadium to football only and fix some of the sight lines or build a new one next to it like Denver did. Personally, all they need to do is lower the field about 3 to 4 feet and get rid of that curve on the visitors side. SDSU cant afford anything better than what they use now (they suck worse than Div 2 schools) in 2008. I never had a problem with Qualcomm. If you get your new football stadium only complex, then you can expect the stadium to have crap more of club level yuppies and higher (if that is possible) ticket prices.

[boltaneer]

The area is not bad as is. They need to convert this stadium to football only and fix some of the sight lines or build a new one next to it like Denver did. Personally, all they need to do is lower the field about 3 to 4 feet and get rid of that curve on the visitors side. SDSU cant afford anything better than what they use now (they suck worse than Div 2 schools) in 2008. I never had a problem with Qualcomm. If you get your new football stadium only complex, then you can expect the stadium to have crap more of club level yuppies and higher (if that is possible) ticket prices.

Mission Valley is great aside from the lack of roads in and out of the stadium.

The Chargers want a new stadium just like how every other team wants a new stadium, for the reason you stated above: more club seating.

I'm already skipping most home games to save money so a new stadium with higher ticket prices isn't really going to affect my attendance. But I do hate that dump of a stadium. It's ugly as hell. Like you said above, too many seats have horrible views because of the design of the stadium. The jumbo tron is terrible, etc.

I'm all for a new stadium but I'm just not optimistic that it's going to happen now.