Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

[bigbub2352]

I think that the league should do some research and figure out the attendance average of the 32 teams in the NFL and go by that standard, i know that people say if the games dont get blacked out then people will stay home,

but i think it is more about the product on the feild and the fact that Ralph Wilson stadium even after being downsized 7-8 years ago still holds almost 73,000 down from 80,000 and when a game doesnt sell out we usually miss by 3-5,000 tickets, well that is still around 70,000 people at the game and that is still 10,000 more people then all the dome stadiums and alot of others,

If they went with a league average of say 65,000 tickets sold and black out is lifted this would give the Bills and other so called small market teams a chance to be veiwed as far as Syracuse and up into Canada and down in PENN.

Did u know that we seat like 10,000 more than Dallas no wonder these teams never have to worry about sellin out Population is way higher there and stadium is alot less capacity, something needs to be done about this rule there are plenty of people who cant afford to go to a game but would glady buy NFL merchandise and go support there local bars/restraunts to go watch the game every week it is a win win and way you loof at it, Plus if the Bills put a more consistent wininning product on the feild u dont have to worry about it ala Sabres

[THATHURMANATOR]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

Lets just sell the freaking game out.

[OpIv37]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

yeah, the standard is definitely skewed.

Indy sells 55,000 tickets, their game is on TV. We sell 70,000 tickets, and the game still gets blacked out. It's total BS, especially since the NFL makes infinitely more money off of TV revenues than they do off of gate receipts and concessions at the stadiums.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

It is a dated rule but it is the rule so what can we do.

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

I can't agree.

Like it or not, the NFL is a business. They are not a service. There are plenty of people that live in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto, Jamestown, Erie, etc. They still need to sell the game out to maximize the income from the game.

As Thurm said, just sell the damn game out. People complain the product has not been good. It is clearly improving now. JP is coming around. And the games have been damn exciting.

Fans need to support the team so when a new owner come sin, it will not be so easy to move the team to San Antonio, Protland, LA, etc.

[OpIv37]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

To be honest, I'm surpised the game didn't sell out just because of LT. No one wants to see the home team lose, but it's not often that you get the opportunity to see a player of his caliber live.

[G. Host]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

Visiting teams get 40% of "gate' revenue so when Dallas sells out a visiting team gets a lot more for visiting than teams which go visiting to Buffalo. Tickets in Indianapolis are also much higher as they are in Chicago.

If they went by minimum capacity of all teams then they would also impose a minimum seat price - no more dirt cheap rockpile sections or any cheap seats at all. I d not think the Bills fans, especially those who fill the seats when opponent does not hav fans across the country, would like that although the scapers would just pass them on to opposing fans who would not blink.

Bills should concentrate group sales on later games rather than earlier games, pull the trick some teams do and make buying tickets to popular games subject to buying other game tickets (Arizona used to do that for Dallas games), add a partial roof on upper tiers so those tickets are more easily sold and ask players to use their sponsorship for kids and such to later games.

This was a very unusual season for Bills with game just before Christmas and Thanksgiving and so many games after Thanksgiving but Bills need to anticipate these slumps and market accordingly.

[bigbub2352]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

I beg to differ a little bit i went to the indy game my ticket was 19.00 and it was three row from ceiling in endzone, as i seen it there tickets are around the same price, i just think that if we can sell 65,000-70,000 tickets every week, and we sold out 26-27 games then we miss by 5000 the game should not be blacked out, it is much easier to sell out 55,000 then 73,000 every week, that is quite a difference, i agree NFL is a business, but what about all the paid sponsors runnin commercials, local business that dont see there commercial run that they paid for, it is a bull **** and the NFL just bein extra greedy

[G. Host]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

I beg to differ a little bit i went to the indy game my ticket was 19.00 and it was three row from ceiling in endzone, as i seen it there tickets are around the same price, i just think that if we can sell 65,000-70,000 tickets every week, and we sold out 26-27 games then we miss by 5000 the game should not be blacked out, it is much easier to sell out 55,000 then 73,000 every week, that is quite a difference, i agree NFL is a business, but what about all the paid sponsors runnin commercials, local business that dont see there commercial run that they paid for, it is a bull **** and the NFL just bein extra greedy

Yes the Light Purple (Upper level end zones rows 21-30) are $19/seat; you sat in the equivalant of the Rockpile seats for the absolute cheapest fans. The rest of the stadium is $39/seat, $49/seat and more. In total sales a sold out Indy Dome generates more than a sold out Ralph.

Yes it is much easier to sell out 55,000 then 73,000 every week but it is easier to sell them at lower prices too. Reduce those final 5,000 tickets to $5 and then the Bills would sell those but NFL would not agree. Sponsors and local businesses have deals set up such that if a lower viewership occurs then they either get refunds or additional air time - that is how the industry works.

The Bills need to market themselves better.

[Ebenezer]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

i have never heard a person with a ticket complain about the rule...people who complain about the rule are the people who don't buy tickets. suck it up.

[OpIv37]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

i have never heard a person with a ticket complain about the rule...people who complain about the rule are the people who don't buy tickets. suck it up.

yeah well, speak for yourself.

when I was in HS and college in Rochester/Niagara Falls/Fredonia in the mid-to-late 90's I had to endure numerous blackouts. I didn't have my own car for most of that time so I had no way to get to the games, and probably wouldn't have been able to afford to go on my 20-hr a week Wegmans job anyway.

Not everyone in the blackout range has the means to get to the stadium or pay for a ticket.

[bigbub2352]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

i dont think so i got seasons and i go to 2 away games every year, i am speakin for the elderly or people that work on sundays or people with children who cant make it, also the people that cant afford tickets the blackout would and does limit the fan base, plus arent the average ticket price at Ralph like 44-50 dollars, how many rockpile seats are there like 2000, idont know just asking, i also think that an average instead of a sellout for blackout situations is win win for everyone as long as we meet the average, it is not like i am sayin we need to sell 30,000 tickets u r still gettin a large amount of the stadium filled, i just dont like this rule at all and when we average a sell out way m ore than a blackout i dont think when we r short a couple thousand tickets it is profitable for the Bills to black it out doenst make sense to me

[OpIv37]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

i dont think so i got seasons and i go to 2 away games every year, i am speakin for the elderly or people that work on sundays or people with children who cant make it, also the people that cant afford tickets the blackout would and does limit the fan base, plus arent the average ticket price at Ralph like 44-50 dollars, how many rockpile seats are there like 2000, idont know just asking, i also think that an average instead of a sellout for blackout situations is win win for everyone as long as we meet the average, it is not like i am sayin we need to sell 30,000 tickets u r still gettin a large amount of the stadium filled, i just dont like this rule at all and when we average a sell out way m ore than a blackout i dont think when we r short a couple thousand tickets it is profitable for the Bills to black it out doenst make sense to me

the man has a point. Last week we were what- 3000 short? You think the profit on those tickets made up for the lost TV ad revenue? No friggin way.

[Ebenezer]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

yeah well, speak for yourself.

when I was in HS and college in Rochester/Niagara Falls/Fredonia in the mid-to-late 90's I had to endure numerous blackouts. I didn't have my own car for most of that time so I had no way to get to the games, and probably wouldn't have been able to afford to go on my 20-hr a week Wegmans job anyway.

Not everyone in the blackout range has the means to get to the stadium or pay for a ticket.

I couldn't afford $105 to see U2. Did I complain? You pay for your jollies in this world.

[OpIv37]

Re: Blackout rules should be subject to league average not sell outs!!!

I couldn't afford $105 to see U2. Did I complain? You pay for your jollies in this world.

we do pay. We pay by sitting through 45 minutes of commercials every game when our team looks like ****. We pay by buying merch and then wearing it, providing free advertising to the team and the NFL. We pay by supporting this website to drum up interest and support in this team.

Sorry but I just think it's wrong for the NFL to stick it to loyal fans over a few thousand dollars in ticket revenue when they're already making millions on the game between the TV rights, the in-stadium ads, the gate revenue, the concessions, the merch sales, etc.

In the long run, the NFL loses out when they pull **** like this.