NFL Nixed Nixon Bid On TV Blackouts

[BLeonard]

Interesting article: http://news.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=225423



The league had predicted that broadcasting home games would hurt attendance, and Rozelle repeated his oft-stated fear of pro football becoming a "studio show." As Congress considered legislation the following year to lift the blackout, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson wrote Nixon on Aug. 2, 1973, that "lifting of the 'blackout' on sold-out games poses perhaps the most serious threat to the over-all well-being of professional football that it has faced in recent history."

But Congress did pass legislation the following month preventing blackouts of professional sports games that are sold out 72 hours beforehand. Nixon signed it in time for the 1973 season.


In short, before Nixon signed the legislation that we have today (where games that aren't sold out 72 hours beforehand are blacked out) the NFL blacked out ALL local games (including playoffs) even if they were sold out.

-Bill

[ddaryl]

Now that is very interesting

now look at all the TV revenue they have today... Could you imagine if they won the right to maintain blackouts even for sold out games.

the league would be much less of the entity it is today

[Extremebillsfan247]

Interesting article: http://news.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=225423



In short, before Nixon signed the legislation that we have today (where games that aren't sold out 72 hours beforehand are blacked out) the NFL blacked out ALL local games (including playoffs) even if they were sold out.

-BillOf course, things are a lot different today even though the NFL is going by those same guidelines when it comes to blackouts. Now we have things like online streaming, and NFL Sunday ticket etc., that people actually pay for in order to view games. You shouldn't have to be blacked out of a product your paying for. JMO

[better days]

Of course, things are a lot different today even though the NFL is going by those same guidelines when it comes to blackouts. Now we have things like online streaming, and NFL Sunday ticket etc., that people actually pay for in order to view games. You shouldn't have to be blacked out of a product your paying for. JMO

EXACTLY people paying for the Sunday ticket are still blacked out from their local team on the ticket if the game does not sell out, that is just wrong.

[YardRat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_on_television

Teams and year of last blackout/non-sell out



Packers (1959)†
Redskins (1965)†
Broncos (1969)†
Steelers (1972)†
Giants (1975)
Jets (1977)
49ers (1981)
Bears (1984)
Cowboys (1990)
Patriots (1993)
Browns/Ravens(1995)‡
Titans (1997)
Vikings (1997)
Dolphins (1998)
Eagles (1999)
Colts (2002)
Panthers (2002)
Seahawks (2002)
Saints (2004)
Cardinals (2005)
Falcons (2006)
Chiefs (2009)
Jaguars (2009)
Rams (2009)
Lions (2010)
Raiders (2010)
Bengals (2011)
Buccaneers (2011)
Bills (2011)
Chargers (2011) As of the 2010 season, the Texans and Ravens have never had a blacked out game.
† – Games were always blacked out locally before 1973; the dates for the Packers, Redskins, Broncos, and Steelers refer to the last non-sellout.
‡ – The Browns didn't sell out their last two home games for the 1995 season (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Cleveland_Browns_season) as a direct result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Browns_relocation_controversy), this was despite one of the games being against their in-state rivals, the Bengals. The Cleveland Browns have sold out every game since their re-introduction into the NFL in 1999, as have the Ravens since the relocation.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

So, basically, if Ralph Wilson had his way, WNYers wouldn't get to see Bills home games on TV at all.

[YardRat]

So, basically, if Ralph Wilson had his way, WNYers wouldn't get to see Bills home games on TV at all.

Conversely, revenue sharing was the brain-child of Wilson and the AFL and wasn't adopted by the NFL until later (their tv contracts were negotiated with each team individually), so if Ralph didn't get his way there wouldn't be an NFL team in Buffalo anyway.