October 16, 2009
As I’ve mentioned previously, there were some indicators that black-outs might become “all the rage” in the NFL this year. The recession combined with small markets equaled fewer people (individuals and corporations buying tickets).
Then, before the full first week of the season, the NFL showed some leniency on their blackout policy, which served as an indicator that things may be even a little worse than originally thought.
Fears were confirmed when reports came out that the Jaguars hadn’t sold more than 17,000 seats for their home opener against the NFC defending champion Arizona Cardinals (they’ve had more blackouts since that time).
That all being said, it was a little saddening when the AFC North leading Cincinnati Bengals were in danger of having this Sunday’s home game blacked-out, although it wasn’t surprising.
Chad OchoCinco would stand for that though.
The club announced on Friday afternoon that the blackout for Sunday’s game at Paul Brown Stadium against Houston has been lifted after Chad Ochocinco and Motorola bought 1,200 tickets.
The team, Local 12 and Motorola worked together to ensure the blackout would be lifted. As part of this plan, Motorola will give away 1,200 tickets (600 pairs) to Bengals fans for free, starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the North Ticket Office (next to the Bengals Pro Shop) at Paul Brown Stadium.
Motorola is a long-time sponsor of the Bengals and has a new partnership with Ochocinco. The Bengals also donated 500 tickets to military families. (via Cincinnati Bengals Blog)
Pretty classy gesture by both Ochocinco and Motorola, especially with the team playingat such a high level. That being said, its a shame that both parties had to buy 1,200 tickets. Especially in a smaller market, the recession does not discriminate…even teams playing well can still fall victim to a localized blackout.
Besides the fans though, its local television stations that are winning big with the Ochocinco/Motorola gesture. Its hard to get ad revenue from a sponsor when the game never is on in the first place.
Nice little ending tidbit from the Cincinnati Bengals Blog:
Including this week, 93 percent of NFL games (84 of 90) have sold out this year. The six blackouts have been in Jacksonville (three), Oakland (two) and Detroit. The Raiders, who host Philadelphia, and Jaguars, who face St. Louis, are blacked out on Sunday.
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