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The Inherent Stupidity of the NFL Blackout Rules

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been around for over a decade now but still struggle to fill up their stadium on a week to week basis. The reasons behind this struggle are likely many, but I'd imagine one sticks out above the rest. Have you ever actually met a Jacksonville Jaguar fan? Think about this for two seconds... Ok you're done. Did you think of anyone? No? That's what I thought. I also have never met a Jacksonville Jaguar fan.

So placate me for a few seconds. If the biggest problem with Jacksonville Jaguars selling tickets on a consistent basis is the fact that they have the smallest fanbase in the NFL, than we need to think of ways to get the people of Jacksonville and the surrounding areas interested in the team. The Jaguars organization should be heavily involved in the community, they should do heavy advertising, they should obviously focus themselves on winning to bring in competitive interest from the fans, oh and all the games should be broadcasted on TV all the time to make sure that the NFL builds generations of Jacksonville fans in the area because obviously if you're a 35 year old man who's lived your entire life as a football fan in Florida than chances are you were reluctant to change allegiances from the team you rooted for your entire life to the Jaguars when they were created. So its imperative to get turn kids in Jaguar fans and the best way to do that is to make sure they watch them every sunday.

Of course showing the Jaguars on TV in the local markets is the exact opposite of what the NFL does. Instead they blackout the games because they aren't sold out, thus generations of kids in the local Jacksonville area grow up watching other teams play weekly. They likely grow up as frontrunners and cheer for the Steelers or Colts or at worst the Patriots. And even though a few kids will want to stick with the Jaguars as their team of choice, they still won't be enough to actual build up the solid foundation the franchise truly needs.

Honestly, if the NFL black out policy stays the same than the Jaguars as a franchise are completely doomed. The franchise might as well relocate to LA or Vegas right now.

Comments

Anonymous said…
You've never met a Jaguar fan? Where do you live? I live in Jacksonville and I know lots of Jaguar fans...
Anonymous said…
What about buying an online feed for NFL games. Can they black that out for your local team. By the way I am a Jaguar fan as well.
Hart said…
This is why people down South watch college ball and could give a rats ass about Pro ball.
Anonymous said…
I have lived in FL for 26 years and the only Jacoff Jags fans live in Jacksonville...forget that worthles team and put them Dolphins back on TV every week!!!
Anonymous said…
You nailed it. When the NFL created this rule 36 years ago, several things were different: 1) Their revenue was more dependent on ticket sales and not as much on advertising and merchandise. 2) Tickets were actually affordable. Most middle income families cannot afford the $125/seat (ticket + parking + concessions). 3) The family dynamic has changed. Most guys can't go if they wanted to because their wives work during the week, and they have to watch the kids so their wives can make up the work that was done during the week in 1974. This and a host of "new" things parents have to do these days.

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