Related: NFL earns record profits. The rule was conceived back when the league depended on ticket sales rather than television rights as its major source of revenue. And its broadcasts dominate TV ratings. Still, the league had been reluctant to drop the rule, especially as more fans prefer to watch games at home on big-screen TV's, rather than going to games in person.
Related: NFL gets billions in taxpayer subsidies. The rule did have loopholes. For instance, games could still be broadcast even if a team did not sell out their expensive luxury box or club seats.
And advertisers sometimes buy blocks of unsold tickets to insure that a game is broadcast, even if the seats were empty. The rule was generally unpopular with fans who were angry that they couldn't watch the games on TV. Last year the Federal Communications Commission repealed a rule that prohibited cable and satellite television operators from airing games that were blacked out on over-the-air broadcasts.
I n the s , roughly half of the NFL games were blacked out because not enough tickets were sold. Cam Newton will have to wait another week to make his NFL debut. A betting preview of the Friday night battle between No. In her role as vice president of workplace culture and diversity initiatives for CBS Sports, the former college softball catcher is driving change within the workplace—and beyond.
The Cowboys will be without one of their best pass rushers through the rest of November. Several top teams face a critical test away from home. Who has the edge in 16 games this weekend? Home NFL. SI Recommends. By Michael Shapiro.
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