No Funds Left (for their fans)

I promised myself I wouldn't rant too much on my blog, but today is going to be a rare exception.

I have no problem with a business trying to protect its brand and optimizing its revenue, especially if its product is as hot as Allison Stokke.

So here we have the NFL. The NFL does perhaps the most things possible and goes to the greatest lengths to make people spend money. And it works.

1. DirecTV: If you want NFL Sunday Ticket, you have to get DirecTV. In 2009 they paid the NFL $4 billion to extend their contract to 2014. Who wants to get satellite TV? I don't. But I do for NFL Sunday Ticket, and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. It sucks, but whan can you do?

2. Blackouts: If you have a local team and their game doesn't sell out, that game is blacked out on TV. So for example, let's say you like a team that sometimes doesn't sell out its games, like the Arizona Cardinals. If you live in Arizona and the Cardinals game doesn't sell out, you don't get to watch the game at home. It sucks BIG TIME. Also, if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the two bay area teams (49ers or Raiders) will probably have a home game. That means you will almost never see a doubleheader on Sundays because if a local team is playing on a channel (let's say CBS) then the other channel (let's say FOX) can't carry ANY other football game. This is precisely why, as an Eagles fan living in Los Angeles, I do NOT want an LA football team. I don't want any football to get blacked out.

3. The NFL Network: If that wasn't enough, a few years ago the NFL created its own network and started putting games on it on Thursdays. So if you don't have the NFL Network, you won't get to watch the game. To make matters worse, not all cable carriers carry the NFL Network, so you couldn't even see it if you wanted to. Of course, the NFL Network is on DirecTV.

Would it really hurt the NFL to at least get rid of the blackout rules? The NFL Network and Sunday Ticket at least make business sense. The blackout rules are just mean. I don't think there are too many people who are borderline between "should I go to the game" and "should I watch it at home". Chances are people who are going to the game aren't going because they are scared it might get blacked out. They would go regardless. You're doing such a massive disservice to so many for such a seemingly minimal gain. A gain you couldn't even quantify if you wanted to!

But alas, what can you do? The NFL has its fans firmly by the gonads and won't let go. They won't even loosen up their grip.