NFL lightens up on blackout rules

[BigBucs]

Do blackouts really happen?

Yea, for the fanbases who dont settle for mediocrity season after season.

[ZoneBlitz]

No, overexposure is slowly moving towards running games every day of the week, and television partners like ESPN who have a billion hours of programming dedicated to your league, even during the offseason.

And if you want to argue overexposure, check the regular season ratings of the leagues that run every day compared to the NFL, who up until recently was a two day per week sport. The NFL is dangerously walking the line with their slow expansion on TV, and should look at those leagues as the guide.

So the NFL was insanely popular 2 days a week...and now 3 days a week is suddenly dangerous?

Yawn.

3 days a week is still far from 7 days a week.

Let me know when interest in NFL at least gives hints that it will start declining anytime soon before what you say can be taken seriously.

[ZoneBlitz]

I have been critical of the NFL and their dangerous flirtation with overexposure over the last couple of years.

Well then you have been proven to be completely wrong for years, seeing how the NFL interest has been at an all-time high.

[Warner2BruceTD]

So the NFL was insanely popular 2 days a week...and now 3 days a week is suddenly dangerous?

Yawn.

3 days a week is still far from 7 days a week.

Let me know when interest in NFL at least gives hints that it will start declining anytime soon before what you say can be taken seriously.

Well then you have been proven to be completely wrong for years, seeing how the NFL interest has been at an all-time high.

Nothing is immune to overexposure, and once you achieve it, you can't go back and undo it. There is a breaking point. I'm not sure what it is, but the NFL is not afraid to flirt with it, apparently.

And the NFL is not as far from seven days a week as you think. There will be weeks with 4 days of NFL football this season. There will be games played on Sun, Mon, Wed, Thurs, and Sat this year. There will be games played essentially every 2.5 days. You don't see the slow trend of more & more football each season? You don't think the league will try to add a 4th full time day to the NFL Network schedule (Wed) at some point? They will never go seven, because the union will never allow Tuesday, but I would bet on four, and I would bet on Fri & Sat games becoming more common once high school & college games end in November.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Another thing to consider, is with the increase of non Sunday aftrenoon games, the league has to make sure that those national games are quality matchups. This dilutes the Sunday afternoon schedule, which is the bread and butter and the biggest TV contracts, because now they need to take three of the top games away for NBC, ESPN, and Thursday.

The last thing I would want to do is kill Sunday afternoon, or give the perception that those are the "B" games. And that's exactly the path the NFL is taking.

[ZoneBlitz]

And the NFL is not as far from seven days a week as you think. There will be weeks with 4 days of NFL football this season. There will be games played on Sun, Mon, Wed, Thurs, and Sat this year. There will be games played essentially every 2.5 days. You don't see the slow trend of more & more football each season?

The only reason there will be football on a Wednesday, is because that Thursday is taken up by a presidential speech. BS example is BS.

And the season will only have Saturday football ONE week this season...another BS example.

You don't think the league will try to add a 4th full time day to the NFL Network schedule (Wed) at some point? They will never go seven, because the union will never allow Tuesday, but I would bet on four, and I would bet on Fri & Sat games becoming more common once high school & college games end in November.

So we're barely at 3 days/week, and you're already anticipating 4 days/week (we dont know that will happen), and anticipating that 4 days/week will have negative effect on the league (we also dont know that would happen). Lots of worrying on your part for no tangible reason.

Also, 4 days/week is still far from 7 days/week.

[Warner2BruceTD]

The bottom line, is that there will be football played on more days of the week this year, and that there will also be more national TV games overall. A trend that started a few years ago, and continues every year.

Why are you in denial that the NFL expands the national schedule each year?

How long before there are two games every Monday night? Should I bump this 18 months from now when NFL Network grants ESPN a second Monday game beyond Week 1, and starts up a Wednesday slate for NFL Network?

Nobody ever sees overexposure coming. The first sign will be when Sunday afternoon ratings start to slip. And they will, since the games are of worse and worse quality the more prime time games the league adds.

[ZoneBlitz]

The bottom line, is that there will be football played on more days of the week this year, and that there will also be more national TV games overall. A trend that started a few years ago, and continues every year.

Sounds pretty damn good to me.

How long before there are two games every Monday night? Should I bump this 18 months from now when NFL Network grants ESPN a second Monday game beyond Week 1, and starts up a Wednesday slate for NFL Network?

Id love that, im a huge fan of the opening monday night with 2 games.

Nobody ever sees overexposure coming. The first sign will be when Sunday afternoon ratings start to slip. And they will, since the games are of worse and worse quality the more prime time games the league adds.

Even if what you say is true...so what?? Do you own stock in the league that you're afraid will lose value?

The league wont go bankrupt, it will still be around, and there will be more football for us hardcore fans to watch. STFU and enjoy the games.

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Scarcity is the most underused tool in sports today. Noone actually understands how important this is.

Sundays need to mean something. Mon/Thurs/Sunday + Sat in dec = over exposure. In the last two years Ive watched maybe two thursday night games. All the rest were "oh wait...there was a game yesterday ?"
I still dont know anyone personally that tunes in to thanksgiving night on NFLN.

2 days a week. Late in the season when bunches of games may mean something. Maybe I get it. But the NFL wants 3 "days" a week. Thats a recipe for who gives a fuck.
1/4/9 on sunday MNF (potentially two) TNF
Thats a third of the games each week on national tv. There just arent that many compelling matchups no matter how many OMGZ LAST MINUTE 4 TDS IN ARI/CINCY GAME!! headlines you read.

I havent even started on the new breed of fans who simply keep track of games via apps and fantasy trackers rather then tune in to matchups.

Ask this guy if overexposure helps.

[ZoneBlitz]

Scarcity is the most underused tool in sports today. Noone actually understands how important this is.

Sundays need to mean something. Mon/Thurs/Sunday + Sat in dec = over exposure. In the last two years Ive watched maybe two thursday night games. All the rest were "oh wait...there was a game yesterday ?"
I still dont know anyone personally that tunes in to thanksgiving night on NFLN.

2 days a week. Late in the season when bunches of games may mean something. Maybe I get it. But the NFL wants 3 "days" a week. Thats a recipe for who gives a fuck.
1/4/9 on sunday MNF (potentially two) TNF
Thats a third of the games each week on national tv. There just arent that many compelling matchups no matter how many OMGZ LAST MINUTE 4 TDS IN ARI/CINCY GAME!! headlines you read.

I havent even started on the new breed of fans who simply keep track of games via apps and fantasy trackers rather then tune in to matchups.

Ask this guy if overexposure helps.

I ask you the same thing i asked Warner...so what if there is overexposure? Are you afraid of the league going bankrupt?

I couldnt care less if casual fans lose interest in the NFL, ill still be watching.

[NAHSTE]

Not sure what's worse, Zoneblitz not understanding the concept of over exposure, or Zoneblitz not realizing the effects of overexposure aren't noticeable immediately.

[Warner2BruceTD]

I ask you the same thing i asked Warner...so what if there is overexposure? Are you afraid of the league going bankrupt?

I couldnt care less if casual fans lose interest in the NFL, ill still be watching.

Because this is a thread about the NFL blackout restrictions, which morphed into how that effects business and the general business practices of the NFL. We aren't talking about whether we enjoy the NFL or how much we like the NFL, it's a thread about how they do business. In specific, how they choose to air their product.

A major part of the growth & appeal of the NFL is the "big event" aspect of the games. Once per week, with 'the big game' of the week on Monday, then six days later you are ready and hungry for more. The other sports have to play every night, it's the nature of the game, they have no choice. Football has the luxury of taking advantage of the "less is more" theory, and without going in circles here, it is of my opinion that they are in danger of ruining that advantage that they have over the other sports.



Now if you are asking me personally, I get turned off by the amount of coverage the NFL gets. I'm just exhausted by it and tired of having it shoved down my throat. I don't need the three lead stories on ESPN in June to be NFL related. I don't need a three hour special for the schedule reveal in March, when we already knew the schedule the day after the regular season ended. I don't need three days of the mundane NFL Draft on tv and two months of NFL Draft talk. You can say "then don't watch it", but if you're a sports fan, its unavoidable. Come home from work in March or April or June, try to catch up on some NBA or MLB highlights, and what do you get? Mel Kiper breaking down the ILB's on his big board, or Herm Edwards droning on about Tim Tebow. Turn on the radio, and it's Bounty Gate. Now we have Jaws ranking the NFL QB's - in June/July. Enough already. By the time the games come on in September, i'm sick of the over analysis, im sick of the same topics being beaten to death, im sick of the league. Just wait until PRESEASON GAMES are the top stories come August. I mean, who gives a fuck? I remember when Plaxico Burress caught his first preseason TD for the Jets last year, which was a 100% insignificant non story, and it was the lead story on SC, they had gap tooth cunt Rachael Nichols live on the scene, and they had Mark Schlereth in the studio to break it down. ENOUGH!

So for me, it's already over exposed. I've grown tired of it, all day Sunday is too much, I gave up on the third Sunday game years ago, so i'm not watching this shit on a Thursday. The NFL already asks men to ignore their families and hijack the TV for 12 hours on Sundays, I don't know how many other days of the week they think wives will put up with football, or how much of this game (with no defense anymore) we can even take at this point as fans.

[ZoneBlitz]

Now if you are asking me personally, I get turned off by the amount of coverage the NFL gets. I'm just exhausted by it and tired of having it shoved down my throat. I don't need the three lead stories on ESPN in June to be NFL related. I don't need a three hour special for the schedule reveal in March, when we already knew the schedule the day after the regular season ended. I don't need three days of the mundane NFL Draft on tv and two months of NFL Draft talk. You can say "then don't watch it", but if you're a sports fan, its unavoidable. Come home from work in March or April or June, try to catch up on some NBA or MLB highlights, and what do you get? Mel Kiper breaking down the ILB's on his big board, or Herm Edwards droning on about Tim Tebow. Turn on the radio, and it's Bounty Gate. Now we have Jaws ranking the NFL QB's - in June/July. Enough already. By the time the games come on in September, i'm sick of the over analysis, im sick of the same topics being beaten to death, im sick of the league. Just wait until PRESEASON GAMES are the top stories come August. I mean, who gives a fuck? I remember when Plaxico Burress caught his first preseason TD for the Jets last year, which was a 100% insignificant non story, and it was the lead story on SC, they had gap tooth cunt Rachael Nichols live on the scene, and they had Mark Schlereth in the studio to break it down. ENOUGH!

OK, so you dont like all of ESPN's coverage on the NFL. Me either, i dont watch most of it.

That however is not a valid reason that the NFL should have less games per week. Most people who dont like ESPN's programming just dont watch it.

If you force yourself to sit through it for MLB coverage, i suggest you subscribe to the MLB network.

for me, it's already over exposed. I've grown tired of it, all day Sunday is too much, I gave up on the third Sunday game years ago, so i'm not watching this shit on a Thursday. The NFL already asks men to ignore their families and hijack the TV for 12 hours on Sundays, I don't know how many other days of the week they think wives will put up with football, or how much of this game (with no defense anymore) we can even take at this point as fans.

Well at least now you're admitting that YOU'RE the one with growing displeasure/disinterest with the NFL...instead of pretending you're just concerned about the league.

To that i say, tough shit, i dont really care whether or not you watch the NFL...ill enjoy watching the extra 3rd game/week regardless.

[ZoneBlitz]

Not sure what's worse, Zoneblitz not understanding the concept of over exposure, or Zoneblitz not realizing the effects of overexposure aren't noticeable immediately.

Whats worse is hardcore baseball geeks who watch MLB 7 days/week telling us that NFL 3 days/week is too much.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Whats worse is hardcore baseball geeks who watch MLB 7 days/week telling us that NFL 3 days/week is too much.

The fact that I am willing to watch baseball every day, or that you are willing to watch as many NFL games as they will air every week, has nothing to do with the topic at hand or whether the NFL is potentially headed towards over exposure.