Approval ratings for the federal government have never been lower. Gridlock, partisan politics, and scandal have rocked America’s faith in Washington.
But when it comes to sports blackouts and recent events, the government finds themselves taking the populist position against the NFL.
The government is fighting for sports fans against the NFL. Let that sink in.
The FCC push to end sports blackouts is one of the most intriguing stories of the year in sports media. Finally, officials have realized that blackouts are archaic rules from a different age that do nothing but inflict pain on sports fans. And while the FCC is working on the side of fans to end blackouts and make games available, the NFL is working to prevent fans from seeing games on free over-the-air television.
FCC commissioner Tom Wheeler penned an op-ed column in USA Today calling out the NFL for its anti-fan position and continuing the public push to end the league’s blackout policy.
Today, we are blowing the whistle on this anti-fan practice. The NFL should no longer be able to hide behind government rules that punish loyal fans, which is why I am sending to my fellow commissioners a proposal to get rid of the FCC’s blackout rules once and for all. It fulfills a commitment I made in June. We will vote on the proposal on September 30.
The league is loudly opposing this effort. They claim that the system is “working” and the FCC shouldn’t disrupt America’s most popular sports league. Unfortunately, it’s working a lot better for the league and its owners than it is for the fans, who on average pay nearly $500 to take a family of four to a game.
Believe it or not, the league is actually arguing that it’s fighting to preserve the FCC’s sports blackout rules for the sake of the fans. It says that removing the commission’s rules could mean the endof pro football on free over-the-air television and is threatening to move its games to pay services like cable and satellite. It claims this would particularly hurt low-income Americans who disproportionately rely on broadcast television.
To hear the NFL describe it, you would think that putting a game on CBS, NBC or Fox was a money-losing proposition instead of a highly profitable multi-billion dollar business. If the league truly has the best interest of millions of American fans at heart, they could simply commit to staying on network television in perpetuity.
The bottom line is the NFL no longer needs the government’s help to remain viable. And we at the FCC shouldn’t be complicit in preventing sports fans from watching their favorite teams on TV. It’s time to sack the sports blackout rules for good.
Well done to Tom Wheeler for this common sense, fan-friendly initiative. Hopefully it’s a start to all sports leagues ending ridiculous blackout policies. When an MLB fan in Charlotte, North Carolina is considered the home territory of four teams and blacked out from their games, the system is broken.
The NFL is under a lot of pressure due to the current news cycle. But don’t forget this story in the midst of everything else happening at the present time. The NFL is working against sports fans to preserve blackouts and trying to do everything they can to prevent you from watching the game you love. The NFL’s anti-fan policies continue to need to be exposed for what they are. And the league better change course soon, or else they’ll have a lot fewer fans left to alienate.
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