"These blackouts are ruining the experience of rooting for the home team and are unjustly hurting fans," the senators wrote. "That many of these stadiums were constructed or remodeled using taxpayer dollars underscores the disservice done to fans by blackouts."
Agree............
It should end
LadyChief - February 14, 2012
I agree that the practice should end.
However, it should be a decision by the league; not the government.
bossmanham - February 14, 2012
The government is involved in other aspects.
Tax breaks, stadium funding, antitrust exemptions, etc. I don’t see why this should be any different.
Tarkus - February 14, 2012
Tax break is lack of government.
But you’re right, about the stadium funding, except that’s usually a local thing. I don’t think the feds fund any stadium.
bossmanham - February 14, 2012
tax break is not "lack of government" ... rather it's government giving public money (taxes) to corporations
be it an NFL team or a WalMart building a superstore or Honda to build a car factory … it’s Corporate Welfare
upamtn - February 14, 2012
That's a tax credit or Subsidy
Not necessarily a tax break although a credit is labelled as such.
Which is why I find it so confusing when Congress talks about paying for a tax break, but never about Subsidies or budgets, or credits or anything else they want to spend billions of dollars on. Its always the tax break that has to be figured out in paying back, not the actual paying of real things. Or how Politicians calculate budget cuts by not actually cutting anything, or figuring out how much money they’ll make on a tax even with thousands of miles of tax loopholes in a complicated system.
ChiefWarPaint - February 14, 2012
Sigh.
bossmanham - February 14, 2012 via mobile
I agree with this.
As much as I hate the Chargers and Raiders, California is in turmoil. Not everyone can afford to purchase tickets. Miami and Tampa are in the same boat. As much as I want to say Jacksonville but former owner Weaver reached out to businesses to buy up the tickets.
ForeverRanger91 - February 14, 2012
It should not end!
Be real fans! Tv is because there are no more seats or away team. Lazy ass fans who don’t want to make noise & cry about the cost Togo piss me off. There’s at least 70,000 people in the city on a given Sunday that can go. Don’t cry about not seeing the game if the entire city isn’t going to go support the team. Bad team – fans + blackouts = owner to rebuild or relocate. It’s a business. If your game is blacked out then maybe you should look for a soccer team instead
MadMartigan816 - February 14, 2012 via mobile
bad fans because they can't afford a ticket? are you serious?
ticket + parking + concessions = 2 days pay for some of us … and yes, the local governments DO give tax breaks to those teams PLUS bond money (interest that’s very expensive for years and is a burden on the community) so that’s PUBLIC money right there, even hurting those who could care less about football
maybe the owners and the NFL should make their BILLIONS off the backs of the wealthy 1%-ers instead of the rest of us …
… oh wait, that won’t work … they’re ALREADY the 1%-ers! and guess where they get their wealth from!
upamtn - February 14, 2012
They do make their money off the back of 1%ers
They just play on the field instead of sitting in the press box.
ChiefWarPaint - February 14, 2012
2 days pay?
It’s more than that for a lot.
Fozzyboyd - February 14, 2012
yep
LadyChief - February 14, 2012
I was being generous and forgiving
upamtn - February 14, 2012
My point is
If 70000 people in a given city can’t afford to go then they shouldn’t have a team. Let’s put a team in south Dakota then or Montana. 2 days pay? Fine. I’m not saying season tickets. It suppose to be free? Give me a break. A city should be able to sustain a team not just build a stadium. Long live the blackout for subpar cities!
MadMartigan816 - February 14, 2012 via mobile
Especially oak & sd
MadMartigan816 - February 14, 2012 via mobile
I like your argument
I don’t really know which side of this I fall on.
Ray Brown - February 14, 2012
Personally I think the idea that giving up an NFL franchise for a Soccer franchise because it's a "good business move" pretty funny
Chris Sembower - February 14, 2012
There are plenty of fans who pay taxes that ultimately go towards the team, that just can't afford to go to ONE game, let alone multiple
Especially in rough economic times, I find it absurd that taxpayers are the ones suffering for the lack of sales. They have no choice but to contribute in the first place, and can’t even enjoy the benefits of it. Times need to change.
Chris Sembower - February 14, 2012
Technically they have a choice since those measures are always brought to a vote
Ray Brown - February 14, 2012
but the ones that vote no still have to pay if it passes
that doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t a fan either. money is money and some people do actually pinch pennies that hard I’m afraid.
Chris Sembower - February 14, 2012
let's not forget that the NFL makes a fortune on TV Revenue
and that’s paid for by everyone in terms of higher prices for everything we buy because of the high cost of advertising … it continually cycles upwards in terms of costs for not only those who watch games (the ones on commercial TV) and for those who don’t watch or even care about football
if you seriously think elderly on a fixed income or the unemployed or the bottom part of our wage earners are not affected by those costs that are passed on to everyone, you need to re-think the economics of football
upamtn - February 15, 2012
i dont even
Want to hearf that crap. A team hasn’t relocated due to blackouts in decades. Fans are defensive and ya.
In order to relocate the team must show three straight years of loss.
Go talk blackouts and relocation with raiders or chargers or bucs or jaguars fans. In the latter talk to me.
Sorry if this seems like a rant but I get really sensitive about this. I bleed red and gold but I also wear black and teal on game day.
ForeverRanger91 - February 14, 2012 via mobile
So which side are you on? I'm not following sorry.
Ray Brown - February 14, 2012
face value
I have been to One Chiefs game in my life, but I will not go to a chiefs game any time soon, sheerly due to cost, product, and full experience. I paid 270 bucks for 20 games of sporting kc this year My Tickets are the cheapest, but not far off the mean. My seats are literally on top of the goal, 5-10 yards away. The length of the game does not necessitate me to eat the food at the stadium in order to be comfortable. There is Free Parking, nearly 100 yards from the stadium. during many games, I can get a 4-6 dollar beer in the members club where I own tickets into. I get to be a part of the team, and literally hang out with the players on a regular basis just by following their twitter and being part of the loose “Cauldron,” which actually has people dealing directly with the team. The owner comes down and yells and screams with us during games. The KC Tailgate atmosphere, which is what makes this city a great sports town, is thriving, if not exploding there. We dont have shitty TV time outs. you know that in 2 hours from kickoff, you are`going to be able to head home or hang in the stands or the club, or shop at the legends. Our Stadium is the best specific stadium IN THE US. And our team is putting an emphasis on being At the top of the league without selling out to aging stars. I love me some Chiefs, and I watch or listen to every game, even when I was across the pond, staying up till the wee hours of the morning to see it, but I get so much more bang for the buck, and about 8 months of entertainment for a fraction of the cost 4 months (not counting preseason because I didnt count MLS’s preseason which has been happening for the last 3 weeks) of Chiefs Football costs. Say I want to go to the game and park in a similar area. The Cheapest tickets are Nosebleeds, the parking would be in the boonies, and would cost what, 32 bucks now? I cant afford to spend so much on so little, when I can watch Chiefs games on TV, mute the announcers, and turn on 101, or go to a bar and spend a reasonable amount and still be with raucous fans, enjoying the team I love. I would like to go to the games, but I cant justify it with any means due to the lack of benefits received for putting up such a great sum. They dont seem to treat STH’s that well either from what I’ve heard. no cheap parking? no cheaper tickets? just reserving your place, and quicker alerts to hand over more money. great.
siskoeva - February 14, 2012
I think you just made Mad Marts argument
Ray Brown - February 14, 2012
^this^
MadMartigan816 - February 15, 2012 via mobile
So you're. It one of 70000.
But a sports city should have 70000 people that can go. Plus soccer is cheap because no one goes to see it, unless we are in a different country where all boys grow up wanting to play soccer instead of football. I’m not paying $300 for a US soccer game but I’ll save up to be 1 of 70000 in 1 of my 8 home games so I can watch the other 7 at home.
MadMartigan816 - February 15, 2012 via mobile
So you're not one of 70000.
But a sports city should have 70000 people that can go. Plus soccer is cheap because no one goes to see it, unless we are in a different country where all boys grow up wanting to play soccer instead of football. I’m not paying $300 for a US soccer game but I’ll save up to be 1 of 70000 in 1 of my 8 home games so I can watch the other 7 at home.
MadMartigan816 - February 15, 2012 via mobile
Why are the Senators of this nation worrying about this???
I as a Chiefs fan agree that blackouts suck. I also would like to see this lifted as well ,but it is not a right in this nation to watch football games of any kind. The constitution should not be rewritten to appease the football fans. Trust me the senators have more than enough on their plate as of right now and this should be the LAST THING we need them batting for us on.
MizzouChiefRedbird - February 14, 2012
Just a distraction issue
Same as the whole Jose Canseco, steroids in baseball thing.
Or anything else they throw out there that’s emotionally charged instead of talking about the real issues.
ChiefWarPaint - February 15, 2012
the Senators are in this because the NFL does get special privilidges
the NFL is a monopoly with special exemptions granted to it by virtue of the NFLPA and the CBA itself … if the players union didn’t stipulate certain agreements then the NFL would be in violation of Federal Anti-Trust Laws
upamtn - February 15, 2012
This, I'd like to see how the NFL operated without its anti-trust protection
HIV 2 Elway - February 15, 2012
Where in the Constitution does it say that the Congress
Has that power?
ChiefWarPaint - February 15, 2012
Personally
This whole thought kinda pisses me off. The government doesn’t have the right to tell businesses what they can and can’t do as long as they aren’t breaking the law. The NFL is a business and is not breaking any kinds of laws with it’s practices. Say what you want about stadiums being subsidized by the local government but that is by the local governments choice. Tax money or not the ticket prices are based on supply and demand.
Bsketbal52 - February 15, 2012
see above> the NFL is a monoply and ... without the agreements by the players union ... would be in major violation of a number of Anti-Trust laws
since they DO have special exemptions that can be granted ONLY by Congress, then yes … Congress is well within its rights and power and domain to set or adjust guidelines of that very monopoly
now, if you really want to talk about total separation of government and business, that’s great … but then those same businesses shouldn’t get or be asking for tax breaks or subsidies … it’s far from JUST “supply and demand”
upamtn - February 15, 2012
you'll have to keep repeating that
LadyChief - February 15, 2012
Clarky wanty money
ArrowDread - February 15, 2012
Outdated policy from before the times of insane TV contracts
Needs to go
HIV 2 Elway - February 15, 2012
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