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EDITED AT 1133 PM…THE GAME DIDN’T GET BLACKED OUT TONIGHT, HOWEVER THE ISSUE ITSELF IS STILL A GOOD ONE.
We’re most likely looking at a television blackout for tonights Stampeders-Tiger Cats game. I’m pretty sure where I weigh in with the television blackout, but I want to know your thoughts.
Let me preface this with the fact that I am not, and have never been an owner of a pro sports team, so my perspective is skewed a little, because I’m not writing the cheques. But I’m trying to take an objective look at this, and by no means am I trying to criticize the Calgary Stampeders. I’m just kind of wondering how the blackout is still relevant in todays landscape.
Here’s where I weigh in…it’s 2008, and we’re in this age of broadband, live blogging, and free illegal/grey area satellite. It’s not hard for people to get access to things…so with that being said, from the people I’ve talked to on this subject, it’s just a piss off. Some people just can’t make the game, but are a huge fan a certain team and buy tickets at other times during the season…so is it worth it to piss those people off? Are more people going to be driven to the game because it’s not on tv then the people that are going to be miffed because of it?
I don’t have imperical data to necessarily answer those questions. I just thought I’d throw it out there to see what Stamps and football fans think.
Blackouts are B.S. I guess they think its supposed to drive people to the gate… I would watch the game on TV, but a blackout is not going to make me go to the game on a fricken Thursday night and it never will. I’ll just do other stuff like mow my lawn or play video games etc… and forget the CFL exists… I like the CFL but its not so good that it can afford the arrogance to believe I’m going to sit at home on the edge of my seat waiting for half time so I can watch the last half. screw that. When does the NFL start again? Besides the Stamps ought to be giving their fans some TLC, get us interested again… TV is a good way to do that – we have watched this club self destruct over the last five years and they need to show me they are not a joke before I start giving a crap how they do again.
PS: That’s kind of how I feel. It’s almost to the point where you’re thinking “hmmm, does it piss off more fans than it draws?” I just think it needs to be re-thought.
- Kelly MadsenThe CFL is clearly stuck in the past when it comes to blackouts. I guess the point is to increase walk up ticket sales but I don’t see that helping much and it really just hurts fan support in the long term. If you are planning on watching the game on TV a blackout isn’t going to make you want to buy a ticket it’s just going to make you angry and you’ll find another sport to watch. On the flip side I can’t really see anyone who is planning on going to the game all of a sudden changing their mind ’cause they can watch on TV. Personally I’m a casual Stamps fan and try to attend at least 2 games a year, usually against division rivals. I would not want to pay money and deal with traffic etc. to watch the Stamps play the Tiger Cats but I would glady watch the game on TV. If it turned out to be an exciting game I might be more likely to attend more Stamps games in the future including games against the Tiger Cats. Also, who knows how many people who would never go to a game may become CFL fans after stumbling on an exciting game while channel surfing. The CFL needs to get with the times and help grow the game by making sure every game is availible everywhere in Canada.
PS: The fan today is different than the fan in the early 80′s. You make a great point…it seems as if fans would be MORE excited to go see a Stamps game later on down the road if they got to see other games on TV. The whole “if it’s on tv, they won’t come live” is a completely outdated way of thinking in my books.
- WilliamThe question I have is how does shaw digital cable have the game on and bell does not. Is it a case of the CFL not knwoing what they are doing or the companies that provide us the feed. I agree the blackouts are awfull. They are making sure young fans who are not old enough to go to a game have no idea what the CFL is. I love the CFL but my son has no idea what it is. He sure knows who the flames are because he can see it and watch a game a week more often than not.
PS: The selling the game to new fans is a good point. This is a league that needs to do that as much as possible, so the blackout only hurts that.
- SBi live 1 hour out of calgary. i obviously cant get to the game on a thursday night and really want to watch it on tv. the game is now over and luckily the black out bs never happened to me. i had the game on star choice for the kickoff. guess there is some sort of boundary for the black outs? i can sort of see the reason for black outs, but as a rural fan i feel bad for those in med hat. lethbridge, stettler, drumheller and such that would love to go to games and cant make it. maybe they were not affected by the black out either. anyhow. glad i got to see the stamps dominate. burris mvp, been saying it since pre season
btw…doing great job while robs gone pat.
PS: Man oh man did the Stamps look good tonight, that’s clear. Thanks for the kind words Kurt…to be honest, the blackout didn’t happen, but the main point is still a good one.
- Kurt Pears