All 2014 Home Games On Local TV; No Blackouts
August 11th, 2014
The NFL has a fight on its hands and it has nothing to do with litigious lawyers trying to score both an easy payday and water down the NFL as we know it. No, the war is with HDTV.
It’s increasingly clear that fun-loving, beer-swilling, hardcore football fans prefer the at-home experience to the in-game experience.
At home, folks sit in comfort, cheaper beer at arm’s length, no wait for the bathroom, and access to all of Sunday’s games at home if not including the Bucs.
Well, Team Glazer is thinking of you as well. The local economy, though better, has never recovered from the major downturn of about a decade ago. So not all Bucs fans can afford tickets.
Therefore, Team Glazer has lifted the blackout for all home games this season in both the Bucs’ primary TV market, Tampa Bay, and secondary market, Orlando, because the team projects to sell the 85 percent of non-premium tickets threshold needed per NFL rules to avoid blackouts.
Lift a toast to Team Glazer, Bucs fans. You can now watch the games at home as well.
August 11th, 2014 at 2:26 pm
When I worked in sales I was told that the status quo was the biggest obstacle to making a sale. HDTV and the economy are the status quo for the NFL
August 11th, 2014 at 2:29 pm
This is great news, The only thing that could have made this announcement any better is one of the Glazer’s took the podium and announced.
” We are greatly sorry about the Dominick Fiasco, and to show our regret, All games will be televised!”
YYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
August 11th, 2014 at 2:31 pm
THANK YOU TEAM GLAZER, times are still REALLY rough out there despite our Government’s “assurances” and cooked books on the ACTUAL unemployment number.
August 11th, 2014 at 2:32 pm
Wonderful gesture, great policy, makes friends and the Bucs need all the friends they can get.
August 11th, 2014 at 2:34 pm
How about giving the season ticket holders a break by not forcing us to pay full price for pre-season games?
August 11th, 2014 at 2:49 pm
I don’t live in the area anymore, but kudos to the Glazers.
August 11th, 2014 at 3:20 pm
In other words… “We would like to thank our ticket broker partners and the visiting team’s fans for helping us sell enough tickets so that our lame-ass hometown “fans” can sit home and watch the games”
August 11th, 2014 at 3:47 pm
And yet another classy move. Gonna be a fun season. Glad I got my season tickets!
August 11th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
Cool, now if they wanna buy me Sunday Ticket so I can watch, that’d be cool.
or not, whatever :p
August 11th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
I agree… I have longs stated that I could buy a really nice HDTV and surround sound for the price of a (Single) season ticket. I have been to many games for the “experience”. The experience has always ended up with sitting in the nose bleeds. (I actually had a kid in front of me get a nose bleed, I don’t know if it was related, but totally ironic.). But I sit in the nose bleeds for economic reasons, and then end up next to the fattest sweatiest drunk guy, or obnoxious underage drunk girl screaming for her favorite “hot” player, (and that is in the family area). Most of all I end up watching the awful 12 dpi jumbo tron instead of the postage stamp sized field in the boiling sun. I begin to wonder why the momentum gets broken with – terrible live – commercial timeouts – and no the 1992 GC pirate ships sinking each other just doesn’t do it for me anymore… While I sit there enjoying the experience I dream of an air conditioned room with a high def home jumbo tron, bathroom and fridge just feet away… So I am fine with being called a Lame-ass fan…
August 11th, 2014 at 4:27 pm
@ GBuc where are your season tickets located at? Watch some NFL games outside of NY, Chi, GB to name a few and you will see lots of opposing fans in stadiums including Dallas.
That argument gets old, ithe NFL landscape has changed in lots of area but their owners purchased tickets like our neighbors to the South. I think they should be in tv no matter what. I would love if I didn’t have to pay for pre-season tickets at all though.
August 11th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
I just cannot take the heat any more. I almost went into a coma last time….lol/ Hurrah for the change. Good news for all.
August 11th, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Why not pay full price for preseason games. Most fans react to them as if they were the real thing.
August 11th, 2014 at 5:13 pm
Nothing beats seeing the game in person. Nothing. We live in Florida. It gets hot. Get over it.
August 11th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
Games are great for the atmosphere & overall experience, but I can appreciate and analyze the details of a game wayyy more on my huge hdtv.
August 11th, 2014 at 5:43 pm
Hell yea! I live in orlando hate the blackouts when I can’t make it to the game Already got 3 tickets though! Go bucs!!! I might give them away if our oline plays the same
August 11th, 2014 at 5:54 pm
Tired of hearing people complain about being “forced” to pay full price for preseason tickets. Last time I checked we are all adults with free will. Nobody forces you to buy anything. The only reason this continues to happen is that there is obviously a number of people that don’t have a problem paying for those tickets. If youndint like it, send a message to the NFL owners and don’t purchase season tickets. It’s pretty simple really.
August 11th, 2014 at 6:03 pm
Great news for people unable to get to the stadium, for whatever reason. All games on TV, can’t beat it! Now I don’t have to watch the stupid radio.
August 11th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
@buddha Hahahahahaha This is so true.
Also, when the league changes to variable pricing, the premium games will be much more, the preseason games will be much less, the normal games may go up or stay the same, and your total season ticket package will stay the same or go up. I see $30 greenbay tickets going for minimum $75 on stubhub. Brokers exist and thrive because the market says that season passes bring a return when sold individually.
Good luck asking for a discount on preseason games because of their market value, and in the same breath expect them to not raise the price of the green bay and baltimore game to market value
August 11th, 2014 at 6:58 pm
Thanks, Gbuc for showing us all how to be a great fan. You ‘da man!
August 11th, 2014 at 7:32 pm
Paying for preseason games is the reason I won’t by season tickets.
I have no interest in paying for those games at all.
August 11th, 2014 at 7:35 pm
A half season ticket, four pack pick you own games would sell as long as you didn’t have to purchase preseason games.
August 11th, 2014 at 7:41 pm
The hardcore fans that Joe refers to: The face painters, the stand up and cheer like crazy fans, the beer drinkers, the high fivers, the fans that give the other team a hard time, the real die hard fans can not afford to go. Nor do they really care to anymore. They are surrounded by texting, gossip, constant harping to sit down, constant harping to be quiet & to watch their langue, $20 trips to the concession stand and Fair Weather white collar fans. All you have to do is look at the NFL vs. College Football.
August 11th, 2014 at 7:54 pm
If the team is projected to meet the 85% threshold in ticket sales, where does it say the Glaziers bought up the tickets. Last year it was reported that they did it. Is that being reported as well or did the team just sell enough tickets….or projected to??? Am I missing something?
August 11th, 2014 at 8:53 pm
The fact of the matter is that (I as a true Bucs fan since 79′) can drive from Naples with subs and beer in the cooler and park for $15.00 and tailgate and get a ticket for $35.00 and “be in the house” to support my team. That’s the reality of where we are. Make excuses all you want but if you want to go than go. I don’t want to hear about your HDTV’s and all that, you are what you say you are…….Buccaneers!
August 11th, 2014 at 9:52 pm
Duggan, you are the man!