NFL rejected President Nixon's blackout proposal, White House tapes reveal

[JonLP24]

WASHINGTON -- The NFL, which is trying to maintain its TV blackout of home games that don't sell out, missed an opportunity 40 years ago to preserve an even more restrictive policy when it rebuffed an effort by President Richard Nixon to lift the hometown blackout just for playoff games.

On a previously unreported tape recording, now in the National Archives, Nixon told his attorney general to offer the league a deal: Allow playoff games to be televised in the hometown city, and the president would block any legislation requiring regular-season home games to be televised. At the time, the NFL blacked out all home games, whether they were sellouts or not.

The president was a serious fan and in the early 1970s, he shared the anger of Washington residents who couldn't watch Redskins games on TV, former aides recalled.

The Redskins routinely sold out and the NFL blackout policy left no way for Washington fans without tickets to watch home games. In October 1972, Nixon's Justice Department had even told Congress it was time for some modification of the blackout policy "in the public interest."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7565229/nfl-rejected-president-nixon-blackout-proposal-white-house-tapes-reveal

[Auggie]

1. Blackout rule is really dated and needs to end

Advertising revenue might not make up all the lost proceeds of 10 to 20,000 empty seats (plus concessions and parking), but it's better than nothing. This isn't the 1970's. And football is more popular than ever.

[Angry Dragon]

2. The fans should be able to sue in the cities

where taxpayer money has been used to build the stadiums
at the very least

[Angleae]

3. But who would they sue?

The NFL? They had nothing to do with who pays for stadiums. They local team? They have nothing to do with TV rights.

[Angry Dragon]

4. Sue the NFL

It is a league rule and they have a monopoly.
Destroy the monopoly

[HuckleB]

6. The NFL isn't lobbying for taxpayer paid stadiums?

[HuckleB]

5. The NFL is just silly in this regard.

The league wouldn't be that bad off if it stopped selling tickets, and just showed the games on TV.

I mean, American football is the perfect sport for television. That's why it makes such big money on so few games.