FCC smacks down the blackout rule

Earlier this week the Federal Communications Commission voted 5-0 to strike down blackout rules that blacked out local sports games that didn't sell enough tickets to fans. This rule had been in place since 1973, stating that if a local team did not sell 85% of the tickets 72 hours prior to kickoff the game would not be aired on local broadcast television. According to Chairman Tom Wheeler:

It’s a simple fact, the federal government should not be party to sports teams keeping their fans from viewing the games — period.. For 40 years these teams have hidden behind a rule of the FCC. No more. Everyone needs to be aware of who allows blackouts to exist, and it is not the Federal Communications Commission.

In response to the blackout rule defeat NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement:

We’ll review the FCC’s decision on the blackout rule, which has worked for decades to make our games available.. With or without the rule, the league will continue to work to find new ways to bring more people to the game, and bring the game to more people

Before the 1973 rule all local games were blacked out. This rule upset President Nixon so much that days before the Green Bay/Washington playoff game in December of 1972 the President told Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst to relay a message to the NFL commissioner stating:

If you make the move, for these playoff games, we will block any -- any -- legislation to stop anything else. I will fight it personally and veto any -- any -- legislation. You can tell him that I will veto it. And we'll sustain the veto. ... Go all out on it and tell him he's got the president's personal commitment. I'm for pro football all the way, and I think it's not in pro football's interest to allow this to build up because before you know it, they'll have the damn Congress go all the way. We don't want Congress to go all the way.

The commissioner did not yield to the Commander in Chief.

The NFL has taken quite the beating in Washington recently. DC lawmakers have heavily criticized the NFL for it's handling of domestic violence cases and for the continued use of the term "Redskins" for the local football team.

Though the FCC got rid of it's own rule the NFL is free to continue the blackout policy on it's own.

What do you think of the blackout rule being removed? Do you think the NFL will move towards paid television for all of it's games in the future? Let us know in the comments section.

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