The Lions Win! But did you see the game?
Monday, September 28, 2009 at 12:33PM | Becks Davis Did you see the Detroit Lions game yesterday? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The good news is they won; the bad news is that you probably didn’t get to see them win their first game since December 23, 2007.
If you live in metro Detroit and weren’t one of the 40,896 fans at Ford Field you missed out on watching a Lions win. The NFL blackout rule meant that the game wasn’t televised in our area.
Outside Ford Field looking towards downtown Detroit.
And that really sucks. The fans missed out on the excitement of the win and normal Monday morning quarterback chatter. You won’t hear the normal football talk, “Oh my God, did you see that play?” Nope.
I know, they didn’t win the Superbowl. It’s just one game but it broke a 19-game losing streak. They got the monkey off their back. Let’s move on, let’s celebrate! After all, it has been a long time since we heard the phrase, “The Lions win!”
What better way to celebrate than with free pizza?
Shields Restaurants are giving away free pizza on Tuesday to celebrate the win over the Washington Redskins. This deal is for dine in only, from 5pm-8pm on Tuesday, September 29th. The four Shields locations are in Troy, Southfield, Macomb Township, and Rochester Hills.
So, what do you think of the NFL blackout rule? And how about that win?
Reader Comments (5)
As a long time Detroit Lions fan I am really disappointed that I didn't get a chance to watch them win. I've had to suffer through a lot of losses lately (most of them on the road because of the blackout rule) and would have loved to celebrate a victory that I was able to watch. I read a quote recently where Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, basically said that the NFL blackout rule has served fans well so it was not being changed. Well, Mr. Commissioner, I don't feel well served. I could have had the opportunity to watch a rare Detroit Lions' win and you've denied me that chance. You've punished me because the Ford Family and the Lions' organization could not field a competitive team. So yesterday instead of your advertising getting my eyeballs the MLB and PGA organizations earned that right.
On the positive side I'm thrilled that the Lions have finally won a game!
Are there really stats that show that a televised game will really stop people from attending a game?
Maybe a relative few, but can't believe it'll have a real impact. I mean, if I had the chance to see a game live v on TV, I'd definitely pick LIVE!
I never did really think the black out rule is fair -- so no, Mr. Goodell, I've not been served well.
-Mike
Thank you for your comments. I feel like I missed out on the excitement of watching a good game and seeing the Lions win. I agree with you both, we, as fans, have not been served.
Mike,
I looked into your question about stats and found this quote from Howard Katz, the league's senior vice president for broadcasting and media operations:
"Katz conceded there's no way to measure exactly how the blackout policy influences ticket sales. An outside study of the 1996 NFL season concluded that the policy harms the community as a whole.
Marketing professors William P. Putsis and Subrata K. Sen calculated that teams in danger of having games blacked out would on average increase their revenue by up to about $400,000. They estimated that the value to all the area's fans of watching those games on TV would be much higher."
From the following article on nfl.com:
League has no plans to lighten TV blackout restrictions this season
The Lions are on the right path!!! Super Bowl is coming! I love Detroit so much, even though I no longer live there and Go Detroit Lions!!!
These stats must be "Blackout" stats! The Lions are not in a 19 game losing streak!