Bugger it, i'm starting a new BLACKOUTS THREAD

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
#1

zonts, mikey, i know where you live... lol

Blackouts:

BOO!

Here's why:

A: I'm usually a paying customer, I tape every game I attend to re-watch and analyze and re-complain over bad calls. (or occassionally see why a seemingly bad call was actually quite correctly made.)

B: I live out of town, it's not always feasible to drive into Hamilton every other week to see a game.
not when even when gas was 50 cents a litre, never mind now.

B (remixed): Before I was old enough to drive I barely ever got to go to a ticat game because my dad fell into the my next category and often didn't get home in time.

C: I work. So do most fans, WE ALWAYS CAN'T MAKE EVERY GAME. I'll probably be able to listen to it on the radio, but dammit I want to be able to watch EVERY game regardless of whether or not I'm available thursday night at 7pm. (hello VHS)

It's really not fair to the shift workers of Hamilton and the surrounding area to not be able to at least watch a taped version of the game.

D: My girlfriend lives out of town, get to see her once a week or so... football is a priority people but I've still got to see her once in a while, and going to the game isn't always an option.

We've seen it before, punishing fans by not letting them watch their team doesn't work, it devalues future TV deals (if the games aren't going to be on local TV TSN can't demand as much add revenue for them)

out of sight out of mind folks.

I thought finally we had an owner that understood how to market a team if not at least build a winner, now it's seeming we dont have either.

also, for all those fans in the other thread that sympathized because ticket sales were down.

THEY'RE ONLY DOWN COMPARED TO WHEN WE FIRST STARTED LIFTING BLACKOUTS.

24,000 for a losing team, all the while increasing ticket prices, isn't all that bad folks.

For those who say the ticket price increase wasn't that much:

ANYTHING WAS TOO MUCH AFTER THE LAST FEW SEASONS.

string some W's together and you'll be able to demand more out of us, stop treating us like su ckers.

Yes i realize this turned into a rant awful quickly.

#2

Tell me, should they televise all concerts, plays, etc, for the same reasons????

#3

I think you need to rethink buggering something..

That could get you in trouble :slight_smile:

#4

Good point ,have we taken this everythings on the TV for granted ?

Doesn't it make the event special when you can't see them all but have to listen on the radio or get a satellite signal which alot of people will be able to pirate ,(not me)

Is this a bit like the drive through argument where people say they are tired of people not talking to each other ,they don't get out of their cars to get a coffee anymore in alot of cases.

Fact is alot of people stay home because it's on TV ,thus the need to blackout two or more games,simple as that..

#5
D: My girlfriend lives out of town, get to see her once a week or so... football is a priority people but I've still got to see her once in a while, and going to the game isn't always an option.
8) Going to Tiger-Cat games should always come before seeing your girlfriend !!!! 
  Come on, get your priorities right !!!!    <!-- s:wink: -->:wink:<!-- s:wink: -->
#6

Black out all the games. Stop doing interviews with the media. Don't have a Tigertown. Close the retail store. Keep a low, low, low profile so as to shut everyone out.

Oh... and black out (tune out) the radio broadcasts. Makes no sense to do one but not the other.

#7

I know you are being somewhat sarcastic here, but, what a great point I had not thought of.

Why indeed have radio broadcasts and not TV broadcast....now that I think of it...what a great point.

#8
Why indeed have radio broadcasts and not TV broadcast....now that I think of it...what a great point.
no, it isnt. Its nowhere near the same on radio. I tried listening to games available on radio, never could do it. Best I could do was have it on in the background. No way radio is good enough reason to someone to stay home who would otherwise go
#9

Wrong but thank you for playing. :lol: :lol:

#10

Wrong but thank you for playing. :lol: :lol:

#11

I think the policy should be similar to the Buffalo Bills blackout - sell 72,000 tickets and the blackout is lifted.

#12

Actually, if they going to endup with the games available on internet, they going to make blackouts pointless anyhow and this whole discussion will be moot.

#13

It's 2 games. What's the big deal. First of all what makes everyone here that says there shouldnt be a blackout better than any other professional football teams fans. The Bills had the Chargers, Titans and Dolphins blacked out 2 years ago.

It seems to me that everyone here seems to have this sense of entitlement. I'd understand if it were every home game or more than half of the home games. But 2 games. Come On.

#14

Hasn't attendance improved since they lifted the Black Out ?...

#15

Hey for 2 games,

If you cant make it to I.W.S listen to the radio and participate in the game thread. Ive only done it once but It was a cool experience!!!

#16

Yes. I believe it was proven that the more exposure the more people actually wanted to see the event live.

#17

Two quotes in one shot. Great!

First of all it's not even close to the same thing as televising concerts and plays: events that are on tour for one night only with no ties to the community.

Secondly, shutting down exposure does not make it more special. Sounds like some heavy duty rationalizing there.

Think of the young audience who are used to being able to have everything at their fingertips. It's not an "entitlement" mentality. It's just the way it is with modern technology.

I think some older folks should realize that just because that's how it was in the old days that doesn't mean that it should be that way now. To the younger crowd, it's not a big-time sport if it's not on major networks. You are competing with the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL for their attention. Go ahead - make your brand less visible. Television legitimizes the league to the younger audience. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is. Short term gain ($$$), long term loss if this policy is to continue - and it will continue if it does actually bring in a few bucks.

Watching the Cats play in BC or in Toronto or Calgary on tv is not the same thing. Televising home games puts your own backyard in the spot light. It lets people see what it could be like to be there. It shows them that this isn't something that can only be seen on tv, but you could actually be there - participating in exactly what you're seeing on tv. It's not something that you have to take a plane to, or a drive down the highway.

It may work other places. But it does NOT work in Hamilton. Those of us that lived through the black out days know it. It's just two games...ok, I'll bite. Beware the slippery slope.

#18

I agree with Bengal.

A one-time event could care less about building a fan base in the area with exposure and they have no ties to the community. And on top of that, who would want to broadcast a live concert or play from Hamilton anyways? I don't even think that is an option. When a band goes on tour, the point of it is to give fans an opportunity to see them live. It's not really the same thing so it's not a good comparison if you ask me.

The rest of Bengal's post is dead on as well.

I do, however, also believe that the blackouts might result in some more ticket revenue from the "current" fans that might've decided to stay home and watch the games on TV.....so, I guess the organization has to decide if that revenue they bring in from forcing the issue is more worthwhile than exposing their product unconditionally to the up and coming generation of fans.

#19

These quotes are talking about the CFL, but they could equally be applied to the NFL. The NFL put its games on tv and look how successful it is now!

If the CFL ever wants to move up from a gate driven league to a tv contract driven league they are going to have to have the games on TV! The CFL gets great ratings. People WANT TO WATCH the games. As others have said, they can’t always make it to games, so they’d like to tape them and watch them later. Well, this isn’t even an option for those fans. Putting ALL the games on TV is a long term strategy that will work because CFL games are extremely exciting. The best way to market our league is to put it out there for all to see.

Might I remind everyone that even a great team won’t necessarily boost attendance. Back in 1998 and 1999, both years our team played in the Grey Cup, attendance was between 18,000 and 22,000 for any given home game. We had this kind of poor attendance despite the fact that our team was OUTSTANDING. People couldn’t see many of those games either because they were blacked out, or because they just weren’t on tv period! If our team, or any other team is having a great year, wouldn’t that team WANT to promote itself in the local market? Casual fans might only hear about the team’s good play, but they will want to see it for themselves first. And if they can see it they’ll buy tickets.

Also, what happens if the game that’s blacked out is the best performance of the year? It could be a blowout or a super exciting game that goes right down to the wire. But no one will see it. That’s some genius marketing. This brings to mind a game we played in Toronto the year we had Dunigan. We had Dunigan, and the Argos had Flutie. The game was a wild shoot out that the Cats won 38-36. It was a classic CFL game with lots of scoring, lead changes and the outcome was in doubt right until the end. But no one saw it except the sell-out crowd in Toronto. I missed that game because it was a road game (I think on a Thursday) and to this day I wish I could have seen two of the best QB’s ever to play in this league duel it out. All I got to see were 30 seconds worth of highlights on CH CH. Yippy.

Put the games on TV. PUT ALL THE GAMES ON TV. If people can’t see the product, why would they buy it?

#20

They wont buy it if they can get it for free either.