Fans gather to cheer on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

You’d think that, possible lockout aside, things would be good for the NFL right now.  TV ratings have never been higher, league stars are now crossover TV stars and doing hair-care commercials, and the league is even trying to expand overseas with the standard London games and appearances in Toronto.  However, all the news concerning the NFL isn’t good.  In fact, ticket sales have been down for three years in a row, and this year’s looking like it’ll be the worst of the four thanks to the terrible economy and some terrible teams.  In fact, it’s looking as if local blackouts might become an issue for the NFL.

For those not in the know, blackout restrictions are in place between the league’s various teams and the local television market.  If the game sells out, the game is on TV.  If the game doesn’t sell out, local fans can’t watch it.  In most places, this isn’t a concern, but in cities with terrible teams (Detroit Lions had four blackouts; Oakland Raiders had seven) or small markets (Jacksonville had seven blackouts thanks to a stadium about twice as big as the market), that might mean none of the team’s home games will make it to the television.

Still, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remains confident that teams can get butts in seats.  “We worked hard last year knowing what our customers are going through,” Goodell said.  “I think the teams have done a terrific job on that.  I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to hopefully improve that number (of 22 blackouts in 2009).”  I imagine, privately, he’s shaking down a lot of owners in the run-up to the league’s kick-off this week.

Tags: NFL, National Football Leagues, television blackouts, NFL teams to face more blackouts this year, unsold stadium seats, Roger Goodell, blackout restrictions, NFL attendance, economic downturn

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