Indianapolis Colts stick to 100% sell-out to avoid TV blackouts – NFL News
The Indianapolis Colts have hinted at sticking to previous blackout policy of the professional league regulator, National Football League (NFL), which requires the teams to reach their stadium sell-out capacity to hundred percent to air
their games on the local television network.
NFL has recently relaxed the rules, allowing the teams to broadcast their games if they are able to sell out their tickets up to 85 percent of the capacity.
Colts, who are struggling to sell their seasonal tickets in the post-Peyton Manning era, do not find the latest relaxation as feasible and have decided to keep intact their previous 100 percent sell-out policy.
It is not mandatory for the teams to comply with the changed league rules and adapting to the relaxation very much depends on their choice and requirements.
Chief operating officer of Indianapolis Colts, Pete Ward, said:
"We're a small-market team and we need people in the stadium. While we value all of our fans, our first priority is to protect the investment of paying customers."
It is for the first time that the team has faced some difficulties in attracting seasonal spectators. According to some commentators, it is the direct result of departure of their former star, Peyton, from Indianapolis, which has happened
in clear violation of wishes of a large number of fans.
The Cincinnati Bengals had faced a similar situation in the later part of the 2011 season, and at the end they had to offer incentives such as free refreshments and complimentary tickets to attract crowd to their stadium.
However, the situation of Colts does not seem to be as serious as according to the managers, the team has about 2000 tickets more to sell, and are confident of doing so in the remaining period before the start of the regular season in
September.
Bad news for the fans at the moment is that the team has shown intentions to black out games from local television if they fail to sell their all tickets. Otherwise, they do not find it feasible to share some of their income to the visiting
teams, required by the new rules introduced by the regulator.
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