Tell them to end their unethical and counterproductive blackout rule. You paid A LOT of money for your stadiums. Don’t let them take advantage of you.

The reason the NFL is able to negotiate these enormous television contracts is because WE, the people, grant them an antitrust exemption to negotiate broadcast contracts. And yet they black out loyal fans…

Perhaps it’s time we revoke this antitrust exemption until the NFL demonstrates it appreciates the loyalty of its fans and the generosity of taxpayers.

Not surprisingly, Bucs fans say they can’t afford the tickets. Tampa Bay has been one of the areas hardest hit by the recession. But rather than give folks there something to cheer for, the NFL believes being the most profitable sports league in the world isn’t enough.

The Bucs first regular season game is on September 11 against the Detroit Lions. It will likely be blacked out. Profits before community on September 11. Nice.

Read more about the Bucs situation here.

And know that Sports Fans Coalition will continue to battle the NFL over the blackout rule. We will not stop until blackouts are a thing of the past.

NFL Fights Sports Fans to Keep Blackout Rule
League Asks FCC to Ignore Fans’ Calls for End of Blackouts

In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Monday, the National Football League responded to comments previously filed by Sports Fans Coalition regarding sports blackouts. In May, Sports Fans Coalition asked the FCC to reexamine its own rules on blackouts and retransmission “take-downs” that occur when broadcasters and TV providers are in a dispute.

“The NFL is clearly scared that we are finally shining a bright light on the dirty business of sports blackouts,” Sports Fans Coalition Executive Director Brian Frederick said today. “We asked the FCC to prevent sports programming from being used as a weapon in retransmission fights and to examine whether sports blackouts are even necessary. Only the NFL chose to speak up and absurdly claim that sports blackouts are actually necessary for fans.”

In its May comments filed with the FCC, Sports Fans Coalition argued that Congress never mandated the FCC to rule on sports blackouts and take-downs and that the best situation for fans would be the elimination of blackouts and take-downs.

“Fans are looking for a referee that puts them back in the game,” Frederick said. “It is time for the FCC to simply review its own rules on blackouts and take-downs, especially given the many new forms of media now available to fans.”

In its comments with the FCC on Monday, the NFL claimed it “uses its negotiating authority in the public interest.” The NFL’s comments come during the midst of a lockout of its players. In February, United States District Court Judge David S. Doty wrote that the “record shows that the N.F.L. undertook contract renegotiations to advance its own interests and harm the interests of the players.”

“While the NFL locks out its own players and fans in the interests of profits, it is asking that it be allowed to continue to receive government subsidies and anti-trust exemptions,” Frederick said. “Enough is enough. Their views are out-of-bounds with the best interests of fans and the law.”

Sports Fans Coalition is a nonprofit established in 2009 that is fighting to give fans a voice on issues like media blackouts, high ticket prices, stadium construction and college football playoffs. In January, they launched Save Next Season, a campaign featuring a petition signed by thousands of fans calling on the NFL and NFLPA to guarantee there will be a 2011 season.

CONTACT: Ben Fishel (301) 908-4424, ben@sportsfans.org

Keep in mind that several of these fans made trips across country, took time off work, spent thousands of dollars on tickets and hotel rooms and had the once-in-a-lifetime expectation of seeing their team play in the Super Bowl. And also keep in mind that the reason these fans didn’t end up in their seats was because the NFL tried to cram as many people as they possibly could in and ignored warning signs that the seats might not be ready in time.

The very least the NFL can do is cover their lost income from work. The black eye for the NFL gets bigger.

Read more here.

And here’s a flashback to the tale of one displaced fan.

Let’s hope.

Read more here.

AEG is even reportedly willing to pay the costs for a team to break its lease.

So that means AEG will be picking up those costs, the costs of buying and NFL team and the costs of building an NFL stadium? Sounds expensive.

Read more here. (Including the worst piece of sports prose written all year — “The momentum train received a hot salsa enema on Thursday night.”)

Ninety days into the lockout and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is now trying to convince fans that the lockout is in their best interests.

Thanks, but no thanks.

On Wednesday, Goodell talked with Tampa Bay Buccaneers season ticket holders on a conference call and explained why NFL owners are locking the players out.

“We can’t continue to shift the cost, whether it’s the rising player cost or the rising cost of operating an NFL franchise, on to our fans,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to get a better economic model.”

Goodell added: “And I think everyone understands that. You are not being left out of the equation. The fans are a big part of that equation and a big part of the success of NFL football.”

Needless to say, Goodell’s comments have been mocked from fans and the media. A sampling:

@MikeSilver: “@ProFootballTalk: Roger Goodell tells fans lockout is for them, too http://bit.ly/itxY2z” the nobility of the owners’ cause overwhelms me

@StephStradley: REALLY?! OK, write in new CBA cost savings go to fans RT @ProFootballTalk Goodell tells fans lockout is for them too http://wp.me/p14QSB-z4l

@EaglesCouch I’m glad someone is fighting for the fans! RT @ProFootballTalk Goodell tells fans lockout is for them too http://wp.me/p14QSB-z4l

@Grantland_Rice Think of the thousands we will save not attending games! Mr. Goodell’s generous concern for fans outshines Saint Nicholas himself.

Of course, everyone realizes that owners aren’t really concerned about shifting costs – they’re concerned about protecting profits. They will pass on the costs to the consumer (and taxpayers) just as much as is necessary to ensure they continue to make the profits they feel they deserve.

You want a better economic model, Mr. Goodell? Start with public ownership. No, I’m not saying the owners have to give up their teams. I’m saying that if there are rising costs (primarily driven by the owners insistence on lavish new stadiums with luxury boxes they can sell), then allow fans to help pay these costs by giving them small ownership stakes. What fan wouldn’t jump at the chance to buy a share of his or her favorite team? Problem solved.

You want the players to take $1 billion less? Give them ownership stakes. Players would jump at this. But the owners you represent don’t want to do that. “My clients don’t want to be partners with your guys,” your lawyers told the NFLPA.

Okay, maybe those things are too radical. How about simply opening up the books? Worried about the economic future of the game? Make a solid case using numbers that everyone can see.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, fans are being “left out of the equation.” Why are fans and the public not allowed to have representation in these negotiations if they are such a concern? Certainly, one could make the case that fans and taxpayers are entitled to have representation given the massive public investment we’ve made in the game (at least $6.5 billion on stadiums alone).

Mr. Goodell, I don’t envy you having to defend the fact that owners are willing to cancel games because they want to protect their profits (because they don’t want to address their own broken revenue sharing model). But please spare us the platitudes. No one wants to hear them.

Not the workers in and around the stadiums – many of whom who will really suffer without games being played. Not the small businesses who may go out of business without Sunday football.

Not the taxpayers who have paid billions to build this game up so the owners and players could profit.

And certainly not the fans, who are being forced to see football owners and players fight over how to divide up the massive profits we give them.

How about you work on convincing NFL owners that they’re looking a gift horse in the mouth?

Brian Frederick is the Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication and lives in Washington, D.C. Email him at brian@sportsfans.org and follow him on Twitter here.

We have written repeated columns and posts on the subject and discussed the issue directly with the NFL. In our “Fans’ List of Demands for a New NFL Labor Agreement“, one of those demands was that the blackout rule be eliminated. And on Thursday, we formally asked the FCC to eliminate its own sports blackout rule.

Now comes word that the NFL is feeling the pressure from fans and is considering relaxing its blackout rule (which many erroneously believe is Congressionally mandated). According to Sports Business Journal‘s Dan Kaplan, NFL owners are considering allowing more owners to cover unsold seats to circumvent the blackout rule. (They reportedly may vote on the rule at their next meeting on June 21.)

Of course, the league could just eliminate the rule, but hey, at least there’s some immediate hope for fans in cities that suffer from blackouts.

Read more about the stadium bill situation here.

As for Wilf, if he thinks Minnesota needs a new stadium to stay competitive, he should have three options — 1) get a loan 2) sell the team or 3) give the public ownership stakes in return for paying for a new stadium.

Moving the team should NOT be an option. But until enough fans are organized to resist that move, Wilf will continue to hold Vikings fans options.