Trivia: What do the Raiders and Dolphins have in common?

Sundayjack · Oct 31, 2007

They're both embarrassing and dragging-down the league by reserving empty game seats for sunshine.

The difference, though, is that the Raiders are the only team that's happy about it. That those misfit, goth, tranny bikers-slash-smogmonsters would prefer their own game to be blacked out is just incredible.
LINK

IS BLACKOUT A BOON ON SUNDAY?
Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
If enough Raiders fans buy tickets to Sunday's home game against the Texans, the game will sell out, the TV blackout will be lifted - and many Bay Area pro football fans will be crying in their beer.

That's because the alternate game that would be shown in the Bay Area if the Raiders are blacked out is the latest version of the Game of Decade: the 8-0 Patriots against the 7-0 Colts. The defending Super Bowl champs hosting the team that has won three of the last six Super Bowls. Endorsement king Peyton Manning against San Mateo's Tom Brady.

This is one of the rare times that a substantial portion of local NFL fans may be rooting for a Raiders blackout. (The 49ers have a 10 a.m. PST kickoff in Atlanta.) Barring a deadline extension by the NFL, the Raiders have until 1:15 p.m. Thursday to sell out the game. Otherwise, the local telecast will fall into its own Black Hole.

The problem for the Raiders is that, although they look much improved under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, they are 2-5. The Texans are 3-5. Each team has lost its last three games and sits in last place in its respective division. As is their custom, the Raiders aren't giving even the vaguest information on how tickets are moving, and they probably won't until Thursday's deadline. But local CBS affiliates have been told by the network that the game isn't likely to sell out.

In that case, KPIX (Channel 5) in San Francisco and KION (Channel 46) in Salinas will air the Patriots-Colts game. That game also can be seen by satellite TV viewers, but only by DirecTV's "Sunday Ticket" subscribers. They get every NFL game except ones blacked out locally, meaning sports bars will have the game regardless.

KPIX officials said they would be happy to show the Raiders' game, as they are required to do except for a blackout. (By the way, if the game is sold out, KPIX also would show the Chargers-Vikings early game - thanks to Byzantine NFL rules.)

* * * * * *

As a secondary market, "we have the option of taking another game when it's a Raiders home game," program director Rita Gazitano said. "We had to show the Raiders-Chargers game (on Oct. 14) because that was an away game."

As a result, the station drew a lot of angry phone calls from viewers who had hoped to see the Patriots-Cowboys game instead. "They want to know why you're not carrying the better game," Gazitano said.

Although it was not aired by a Bay Area station, the Patriots-Cowboys game was the most watched TV show in the nation that week. Its audience of 29.1 million viewers dwarfed that of the second-most watched show, "CSI," by 9 million viewers.

It also was the most-watched regular-season Sunday NFL game in a decade, drawing slightly fewer than the 29.7 million who watched the Cowboys-49ers game on Nov. 10, 1996.

The Patriots-Colts telecast should beat those numbers. Even without the Bay Area, it will be available to 94 percent of the country. The only markets that definitely won't get it are Houston and Cleveland.

* * * * * *
When a reporter asked Raiders chief executive Amy Trask (who Sundayjack loves) if it bothered her that so many local fans would prefer that her team's game be blacked out, she disputed the premise of the question.

"I don't know that so many people are more interested in that game in this market," she said. "Football's a wonderful game, and there are great games on all the time. It's a great thing for football when there are a lot of great games on."

By all accounts, the Raiders have done a far better job in marketing and ticket sales since taking over those functions from the much-maligned Oakland Football Marketing Association for the 2006 season. They have had only three blacked-out games since then, in contrast to an average of five a year under the marketing association.

The Raiders' only blackout so far in 2007 was the Cleveland game, one of only four blackouts in the NFL this year. Last season marked a record-low of seven league blackouts.
Click to expand...

NJRaider · Nov 2, 2007

So scores of Jets fans pay for seats and don't show up when the team is losing but Raider fans are dummies for not buying seats when the team is losing. Take your victories where you can get 'em, Jack.

As far as dragging the league down, the league would get rid of the Jets before they'd get rid of the Raiders or Dolphins, two of the most historic and marketable franchises in existence. Maybe a better question is how are the Jets ranked 10th playing in the biggest media market in the country?

ouchy · Nov 2, 2007

NJRaider said: ↑

Maybe a better question is how are the Jets ranked 10th playing in the biggest media market in the country?
Click to expand...

We share the market with another team

NJRaider · Nov 2, 2007

ouchy said: ↑

We share the market with another team
Click to expand...

As do the Raiders. Only your market is the biggest market in the country.

VickBlows · Nov 2, 2007

Ever notice that some of the Raiders' fans look like Drag Queens on Steroids? What an insult to Drag Queens.

Scruggy · Nov 2, 2007

I thought the answer was that all the players on both teams can Lactate.

NJRaider · Nov 2, 2007

Scruggy said: ↑

I thought the answer was that all the players on both teams can Lactate.
Click to expand...

The Jets don't suck on things that lactate.

abyzmul · Nov 2, 2007

Sundayjack said: ↑

Raiders chief executive Amy Trask (who Sundayjack loves)
Click to expand...

Hey, I thought I was the only one.

Trivia: What do the Raiders and Dolphins have in common?

Sundayjack pǝʇɔıppɐ ʎןןɐʇoʇ
Moderator

NJRaider New Member

ouchy Well-Known Member

NJRaider New Member

VickBlows Active Member

Scruggy Active Member

NJRaider New Member

abyzmul R.J. MacReady, 21018 Funniest Member Award Winner

Share This Page

Useful Searches

Trivia: What do the Raiders and Dolphins have in common?

Sundayjack pǝʇɔıppɐ ʎןןɐʇoʇ Moderator

NJRaider New Member

ouchy Well-Known Member

NJRaider New Member

VickBlows Active Member

Scruggy Active Member

NJRaider New Member

abyzmul R.J. MacReady, 21018 Funniest Member Award Winner

Share This Page

Sundayjack pǝʇɔıppɐ ʎןןɐʇoʇ
Moderator