The NFL "objects" to a plan by local K.C. organizers to
rent a Jumbotron and show the Raiders-Chiefs game for the
"World's Largest Raider Hater Party" at the city's Spirit
Festival on September 6, according to Hearne Christopher of
the K.C. STAR. The NFL "is balking" because the festival
charges admission, which goes against a league rule banning
admission charges to watch NFL games on TV. Chiefs Dir of
PR Bob Moore: "I think it's much ado about nothing. It's
just a form of good citizenship for people who are unable
to attend the game." Spirit Exec Dir Timothy Smith said
that he "plans to stay the course for now." There would
only be one admission charge to the entire festival, not a
separate one for the game, and Smith said, "We basically
feel like we've done what we need to do at this point, which
is get permission from the Chiefs." NFL Dir of Broadcasting
Joe Ferreira said the league is keeping tabs on the event:
"[W]e don't think this is a good thing" (K.C. STAR, 8/11).
TIME TO BLACK OUT BLACKOUTS? In Rochester, Bob Matthews
wrote that the NFL should abandon its blackout rules: "If an
owner puts a good product on the field, he will sell out his
stadium. If he puts a poor product on the field, why punish
fans in the area by depriving them of the opportunity to
watch the team on TV? The other major pro leagues don't
have TV blackouts, so why should the one making by far the
most money? The time has come to consider blackout
exemptions, and Buffalo would be the best place to start."
Matthews noted that the capacity size of the 80,024-seat
Rich Stadium, the NFL's third-largest, "is another unfair
blow to fans" in the area (DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 8/11).
