After the NFL mandated that teams only had to sell 85% of their tickets instead of 100% of them to avoid a TV blackout, fans from small market teams rejoiced. But the Indianapolis Colts are going to stick by the old rule.
The Colts' vice president of ticket sales, Larry Hall, told Pro Football Talk that unless the Colts sell the game out, it will still be subjected to a blackout. He cited that when it isn't sold out, the team loses a competitive home field advantage by not having a full stadium.
So basically, if the Colts don't sell out, fans won't get to sit and watch their favorite team from the privacy of their own home. What do you make of this? Does Hall make a point with the competitive advantage aspect of it? Or is that simply a statement made to avoid saying that they just want to sell all of their tickets to collect as much money as possible?
This rule enacted by the Colts will probably help sell tickets, as fans do not want to miss games. But will it work or will it just make everyone angry? We will find out soon enough.