Television Blackout Hearings 1972–1977

This chapter focuses on the Congressional hearings of 1972–1977 that addressed the National Football League's (NFL) television blackout rules. It first considers the economic and legal aspects of the proposed antiblackout law before discussing the Senate hearings that resulted in a temporary experiment in lifting the blackouts under specified circumstances. It then examines the NFL's defense of blackouts, along with empirical evidence regarding lifting the blackouts and the lawmakers' concern that NFL owners might allow cable and pay television to telecast games after the blackout was lifted. It also assesses the responses of Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), and the National Basketball Association (NBA) to the proposed antiblackout legislation, as well as those of network television officials such as ABC Sports president Roone Arledge and CBS president John Schneider. The chapter concludes with an overview of various reports on the effects of the television blackout law and the impact of the antiblackout rule on NFL gate attendance, no-shows, and revenues.