Senator to NFL: Cut ‘Blackouts’

Now here’s a politician who knows how to be a populist: Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, has written a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urging him to reconsider the sport’s “blackout” policy. The rule, aimed at satisfying advertisers, mandates that football games are only aired on local television stations if the stadiums are sold out. With game season just kicking off, Brown insisted that the rule is unfair to fans who can’t afford tickets because of the bruised economy. “Although appealing, attending a football game is simply cost prohibitive for too many Ohioans,” Brown wrote, citing that the average $77 ticket is 10 times the state’s minimum hourly wage. Last year’s season saw 22 blackout games, a five-year high.