Second Thoughts

No reason to miss the Jaguars now

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee reacts after kicking a 54-yard, second-quarter field goal against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)
Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee reacts after kicking a 54-yard, second-quarter field goal against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

There will be no blackouts by the NFL on local television during the 2015 season.

The league said Monday that team owners voted for a one-year suspension of the long-standing blackout policy for preseason and regular-season games. There were no blackouts last season, because the minimum number of tickets was sold for every game, and the league had only two blackouts in 2013.

The league's blackout policy dates back several decades. Several teams, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers, have struggled at times to avoid blackouts.

Under the policy, a home game must be sold out 72 hours in advance of kickoff in order to be televised locally. That deadline is often extended to ensure sellouts if a club believes it can meet the criteria for lifting the blackout.

The league's definition of a full house is not selling every seat but a large percentage of them, depending on the venue. The policy does not apply to suites or club seats.

Blackouts have been a part of the NFL since the 1950s, when team owners believed televising local games would damage attendance. In 1973, the current league policy was put into action by then-commissioner Pete Rozelle.

The league said it will evaluate the impact of the suspension after the season.

Last September, the Federal Communications Commission repealed its sport blackout rules, denying reinforcement of the league's blackout policy. But the ruling did not affect the NFL's ability to maintain the blackout policy through the existing broadcast contracts.

NFL blackouts have declined dramatically in recent years, dipping to 40 percent in the 1980s, 31 percent in the 1990s, 8 percent in the 2000s and 5 percent in this decade, according to league figures.

Part of that decrease is due to the league redefining what is a sellout, lowering the required number of tickets sold.

Forgiveness?

Mo'ne Davis believes in second chances, even for the college baseball player kicked off his team after sending an offensive tweet about the Little League World Series phenom.

Davis told ESPN on Monday she emailed Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania to request it reinstate first baseman Joey Casselberry, who called her a crude name while criticizing the Disney Channel for making a movie about her.

Davis said "everyone makes mistakes" and added: "It hurt on my part, but I know he's hurt even more. If it was me, I would want to take that back. I know how hard he's worked. Why not give him a second chance?"

Bloomsburg University said it "stands firm" on the decision while appreciating her "level of maturity." At 13, Davis was the first girl to earn a victory and pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series last summer.

Strike!

Former major league pitcher Roy Halladay couldn't resist taking a shot at New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez on Monday.

Halladay struck out an unidentified woman Monday and took to Twitter to post about it.

"I recorded my first strike out since retirement!" Halladay tweeted. "Time for a comeback? She has a better swing then [than] Arod! No steroids."

"No word on who the woman is in Halladay's photo, but at least in the eyes of the 200-game winner with 2,117 strikeouts on his resume, she has better form than Rodriguez," wrote Matt Lombardo of NJ.com.

SPORTS QUIZ

How many teams did Roy Halladay pitch for?

ANSWER

Two: The Toronto Blue Jays (1998-2009) and the Philadelphia Phillies (2010-2013).

Sports on 03/24/2015

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