The Minnesota Vikings stadium bill underwent quite a few changes over the past couple of days as it made its way through the House and Senate, but not all of the amendments are expected to stick. Which amendments get thrown out will be decided when the parties meet for a conference committee, but the one regarding the NFL's blackout policy is almost certainly being eliminated.
It isn't easy to change something the NFL implements all over the league, unfortunately, something the amendment's originator acknowledged while talking to the Pioneer Press on Wednesday.
Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, expects his amendment to die when House and Senate lawmakers mesh competing bills in conference committee. But he felt compelled to include it anyway. He said it was "archaic" how the NFL bans home games from being televised in a home team's market if they are not sold out within 72 hours.
It's unfortunate that it'll be thrown out, too, as Chamberlain's reason for including it makes a lot of sense.
"Economic studies have shown that blackouts do not increase game-day attendance and in the end they deprive fans the opportunity from watching a game," Chamberlain said Wednesday, May 9. "If we're going to pay for the team to have a stadium to make money why not take away blackouts, which have no economic effect."
It'll be interesting to see which other amendments make their way into the bill before it reaches the governor's desk considering so much time was spent on them prior to voting on the actual bill.
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