Flatscreen TVs reshape gameday

I love NFL football. Recently while on my treadmill at home, I discovered my remote was dead. I hadn’t turned the TV on since February after the Super Bowl! So I had to replace the batteries to get back into game mode.

Flat-screen TVs have really done a number on college and pro teams. Technology is making it harder for them to get rear ends in seats. At the same time, TVs are so much cheaper and better.

DealNews.com recently listed a 55″ LED smart TV for $500; a 65″ smart TV for $1,150; and a 70″ inch TV for $1,599. In many stores, you’ll see 32″ flat-screens just sitting there at checkout almost like an impulse purchase!

That’s created a culture where it’s like, “Why should I go deal with the traffic, crowds, concession stands, waits for the bathroom at the stadium?”

So the NFL has had to overcome that added challenge. The Cowboys Stadium does that with a massive electronic screen showing the game. The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, now have what basically amounts to a sports bar inside the stadium where people can wander in if they get bored with the game. They have all these fancy flatscreens where you can watch other league games — right in the stadium!

TV is really taking the life out of going to the game. Very few teams are still hard sellouts like the Green Bay Packers are. Most other sellouts are soft sellouts, which means the tickets will drop from face value about 72 hours before a game and you can get in on a discount.