NFL Flexing Sunday Games to Thursday! Angering Fans! Could Bills be Next?

[prissythecat]

4 hours ago, peterpan said:

I could actually see this running afoul of some states consumer protection laws.
 

-I’m curious - what happened in the past when, the bills have moved games to Detroit because of snow storms?

 

do they reimburse the season ticket holders?

 

do they reimburse people who bought individual game tickets?

 

what about people who bought on secondary market?  

 

 

 

There are terms and conditions for an NFL ticket purchase that state that games can be rescheduled ....   Consumer protection laws don't apply

[GunnerBill]

9 minutes ago, Governor said:

I could be confused but I believe it says date and time TBD when you go to Ticketmaster and buy tickets for games this late in the season.

 

There is a difference between flexing between Sunday and Saturday night and Sunday and Thursday night though.

[MJS]

The fact is, most people watch on TV. That is where all the money comes from. Ticket sales are just a drop in the bucket these days. So, everything the NFL does is going to be about the TV viewing experience first and foremost. Everything else is secondary.

[Augie]

6 minutes ago, MJS said:

The fact is, most people watch on TV. That is where all the money comes from. Ticket sales are just a drop in the bucket these days. So, everything the NFL does is going to be about the TV viewing experience first and foremost. Everything else is secondary.

 

If by “everything else” you mean the fans, then yes. Absolutely correct. 

 

I travel to every Bills game I attend. There are flights and hotel reservations and car rentals…..and all that would be screwed. This blows, just like playing the Jags for their 2nd straight game in London. It never should have passed the smell test. 

[Mat68]

Buffalo plays the Jets and Pats.   1 pm Sunday is set and very safe for those games. 

Edited Thursday at 04:24 PM by Mat68

[chongli]

48 minutes ago, djp14150 said:

It has been done before with KC playing on sat and win their in, lose then #1 up for grabs

 

In this scenario above, there are no competitive advantages with KC playing Saturday and either winning or losing.

 

In your scenario originally presented, with KC and Buffalo tied, and the one seed is up for grabs between them, their game must be played at the same time: 4:25 Sunday. 

Edited Thursday at 04:33 PM by chongli

[chongli]

12 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Buffalo plays the Jets and Pats.   1 pm Sunday is set and very safe for those games. 

 

For the Week 18 game at the Pats, that game can be either in the late or early slot on Sunday, or put in either of the Saturday slots. The NFL will announce this after tbe Week 17 games. All Week 18 games are up for grabs, with schedule TBD. (And there is no chance we get flexed to Week 18 SNF.)

[MJS]

33 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

If by “everything else” you mean the fans, then yes. Absolutely correct. 

 

I travel to every Bills game I attend. There are flights and hotel reservations and car rentals…..and all that would be screwed. This blows, just like playing the Jags for their 2nd straight game in London. It never should have passed the smell test. 

The fans mostly watch on TV. Some fans go to games. It is prioritizing the TV viewing experience for fans over the stadium experience for attending fans.

[Mat68]

13 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

For the Week 18 game at the Pats, that game can be either in the late or early slot on Sunday, or put in either of the Saturday slots. The NFL will announce this after tbe Week 17 games. All Week 18 games are up for grabs, with schedule TBD. (And there is no chance we get flexed to Week 18 SNF.)

Yes I know.  Better games with better matchups are happening.  Buffalo win and they are the 1 seed wont take SNF or either primetime slot for CBS or FOX.  Lions-Vikings, Steelers-Bengals, Rams-Seahawks and Chiefs-Broncos seem like the contenders. I think Lion-Vikings or Rams-Seahawks will be for their divisions.  Steelers-Bengals or Chiefs-Broncos are more competitive games.  

[frostbitmic]

I'm sure Amazon had something to do with this. They have Thursday nights and most of the games border on awful, but that's what you get for playing games 4 days apart.

 

This is a business and keeping the $$$ rolling in is Goodell's job #1. Amazon has a lot of money and the NFL wants it.

[416BillsFan]

5 hours ago, QCity said:

Love how John Mara is front and center complaining.

 

“To flex a game back to Thursday night, to me, is just abusive,” Mara told reporters then.

He added: “At some point, can we please give some consideration to the people who are coming to our games? People make plans to go to these games weeks and months in advance. And 15 days ahead of time to say, ‘Sorry, folks, that game you were planning on taking your kids to Sunday at 1, now it’s on Thursday night.’ What are we thinking about?”

 

Yeah guess what buddy, you voted for that Amazon deal. You voted for that Peacock deal. You're pockets are packed. Spare me your factitious outrage.

I don't see the comparison at all - changing your travel to plans to spend more days in LA a week before Christmas is way more expensive than signing up for Amazon or Peacock. Any other TNF partner would have made the same request. Good on John.

[vanhalen26]

It’s a shameful disrespect to the ticket holders.  But I expect no less.

 

Apparently it’s a one year test (having the ability to flex games into Thursday).  It will be interesting to see if anyone stands up for the fans this off season when they review how it went, but I doubt anyone will.

[Dan]

I would just like to add… this can still suck for fans watching on TV.  Especially now that game are on different subscription services.   We factor the number of games we’ll get to see into whether we buy these subscriptions. Not to mention game day parties, plans with family around the holidays, apple picking excursions.    We all have lives.  It affects everyone involved in the game, going to the game and watching it at home.  
 

The NFL needs to just stop.   This moving of games adds nothing to the game itself. The only ones that benefit are the tv and ad execs. Thats it.  We all have to reshuffle our lives so they can make a few more dollars.   The NFL really does do everything they can to screw us all over. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

It's pure BS and fans need to sue.

[Matt_In_NH]

3 hours ago, MJS said:

The fact is, most people watch on TV. That is where all the money comes from. Ticket sales are just a drop in the bucket these days. So, everything the NFL does is going to be about the TV viewing experience first and foremost. Everything else is secondary.

Which is why they should offer to reimburse fans their drop in bucket when they choose to do such a thing.....

[chongli]

5 minutes ago, Dan said:

 

The NFL needs to just stop.   This moving of games adds nothing to the game itself. The only ones that benefit are the tv and ad execs. Thats it.  We all have to reshuffle our lives so they can make a few more dollars.   The NFL really does do everything they can to screw us all over. 

 

Fans would complain either way. If the game weren't flexed, they would complain about getting Cleveland-Cincinnati instead. But now, more fans are happy. We have a good game tonight.

6 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

Which is why they should offer to reimburse fans their drop in bucket when they choose to do such a thing.....

 

Then fans would complain the refund was not enough.

[MJS]

15 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

Which is why they should offer to reimburse fans their drop in bucket when they choose to do such a thing.....

Maybe they will. We'll see.

[Doc Brown]

8 hours ago, Spiderweb said:

Nothing more than those greedy owners thumbing their noses at the very people that have made the NFL so financially successful. Disgusting.

Would you rather watch Chargers/Broncos tonight or Browns/Bengals?  It may be insulting/inconvenient for Broncos and Bengals fans but it's better TV for the 15 million people who will watch the game.  The NFL's aggressiveness in many different areas in the last 20 or so years is why the sport is a ratings goldmine.  

[Dan]

1 hour ago, chongli said:

 

Fans would complain either way. If the game weren't flexed, they would complain about getting Cleveland-Cincinnati instead. But now, more fans are happy. We have a good game tonight.

 

Then fans would complain the refund was not enough.

I don’t normally watch any of the Thursday night games because the game usually sucks, and now I really don’t like the games being on Amazon.  

 

However, beyond all that.. I can remember a time not terribly long ago when the Bills were not very good.  We’d get the very occasional prime time game.  It was a big deal!  For me, the fan; for the City; for the team.  Remember when they first announced every team would get a Thursday night game.. I was so excited.  I was guaranteed to see the Bills once a year.   How would any of us felt if that one time all season we got to see our team “shine”, the NFL flexed the game?  Nope.  You suck, you don’t get to be on prime time.  

[chongli]

36 minutes ago, Dan said:

I don’t normally watch any of the Thursday night games because the game usually sucks, and now I really don’t like the games being on Amazon.  

 

However, beyond all that.. I can remember a time not terribly long ago when the Bills were not very good.  We’d get the very occasional prime time game.  It was a big deal!  For me, the fan; for the City; for the team.  Remember when they first announced every team would get a Thursday night game.. I was so excited.  I was guaranteed to see the Bills once a year.   How would any of us felt if that one time all season we got to see our team “shine”, the NFL flexed the game?  Nope.  You suck, you don’t get to be on prime time.  

 

But both Cleveland and Cincy, who were flexed out pf TNF, were on previous primetime games this season. Most people are grateful when bad teams are flexed out of primetime games, like the Jets last (and this) year.

2 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

It's pure BS and fans need to sue.

 

For what? It says right on the ticket that game date/time is subject to change. Don't buy the ticket if you don't like the terms I guess.