Today's Most Popular Video
Jan 2, 2009 5:50 pm US/Central
Vikings Get 24 More Hours To Try To Avoid Blackout
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
-
-
The Vikings said the tickets remaining for the game are $80, $120 or $160 a ticket. (File)
CBS
The National Football League gave the Minnesota Vikings another 24 hours to try to sell out the Metrodome and avoiding having the game blacked out in the Twin Cities area.
The Vikings said Friday afternoon they still have 3,100 tickets available for Sunday's 3:30 p.m. game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The team has until 3:30 p.m. Saturday to sell the tickets and avoid a local TV blackout.
The Vikings said the tickets remaining for the game are $80, $120 or $160 a ticket.
If the Vikings don't sell enough tickets, a blackout would not only encompass the Twin Cities, but secondary markets in the region as well. It includes satellite, cable and over-the-air systems, so nobody in the area could watch the game unless they're in attendance at the Metrodome.
The Vikings have not had a game not broadcast since 1997 and it's been six years since any NFL playoff game was blacked out.
Season ticket holders had until Dec. 19 to buy their tickets -- and 45 percent of them didn't pay.
For the first time, the Vikings are offering season ticket holders a new deal, called pay as they play.
"You pay for the first game and if there is a NFC championship game, you would pay for the ticket then, instead of having to pay for all three rounds," said Michael Nowakowski, with Ticket King.
Kirk Anderson is a season ticket owner. He paid for his tickets in advance, but admits he thought twice about it.
"It's kind of a lot of money," he said. "Luckily for me, I've only got two tickets, but there are a lot of people who have four, six tickets, and they're 100-some bucks a seat and that's a lot of cash to throw out the Friday before Christmas."
The NFL announced Friday the Arizona Cardinals had sold enough tickets to have Saturday's game against the Atlanta Falcons broadcast in the Phoenix area.
The NFL gave the team two 24-hour extensions, the last expiring Friday afternoon. About 2,400 tickets remained Friday morning. Tickets returned from the visiting team allotment and club seats remain available for purchase. Neither counts against the blackout rules.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Truckers Sue For Unauthorized Citations
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
