Tampa Bay Buccaneers expect TV blackout Sunday — and more to come

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TAMPA — The Bucs are 3-1 and half a game out of first place in the NFC South heading into a division showdown with the Saints on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

But even that won't bring a sellout crowd.

A team spokesman confirmed Monday that the Bucs expect to fall short of a sellout against New Orleans and, most likely, for the five home games after that. That means local television blackouts are virtually certain the rest of the way. The club's previous two home games in the regular season and both preseason home contests were blacked out.

NFL broadcast rules require that games be sold out at least 72 hours before kickoff or the telecast cannot be shown within a 75-mile radius of the stadium.

It was thought that the Bucs' recent success, plus a matchup against the Super Bowl champion Saints, might spark ticket sales. But the Bucs' season-ticket base (believed to be 40,000 to 50,000) makes it difficult to sell enough individual tickets to sell out the 65,000-seat stadium.

 

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