by johnnycrosskey
johnnycrosskey

RANT It!

I grew up in the Tampa Bay area so I have seen many phases in the life of its first pro sports franchise. I’ve seen the Lee Roy Selmon days (technically, I was baby in the late seventies.) I’ve seen the Bucs decide against re-signing Doug Williams, starting their decade long slide into NFL obscurity. I’ve also seen the late-nineties rise with Tony Dungy and the boys and the Gruden era, which started with Super Bowl glory and descended  into the dark present.

Those of us who are over 30 remember a time when blacked out games in Tampa were the norm, not the exception. As a kid, I barely knew what the inside of Tampa Stadium looked like. So initially, I didn’t understand what the commotion was about not being able to see Josh Freeman, Cadillac, et al play for a quarter before giving way to the future stars of the UFL, but on second thought, a significant event is about to take place.

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ football game will be blacked out for the first time in 12 seasons. This means:

• If you are beginning your freshman year of college, you were in kindergarten the last time a Bucs game was blacked out.
• A streak of 261 televised games will come to an end on Saturday
• A live game at Raymond James Stadium will be blacked out for the first time

Pretty crazy stuff. However, there are some things you can do if you want to watch games this season, but don’t want to pay to have your face in the place. These options are meant to be fun alternatives. Some options are cheap, while other options are comparable to purchasing a ticket. Also, I advocate attending the games. Nothing compares to the game day experience. And these options are for regular season games because do you really want to watch the Bucs (by many accounts destined to be lower rung NFL team in 2010) play the Kansas City Chiefs (another lower rung team) in an early preseason game?

1. Listen to the game live on WFUS 103.5- That’s how we did it back in the day. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Gene Deckerhoff ,voice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, go crazy over a five- yard run on third and six.
2. The Blackout Tour- A new option, Paradise Worldwide Transportation will provide a  luxury, 29-seat bus for fans and transport them to Lee Roy Selmon’s in Fort Myers (beyond the 75-mile blackout bubble.) The bus departs from Derby Lane in St. Petersburg at about 10:20 a.m on game days and returns at 6:15 p.m. At Lee Roy Selmon’s, you’ll get a FREE plate of wings and a FREE draft beer, plus the game on their big screens.
3. Drive to Ocala, Gainesville, Fort Myers or Naples- A little extreme, but if they get off to a good start and games still aren’t selling out, which can happen, consider a day trip to these cities. Watering holes to try include, Gators Dockside (Gainesville), Miller’s Ale House(Ocala), Lee Roy Selmon’s (Fort Myers) and Foxboro Sports Tavern (Naples.)

Outside of these options, you’ll have to wait for NFL Primetime or Football Night in America. People will point to the economy or the penny-pinching philosophy of the owners as a reason for the impending blackouts but it really has everything to do with what’s on the field. When that improves, attendance will improve and you will no longer have to go to stadium, drive to another city or cruise around in your car (radio blasting) from 1- 4:30 to catch your favorite team.

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