Were all of us rubes?

[SnoCoHawk]

Isn't saying "They don't give us prime time games because we're too good" a little like women who tell themselves that men don't ask them out for dates because they're too pretty? It's just so much easier to turn it into a compliment than it is to face the reality of being unwanted.

That being said, it seems like most of the Seahawks games lately have been "America's game of the week" and have gotten a lot of attention. The media is jumping back on board.

 

[Hawks46]

I understand hometown people like to have some prime time games at home, but on the flip side, this team plays SO GREAT on prime time, that I rather like getting our away games scheduled for that slot. IMO it is probably worth an extra win per season

I love it because it removes the chance that we get 10am games. Nationally everybody thinks we just win because of our homefield advantage and have no clue that we have a history of doing well in any primetime game (beyond TNF but that's a whole other issue, no road team does well in those games historically).

Both good points. It's not just us, all the West coast teams have trouble with 10 am starts. If we have to travel across the country, might as well make it fair and give those teams a late start so they're not fighting time zone lag. I want to say it's something around 38% winning percentage of all West to east coast road trips at 10 am starts.

And yea, Prime time is almost a gimme road win for us, so I like that as well. Both good, salient points.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

3 years in a row having to travel for our Thursday night game but not getting to host one. All 3 were division foes and 2 of those 3 years at our biggest division rival of the last 4 years, Santa Clara.

FIVE 10 AM games last year.

 

[had2bhawk]

Well, I don't know about all this but, I know not getting prime time games ..rubed me the wrong way!

 

[jammerhawk]

All Paul has to do is agree to play in London, then he will get some scheduling favors.

Yep, the Hawks will fly halfway around the world to face some eastern team who has a half day flight, and then play again on Thursday. The NFL talks about fairness and parity but it's all BS and they really just have the fix in to favor the big market teams.

 

[Our Man in Chicago]

You're telling me that the Jets don't deserve prime time? I mean, their uniforms are awesome. I could watch those colors all day.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

It's all about the Benjamins.

The Hawks are certainly gaining nationwide fans as a high rate, but they're nowhere near the national fanbases of the other "rube" teams you mentioned like the Packers and Pats.

Ratings are high for Packers and Patriots home primetime games, no matter the score of the games. Therefore the league is more likely to give them home primetime games even if they regularly blow teams out at home.

On the flip side, ratings do drop off for Hawk home primetime games when we're blowing teams out. Because we don't have that national following that keeps TV's on in Boston, Miami and NY when the score's 24-3 at halftime.

Rubes? No. Ratings? Yes.

Also the Bears and the Cowboys could be included. The Bears are awful this season and they weren't all that good last year but have been on prime time a lot.

Exactly.

It's not a conspiracy theory, when the NFL is creating their prime time schedules they want the biggest audience in the biggest markets to maximize ratings..........which = $$$$.

The Hawks are an interesting team, and a good team. But they don't get super high ratings all over the country like these big market teams, or storied teams like the Packers that have fans all over the place. Therefore when creating the schedule with a Hawks game, is the game more likely to be competitive (and therefore maintain viewership) if the Hawks are on the road or at home?

History says on the road. Thus four prime time games this year, and three on the road.