Tim Tebow and the Broncos: The NFL schmucks up Cincinnati fans who want to watch them

Denver Broncos fans have been spoiled for a long time. Football games here sell out every year, so we don't have to deal with the agony of TV black outs. Ask Chargers lovers in San Diego -- where an ocean-full of games have been blacked out over the years because...

By Jonathan Shikes

August 13, 2010

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Denver Broncos fans have been spoiled for a long time. Football games here sell out every year, so we don't have to deal with the agony of TV black outs. Ask Chargers lovers in San Diego -- where an ocean-full of games have been blacked out over the years because of the NFL's stupid rules about ticket sales -- how frustrating it can be.

If a game doesn't sell out, the NFL forces local TV stations not to show it.

In other words, the NFL punishes its fans for not buying tickets by alienating them even more. Sounds like a great business strategy.

And it's what's happening Sunday night in Cincinnati, where the Bengals will take on the Broncos in a pre-season game that will star jersey-selling, bald-headed Tim Tebow (or at least co-star, since Tebow is expected to play at some point).

No one within a 75-mile radius of Cincinnati will be able to watch the game (until later, on tape-delay). Then again, they may not want to.

Back in January, Tebow's Gators crushed the city's college team 51-24 in the Sugar Bowl, as the QB threw for a career-high 482 yards and three touchdowns.

But that doesn't prevent the NFL from qualifying as our latest Shmuck of the Week. Score!

Read about more Shmucks in our Shmuck of the Week archive.

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