Posted Wednesday/October 31, 2001; 5:31 p.m. PST

FUMBLE Shaun Alexander!

Three up, three down. That familiar baseball refrain was applicable to the Seattle Seahawks in the month of October. The Hawks played three straight home games this month; all three blacked out. Seahawk Fans in Seattle were forced to watch the Raiders, while their team won BIG GAMES against the Jaguars and Broncos, and took a third "down to the wire" against the Dolphins. Seattle played the kind of games that sell tickets to games. So why doesn't the NFL realize it's the only way it can promote the Seahawks to Seattle? Fans have had plenty "Alive and Kicking"..."It's Now Time"..."We Like Our Chances" advertising campaigns. Now we just want to see good football! The NFL blacked out three good Seahawk games IN A ROW. In the words of Angelo Dundee, "You're blowin' it kid, you're blowing it!"

Hasselbeck: Touchdown Pass

On the other hand, if the NFL is TRYING to promote the Raiders to Seattle Fans, they're doing a helluva job. The Men in Black are on virtually every week in the Emerald City. It's almost like 1971, when the Raiders were Seattle's home team. No wonder so many Raider Fans outnumber Seahawk Fans at games IN Seattle! The NFL is doing a great job "marketing the team by the Bay, to the market by the Sound." Those of us who were Raider Fans in the 70's, then made the sloooooooow transition from the "Silver and Black" to the "Silver and Blue" in the 80's, have been "singing the blues" since the 90's. In the 00's, Seahawk Fans are now getting beat "black and blue" by the NFL's outdated policy!

Mike Holmgren: WIDE LEFT!

The NFL may as well stand for the "Not Focused League." It's NOT focused on the Fans! It's NOT focused on "customer service!!" It's NOT even focused on the business it's in!!! It seems like the NFL is in the business of promoting pro football to football Fans. The NFL seems like it's in the business of pushing, bullying, and forcing Fans to only watch games that promote its sponsors. All we need are enough "Mad As Hell And Ain't Gonna Take It Anymore Fans" to start having our own blackouts!

WeTheFans.com is focused on the "Turn ON The Lights The Party's Over" NFL Blackout Petition! It shouldn't take long to get the NFL REfocused on how to get us back in front of the commercials, of the games WE WANT TO SEE. But ONLY if WE TAKE ACTION! NFL Fans, get on board! This CAN work!

Part 4 : Part 6