Heres why the NFL wont let the Georgia D

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Heres why the NFL wont let the Georgia D

When the traveled to Cleveland for the Game 3 of the Finals last June, the team decided to accommodate the thousands of fans in the Bay Area who couldn't make it to Ohio at Oracle Arena. After the won the NFC title game on Sunday, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed was hoping to do the same thing in his city. With the Georgia Dome set to close in the next few months, Reed wanted to hold one final party there: a party where Warren Spahn Jersey everyone in Atlanta could watch the Falcons play the . Although it sounds like a good idea, it's not going to happen, and that's because rules expre sly forbid the kind of watch Bob Uecker Jersey party that Reed was hoping to have. More on Super Bowl LI In a statement , the Georgia Dome explained why the party won't be happening. "We share your tremendous excitement that the Atlanta Falcons are headed to the Super Bowl," Dome officials said in a statement. "NFL rules prohibit us from using the Georgia Dome for broadcasting the game. Fans wishing to gather with other fans to watch the game can consider patronizing neighborhood busine ses who will be showing the game." If you're wondering why the Georgia Dome can't show the game, it has to do with copyright law. The law is in place to protect the league's TV ratings, which could take a hit if people were able to gather in large numbers at gigantic venues like the Georgia Dome. NFL rules stipulate that if you're having a viewing party anywhere, it shouldn't be on a screen that's bigger than 55 inches, although the league probably won't hunt you down if you have a 70-inch screen Josh Donaldson Jersey at a Super Bowl party that's being held at your house. SportsLine If 70,000 people are at the Georgia Dome though, that's 70,000 people who aren't watching at home Mike Foltynewicz Jersey for Nielsen to register, which potentially means lost revenue for the network airing the game. The reason you're allowed to watch at a sports bar is because any busine s that make their money by showing televised sports are exempt from the NFL's rules. The league actually has come under fire before due to this rule. Back in 2007, the NFL that was planning to show the and play in Super Bowl XLI. In that instance, the church wasn't allowed to show the game, but and ruled that churches, like sports bars, would also be exempt from the rule. As for Atlanta, Falcons fans aren't happy about the policy, and they're trying to change it. More than 2,400 fans have to Atlanta Braves Jersey allow the Georgia Dome to hold a watch party. If the party is going to happen, the dome is going to need the "expre sed written consent" of the NFL, which doesn't seem very likely to be given.
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