For many Americans, today marks the beginning of the best five months in sports. The NFL season opens tonight with the sport as popular as ever. But popularity in this economy doesn't mean an increase in revenue. It also doesn't mean an increase in ticket sales. Eric Grubman, executive VP of NFL Venture and Business Operations, expects overall attendance to drop for the third straight season.

The decline in ticket sales also likely will mean an increase in television blackouts. If a game isn't sold out 72 hours before kickoff, the game isn't televised in the local market. The NFL has relaxed a bit on the rule in recent years and cut the deadline down to 48 hours and in some cases 24. In 2007, 10 games were blacked out and in 2008 there were nine. Last season 22 games were blacked out and most think that number will increase this season.

So why the increase in blackouts? The economy has played a huge factor and so has a better home experience with more people getting HDTVs. But the league must take some blame as well. Last season the NFL's average ticket price rose nearly 4 percent to $75. It's supposed to be the worst economy since the Great Depression and they raise prices? Greed knows no bounds.

Clearly the NFL can't simply be happy with the amount of revenue they receive from their TV contracts. The ratings were great last year and they have the type of product advertisers love. In an entertainment field that is constantly splintering and everyone zooming through commercials with their DVRs, the NFL is one of the only places where advertisers can get a huge captive audience.

Since the ratings are so great though, wouldn't the NFL want all games to be televised? This is where the NFL has put itself in a great spot. The league has already received money from deals with the likes of CBS, FOX and NBC. It gets that money regardless. It's the local affiliates that are missing out on the ad revenue. Here's where one of the biggest rackets in sports comes into play. Often, the local affiliates buy the remaining unsold tickets so the game won't be blacked out. So, not only is the parent company (NBC, FOX, CBS) paying for the rights but their affiliates are also purchasing tickets. "Hey thanks for paying millions for the rights to air this game. Now how about you buy a ton of tickets, too?"

But let's put the greed aside. How does the blackout rule even make any sense? If I'd like to watch the local team at home on TV but learn that it might be blacked out, am I really going to buy a ticket to prevent that from happening? I never wanted to attend the game. I just wanted to watch it in the comfort of my home. Now the local team isn't on and I decide to devote my attention to something else.

Many fans simply won't be able to afford tickets and now they also won't be able to watch their team at home. It seems to me that it could be quite the turnoff. Out of sight means out of mind and out of our pocket books. If I can't watch a team on TV, I lose interest and no longer want to buy a Jaguars soup tureen with ladle (I don't even know what that is but they do have it at NFLshop.com).

The blackout policy has worked well for the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell says he has no plans to get rid of it. I guess we should expect a sport that is so cutthroat with its players to be the same with its fans.