In the preseason, it's rare that Detroit Lions home games are broadcast live locally. This is because exhibition home games rarely sell out for the Lions, meaning blackouts -- games on tape delay in the preseason -- are common.
Last year, the Lions did sell out one of their two home preseason games. With the New England Patriots coming to town for a game on national television, fans packed Ford Field for what seemed like a regular season game.
The Patriots matchup last year is the only preseason home game in recent memory that I can remember selling out for the Lions. I expected Friday's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns to be blacked out since sellouts in the preseason are so rare, and just last week I was preparing for this by pointing out the absurdity of the NFL's awful blackout rules. Luckily, they won't be in effect for the Lions this week, according to Tom Leyden.
— Tom Leyden (@TomLeyden) August 8, 2012
#Lions telecast on WXYZ this Friday is LIVE - Pregame at 7pm, Kickoff at 7:30pm.#backchannel
I'm not exactly sure how the Lions are getting around the blackout rule, as quite a few tickets appear to be available on Ticketmaster for the game. Regardless, I'm certainly glad the game will be shown live locally, because it's very frustrating to have to wait a few hours just to watch a game that has already happened.
For those wondering how to watch the game if you don't get WXYZ, check the list of affiliates Leyden tweeted out on Tuesday. If you're out of state, NFL Network is scheduled to air a replay of the game at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday morning.
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