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Few NFL teams are more popular with their fans than the Denver Broncos, which is why the league is asking them to help other teams sell more tickets. The Denver Business Journal reports that the Broncos will be part of a nine-team committee that aims to improve both sales and in-person experiences for fans, a measure that’s meant to help less popular teams avoid blackouts. The NFL mandates that its games can be televised locally only if the game sells out, a problem the Broncos haven’t had since the 1970s. Eight of the 76 NFL games that have been played so far this season have been blacked out, and instead of addressing steep ticket prices, the league wants to figure out what kinds of bells and whistles will draw fans into the stadiums.
Meanwhile, a cloud continues to hang over the Broncos after the devastating 24-20 loss to the New York Jets last weekend. The key play in the loss–the 46-yard, pass-interference call against the Broncos that set up the Jets for the winning touchdown–has been the most analyzed Broncos play of the season, and the player flagged for it insists he did nothing wrong. “I felt a little tug, and that’s what got me off balance,” says Bronco Renaldo Hill, speaking to reporters for the first time since the game (via The Associated Press). “I don’t know that I would do anything differently in that situation.”
Still, The Denver Post has photographic evidence that the officials made the right call.