Recently, while fan bases are as strong as ever, ad sales for the sporting industry have gone down as much at 15 percent.  With the state of the economy, ad revenue from the financial sector and domestic auto has slowed, but sectors like these have been offset by other long-term investments for the time being.
    The NFL in particular is feeling the slump.  Ads for normal Sunday games are selling for less than normal, and there are still a number of slots left open for commercials during the Super Bowl.  Many previous, big Super Bowl advertisers have pulled out from putting a commercial in this year.  Moreover, the argument here is that the sports industry is feeling the pressure of the hurting economy, and losing revenue because of it.
    With the economy and advertisements down, the NFL needs higher ratings during the upcoming Super Bowl more than ever to see an increase in revenue.  Therefore, this bolsters my argument because the NFL needs to protect against big Super Bowl viewing parties that infringe upon copyright, and therefore affect ratings.  The NFL’s greatest source of revenue comes from advertisements, and unless the NFL makes licensing agreements with large Super Bowl viewing parties, they are losing revenue when establishments hold such parties.  Moreover, while churches and other establishments may argue that the NFL has enough money and should not complain about small cuts, the NFL is still a business that looks to maxmize their profits, and they should not be looked down upon for trying to do so.