Here is another piece of my THESIS PAPER on what's wrong with sports. Some of you may have read some nuggets of mine in the Ricky Williams retirement thread. They were undercooked, malformed nuggets, but they are there.
Here is another one. Why can't I see MY DAMN HOMETOWN TEAM on TV if I dump down $200 a year??
Here is a direct quote from the latest Sportsguy column that perfectly illustrates my concerns.
SportsGuy brings up an EXCELLENT point in the greed of owners (which is fed by the greed of players in part). I live in Fuquay Varina NC. We're about a half hour from Raleigh NC (which you know from your state capitals). When the Charlotte Hornets played, we couldn't get Charlotte Hornet games up here (three hours away), instead we got Washington Bullets/Wizards games. This was BEFORE Michael Jordan decided to throw away his legacy on that sad franchise btw. Washington DC is at least two hours further away than Charlotte is, but yet the local TV market chose to carry them. Great, I'll just get NBA Ticket.
Luckily, Carolina Panthers games are carried up here rather than Washington Redskins games. However, in Fuquay, I'm four HOURS away from Charlotte. But we are luckily in "the local area."
This means, had I cared enough to drop $250 on NBA Ticket, I'd be subject to local blackout. I'm four freaking hours away, but if I want to see a non-sellout game, I better drive my ass to the arena. I paid freaking $250 to watch my team play on tv when others in a more advantageous geographical location can watch them for free, I'm subject to the same blackout rules as they are when they are 3 1/2 hours closer to the arena than I am.
There have been several Panther games that have been blacked out up here, even though we don't find out until one day before the game. The NFL decides that a dedicated fan who has a ton of merchandise and has been to more than 20 games since the Panthers inception does not deserve to see the game since it didn't sell out. I could buy NFL Ticket, for $300, but it doesn't matter, 'local' blackout rules apply. So the NFL tells me on Saturday that to see the Sunday game, I've got to drive four hours, find a place to stay, and scalp some tickets.
Way to look out for the fans, sports leagues. Yeah, I'm sure you will be able to continue paying people 10 million a year without the support of diehard fans like myself.
Me and Bill, we're sick of it.
Go ahead and slam me GA, I'm all that's wrong with sports.
Here is another one. Why can't I see MY DAMN HOMETOWN TEAM on TV if I dump down $200 a year??
Here is a direct quote from the latest Sportsguy column that perfectly illustrates my concerns.
SportsGuy said:We get exclusivity on Saturday afternoons, and every Boston diehard who doesn't live in the lucky regions which get the Red Sox game are screwed, and this makes perfect sense because it's always a good idea to antagonize your core audience.
....
Why create a situation where fans can't watch their favorite team? Why would this be desirable under any circumstances? I've been asking myself that one ever since I moved to Los Angeles, where I plunk down $179 a year for DirecTV's Extra Innings package, yet I miss two or three Saturday Sox games every month ... and that's the ONLY REASON I GOT THE PACKAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SportsGuy brings up an EXCELLENT point in the greed of owners (which is fed by the greed of players in part). I live in Fuquay Varina NC. We're about a half hour from Raleigh NC (which you know from your state capitals). When the Charlotte Hornets played, we couldn't get Charlotte Hornet games up here (three hours away), instead we got Washington Bullets/Wizards games. This was BEFORE Michael Jordan decided to throw away his legacy on that sad franchise btw. Washington DC is at least two hours further away than Charlotte is, but yet the local TV market chose to carry them. Great, I'll just get NBA Ticket.
Luckily, Carolina Panthers games are carried up here rather than Washington Redskins games. However, in Fuquay, I'm four HOURS away from Charlotte. But we are luckily in "the local area."
This means, had I cared enough to drop $250 on NBA Ticket, I'd be subject to local blackout. I'm four freaking hours away, but if I want to see a non-sellout game, I better drive my ass to the arena. I paid freaking $250 to watch my team play on tv when others in a more advantageous geographical location can watch them for free, I'm subject to the same blackout rules as they are when they are 3 1/2 hours closer to the arena than I am.
There have been several Panther games that have been blacked out up here, even though we don't find out until one day before the game. The NFL decides that a dedicated fan who has a ton of merchandise and has been to more than 20 games since the Panthers inception does not deserve to see the game since it didn't sell out. I could buy NFL Ticket, for $300, but it doesn't matter, 'local' blackout rules apply. So the NFL tells me on Saturday that to see the Sunday game, I've got to drive four hours, find a place to stay, and scalp some tickets.
Way to look out for the fans, sports leagues. Yeah, I'm sure you will be able to continue paying people 10 million a year without the support of diehard fans like myself.
Me and Bill, we're sick of it.
Go ahead and slam me GA, I'm all that's wrong with sports.