All Sport Report

My favorite time of year is College Football season. With my Big Ten, U of M Wolverines set to play on September 1, 2007 I was anxiously anticipating the first game of the season. I even planned to have a little party. That was until I found out that I CANNOT watch the game. Why, do you ask? Because it will be played on the Big Ten Network, a network I would have if the network and my digital cable provider, Comcast, could reach an agreement. Sure, they are playing a smaller school, Appalachian State, but shouldn’t I still have the right to see the game?

With the game only a few days away, my spirit has been crushed. I haven’t missed watching a U of M game in years. I have been a fan of the Wolverines since I was a child. I dislike the fact that the network makes it so we have to rely on our cable or satellite services to purchase the channel, especially since not every service provider is hip to comply with the network’s requests. For example, Comcast, which services over 40% of Big Ten country, is holding out due to financial reasons.

The Big Ten Network (and its parent company, Fox Sports) wants Comcast to put the Big Ten Network in its Basic Cable package. To do this, Comcast would have to up every person who has Comcast’s bill by $13 per year. That doesn’t seem so terrible, in terms of price (just over $1 a month). However, Comcast believes that this network has a niche audience and therefore does not want to force people who do not like sports to pay the increased amount.

Comcast’s solution to the problem is to put it on their $5 per month (ok, technically its $4.95, but its easier to say $5) sports package. I have this package. With it, I receive the NFL Network, an NBA Channel (NBATV), GolTV, and various other sports channels. While this package may go up in price by a dollar or two, fans will find this the ideal choice for the Big Ten Network. Those who want to pay for it can and those who don’t do not have to worry about extra fees on their cable service.

While the two groups are in limbo over what to do, those of us who are fans are anxiously awaiting the outcome, as Saturday quickly approaches. Why shouldn’t fans be able to watch any game they want? While I’ve been assured “some” of the games my team plays will still be on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and/or ESPN, the ones on the Big Ten Network remain elusive, and it isn’t looking like Comcast and Fox will be resolving the issue any time soon.

So, who suffers from this bureaucratic mess of red tape? Us! The fans do! We are the ones who have to miss our favorite games. We are the ones who have to miss the first games of the season. Furthermore, we are the ones who must wait while Comcast (or Charter, Dish Network, Time Warner, etc.) make up their minds about whether WE, the fans, deserve to watch football or not. To sum up my thoughts on this all I can say is that…THIS SUCKS.

If you feel the same way about the Big Ten Network and Comcast (or another cable/satellite provider) withholding your football games from you, please leave a comment. You can also sign a petition to let the Big Ten Network know your feelings on this matter. Just go to the Putting Fans First Website.

Football, Wolverines, Michigan, Big Ten, OSU, Minnesota, Big Ten Network, Comcast, Putting Fans First