Here's some socialism we can get behind
Sen. Ken Salazar leans on the NFL:
"DENVER, CO – United States Senator Ken Salazar and a bipartisan group of
13 senators have sent a letter urging National Football League Commissioner
Roger Goodell to make NFL games widely available to fans in markets outside
cities in which NFL teams are based.
On Nov. 6, the NFL is scheduled to begin restricting games to the
NFL Network in areas not considered part of the ‘home market’ of a team.
As a result, many viewers in the Colorado Springs and Grand Junction media
markets will not be able to watch the November 6 game between the Denver Broncos
and the Cleveland Browns. The NFL is not considering Colorado Springs,
Pueblo, Grand Junction, Durango, and other communities outside the Denver
television market to be part of the Denver Broncos’ home market.
“We in Colorado love to watch our Broncos and we should continue
to be able to see the games on television throughout the state,” said Sen.
Salazar. “The NFL’s narrow interpretation of a ‘home market’ does a
disservice to fans across Colorado and across the country. The NFL needs
to change course, and it should start by allowing all Coloradans to watch the
Broncos pound the Browns next Thursday.”
My interpretation: "You know who's going to have 60 votes in the Senate after Tuesday? Not you, Roger."
posted by AndyW @ 10/29/2008 12:52:00 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I have to disagree here. The federal government has NO RIGHT to tell a company (the NFL) that they HAVE to allow everyone access to their product for free (over the air broadcast).
If you want to watch this game and don't live in Denver or Cleveland, then pony up the cash for a cable or satellite package that will receive it.
There's no right to "free OTA football games" in the Constitution that I can see :-)
I think Senator Salazar has more important duties than to worry about this.
Politicians sticking their noses into sporting events is a tradition that goes way, way back in the United States.
Still, if he attempts to legislate defensive schemes, things may have gotten out of hand.
for starters, it's a monopoly, it's not a free market. monopolies are governed. do you want your local water department (the only one because it's a monopoly) to start charging you a thousand dollars a gallon? these nfl owners are all billionaries anyway, it's not like they need more money....
Total monopoly! If I live in Salida and my cable system does not offer the NFL network, I expect them to find a way to show the game.
Of course, there is no better way to kill the product, than to watch them kill it.
You need water to live. It's a government service, of course it's regulated by the government :-)
The NFL is a leisure product, and the government should stay away from it. They can only make it worse...
Re: "Politicians sticking their noses into sporting events," the most recent example was the Patriots-Giants game in which the Patriots finished an undefeated regular season. THe NFL wanted to restrict it to NFL Network, but politicians worked for an unprecedented outcome - the game also aired on both NBC and CBS.
I agree - it's NOT water. Restricting the availability of NFL games to expensive packages may ultimately bring the league more money, but it will limit or even cut their fan base. If I have no NFL to watch, I just start developing new habits and interests - like going to this place I like to call "outside" on a Sunday afternoons. There's fresh air and sunshine out there!
At the same time, NFL football really is "America's game," despite our deep baseball history (seen those World Series ratings!?). NFL football's a powerful cultural phenomenon that's distinctly American.
Finally, I'm sure Obama or McCain would promise to give the Broncos successful defensive schemes today if it guaranteed them Colorado on Tuesday.
these are some damn funny comments here ..it is my understanding that the NFL has a sweet relationship with the Feds that gives then anti-trust exemption! therefore...if they behave like a lumbering monopoly..its because they are one! and the US gov't is complicit..you reap what you sow baby!
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