Tonight is the first night I’ve really cared about a game that was airing on the NFL Network. And even now, it’s that big of a deal, because the game is being simulcast on the local Seattle FOX affiliate. Money makes the world go ’round. I know. That doesn’t mean that people don’t make stupid decisions though. Up until this year, all NFL games were broadcast on either broadcast television, or widely subscribed to ESPN. This year the big brains at the NFL offices decided they wanted a piece of their own broadcasting pie. And why not, I’m sure that subscriptions to the NFL Network have gone up this year, specifically since Thanksgiving when the Chiefs took on the Broncos.
It seems like a conflict of interests for the NFL. Of course in almost all other majors sports there are teams who do this. Most notably the Chicago Cubs and WGN, as well as the Yankees and the YES Network. However there is a big difference between local teams negotiating their own local broadcast deals, and a league forcing their broadcasting deal down everyone’s throats.
Have people you know plunked down the cash to get the NFL Network? Have you? Will you? and Should this deal survive?
[poll=13]
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Yes I have and it sucked. RCN who is my cable provider carries the NFL network but I didn’t find out until kick-off that they were not going to carry the games. How stupid is that? Supposedly they refused to pay up to the NFL for the additional fees that needed to be paid in order to get the game feeds.
You know, it’s so ironic it might as well be called stupid. Take this into consideration: The NFL cancels Monday Night Football on local television broadcasts and replaces it on basic cable programming ESPN because the show wasn’t getting good ratings (which I find impossibly difficult to believe).
With that in mind, now the NFL and TimeWarner decide, hey, let’s divise the NFL Network and make fans PAY out the ass for a single football game per week, and tons of NFL and NCAA coverage that you can find on pretty much any ESPN network. Either that or force them to pick up the dish.
So let’s review; they cancel Monday Night Football on regular television primetime because of poor ratings, and now they expect the NFL Network to somehow pick up ratings and some money at the same time? What were they thinking?
This is just unreal. I have been a football fan for a long time, but to think that I am going to have to pay to watch a football game on top of my regular subscription (which insight doesn\’t cover) does a real diservice to thier core fans. Its bad enough it costs me and my date 75 bucks a piece to see a game from the nose bleeds, but to hit me in my pocket book again is just not American. So I will leave with this note: What would Lombardi do?
Wise up NFL, if not I am going to cringe and see what cricket is all about
the nfl network sucks. commentators suck. idea sucks. please big networks, make it go away. if you need help from a pissed off viewer email me asap.
andy
What the #*@&! This is unbelievable! I know the NFL is counting on all of us to belly up to the bar and pay the price for our love of the game. It makes me sick that the games they decided to make available to devoted viewers are not even an option for so many of us. My cable company is apparently at odds with the NFL over fees. The games in essence are lost to me and you can’t get that back.
Enough NFL, this was a poor idea that left the people that pay your salaries behind….
I hope there is a total boycott of the NFL network. They just cannot get enough money. We pay for the stadiums through tax dollars, we pay for cable, we pay big bucks for tickets and now they want more. I can’t believe Time Warner is involved because they don’t even carry it in Houston. I thought ESPN filled the void for the NFL network. I guess they did not get enough money last year when they bilked NBC for Sunday night.
Wait, I have an idea, why don’t the owners “sell” the stadiums that the taxpayers own to somebody else, keep the “naming rights” and then re-locate all the teams to Canada, build stadiums up there then re-locate back to the USA. They could leave more IOU’s than they already have and still get everyone to watch on Pay Per View and film all the games in Hollywood.
Why don’t they start an NFL players network as well? They could have the “I need attention” or Terrell Owens channel, the “whoever is the dumbest player this week” channel, the loudmouth linebacker channel, the whining running back channel, the dumb quarterback channel and they could fill the dead air with “Paid Programming”.
Amazing, I pay for cable then they show stuff you might want to watch only if you pay more money and fill the other channnels up with “Paid Programming”. They should be paying us.
Did anyone see the Texas Tech game played on NFL Netowk?? Most people would say no, most of the people I know didn’t even know it was broadcasted! This was one of the greatest comebacks in bowl history and I couldn’t even enjoy this game on my television because i didn’t wanna pay lots more money just to see 1 channel out of 100 that I wanted to see just once! This NFL Network is ridiculous and should be stopped and boycotted! All this is is a bunch of rich businessmen trying to squeeze every dollar out of us football loving fans!!! BOYCOTT!
This network is a joke!!! I am a NY Giant season ticket holder and I spend THOUSANDS of dollars evey year to see my team play and support the players salaries, Coaches salaries, Executives salaries not to mention the money spent on gas for the hour ride to get there and the hour ride to get back plus parking for 20$ a pop, and the money spent on Beer , Soda , Dogs , Burgers etc., You get the drift. Now here it is December 30th 2006, One game to go, all is on the line and how am I repaid for my loyalty? I get to watch the bottom line on ESPN to try and keep track of what is going on! How greedey can they be. Screw you NFL Network I hope you lose millions on this little endeavor. There is a saying, A PIG GETS FAT AND A HOG GETS SLAUGHTERED, I hope they bring you to the barn soon to make some bacon!
Thanks Vigilante Sports for a chance to say the NFL sucks for taking away my team’s game to try to suck some money out of my pocket for their rotten network. I gotta start supporting local sports and let these rich bastards rot. Boycott NFL network!
I agree with Mike though I am a Redskins season ticket holder. I think I will drop my tickets, cable and listen on the radio!
Here’s what I wrote the NFL network:
NobodyI know can stand the insipid gasconading of Bryant Gumble. For God’s sake—and the NFL’s, too—get rid of the jerk. I can give you names of 20 guys in my state alone who can do a much better job than he can calling a game The guy really does stink.
Again tonight I shut off the sound and turned on the radio. Everybody I know does the same thing. Tonight, as on each night, he has made all kinds of mistakes, such as saying “The Redskins will take over on downs now,” when, in fact, that wasn’t the case at all and the Giants punted to the ‘Skins.
He misspeaks, speaks too much, speaks over the other crew members. He still has that “I have to be important” atttitude that made the public turn him off years ago on the Today show.
The NFL network isn’t going anywhere with that guy.
The NFL network is a failed concept because it alienates the fan base. THe other posters are right… too much money already is spent on trying to enjoy an enjoyable sport. The idea works really well for pay per view… they should consider it. There was a game I wanted to see and could not. How much would I have paid to see it? I don’t know, but I do know people who spend a decent sum to see boxing, wrestling, and so forth on pay per view and these broadcasts are only an hour or two. I might pay $50 to see a game on PPV that I really want to see, but I won’t pay a subscription fee because there are no guarantees of what will be on or that I will get my money’s worth. If you want the subscription model, you have to make sure that every game is available, all the time with no blackouts (like can happen on network TV) and have multiple channels of programming in the package to make sure that happens.
Want the nfl to know what you think of the nfl network? E-mail them at fanfeedback@nfl.com and tell them. Better yet, make sure that as many people as possible do the same.
i hate it. i wanted to watch the thanksgiving game and you needed to have a sucky channel.
ESPN Sucks
[...] As I’ve mentioned previously, I think the NFL Network is a bad idea that is purely a revenue generation scam by the NFL. [...]
Greed…it’s what drives this economy I guess. I will never pay extra beyond my basic cable rate to watch a foot ball game. I like football but this smacks of corporate greed and that I don’t like. I hope they lose millions on this dumb ass idea. Go Pack!!
I hate missing the Packer-Cowboy game tonight. Should be one of the better games of the year. But it may turn into a positive if enough people let the NFL know what a fiasco they have on their hands. Hopefully the stupid *$^#$s behind this decision aren’t so arrogant that they ignore the voices of millions of loyal football fans, but they probably are.
I guess the NFL wants me to drink and drive…
I will be driving to my local sports pub to watch this game if it isn’t too full.
It will be a cold day in hell before I give the greedy bastards at the NFL more money to watch a game that should be on basic cable.
I have to say that I have been upset with the NFL ever since they wanted to charge me to listen to the radio broadcasts over the internet…which also used to be free.
I have started not caring about football as much. If I didn’t have such loyalty to my green bay packers I would probably switch to cricket myself.
NFL is going down the wrong path by limiting access to view the sport. Look at Hockey and Baseball on pay channels kids today do not care about these sports. I love football and tonight the NFL and the cable company have screwed me over.
I cannot forgive the NFL for this one. Unbelievable. Nice Job Goodell. Why do we need an NFL network? Greed Greed Greed. Lucky for them I love football so much. But they shouldn’t take me for granted. I am capable of living without it.
What the hell nfl? Football is not f***ing wrestling. Oh wait s**t it might be fake now with all this money bulls**t going on. I’m really mad about this nfl network. I there should be a boycott. People should stop going to games and f their whole money situation up and show them that if it wasn’t for football being on basic channels that alot of their greatest football players would not even be playing today. And plus what the hell sunday night football without being able to watch sunday night football? This is gonna break up families MANN! Money doesn’t always mean everything they need to get that stick out of their @sses and realize that. I’m official done with football fuck the nfl and their network!
I have seen anyone this f*cked up in my life. These commentators SUCK!!! I am currently watching the 29nov dallas/greenbay game and I wanna stab my eyes and ears with a sodering iron!! The camera angles are horrible and the Gumble kid is like mr. rogers trying to broadcast fly fishing. Somebody stop this!!! I dont know whats worse, these guys being the only ones who have the big games or jamming bamboo reeds under my finger nails!
Cause they wouldn’t have got that altogether feeling about it. Your taking the love out of family football time. YOU SUCK GUY WHO’S MAKING IT PAYPERVIEW. If I was a journalist I would make him look like a criminal cause you just murdered the soul of football. And I say good f’n day!
The broadcast (which I had to leave my house to watch) was as terrible and I have seen in a long time. Complete amateur hour….
I had the NFL network and canceled it because it was hideous. About 10% of it is good content….Bring back the NFL to the mainstream media!
[...] NFL Week 13 (Live from Dallas! a Pay-Per-View steel cage match extravaganza) November 29, 2007 ? sontrinh Welcome to the game, out of the 111 million cable TV customers across America but only the 35 million lucky enough (realistically not everyone cares about football, and only 1/3 of that number will be tuned to the Network unless you count the drunks at Hooters or some sports bar) to get NFL Network AND a not being blacked out even if you have the channel, this is the much anticipated match-up between the top two NFC teams and two of the top 5 teams in the NFL. [...]
All I have to say is: If I can do a web search for “nfl network sucks” and come up with an enormous list of hateful sites, there in lies a problem. NFL owners let’s get it together.
The NFL Networst sucks and their commentators suck(ie:Gumble et al). I wouldnt subscribe to the network even if my cable provider offered it. Send your comments to the NFL and let them know they are greedy.
http://www.nfl.com/contact-us
The NFL Network is odd at best, but the Cowboys/Packers game coverage was unbearable. The most frustrating part is HAVING to listen to the minor league caliber team of Gumble and Collingsworth because of HD signal delay. The “TV muted/radio play by play” procedure was greatly missed.
Bryant “Kermit” Gumble’s play by play sounded worse than the choir teacher who calls my son’s middle school games. And she actually called a 5th down this season. I’m not kidding! This man is NOT qualified to call a football game.
In addition, Gumble’s counterpart Cris Collingsworth continued his exercise in “unbiased” color commentating. His contempt for all things Cowboys was palpable. I imagined all 75K NFLN viewers yelling “WTF?!” when he called one Cowboy’s player a “tool”. What a piece of work. It sure sounded like Cris-sy wanted to shower with the Packers after the game. He really needed to, considering he had his nose in the Packer’s butt’s all night.
Do broadcasting networks determine the officiating staff for games? Those guys looked lost the entire game. 10-20 seconds to make a PI call is going to be controversial ANYTIME. It’s bad enough that we couldn’t enjoy Buck/Aikman or Michaels/Madden, but the fact that there were no familiar (experienced!) faces on the officiating crew makes the NFL network all the more suspect. Hopeless!
Clarifications:
I am a Cowboys fan born and raised, but I am just as happy to watch a great game regardless of the outcome. Rodger’s stepped up for the Packers. He kept it close, and I was impressed. Hope to see him play again soon.
Did questionable calls hurt the Packers? Yes. But… I truly believe if Favre hadn’t been injured and the Cowboys receivers caught the end zone passes they were supposed to, the score would have been a whopping 51-10 anyway.
Complaining will never do anything, boycott every low life Company that advertised on NFL NET, the only thing these blood sucking scum , NFL,NFL NET, PLAYERS ASSociation understand is money that buys more bling to make a bunch of idiots and a few CRIMINALS look like they really have a social redeeming value. Screw the NFL, Sponsors and Players. The next strike I will vote for the SCAB players!!!!!!!!
People shouldn’t be so quick to attack the cable companies for not carrying NFL network on basic cable. The NFL wants to charge cable companies an OUTRAGEOUS subscription fee per viewer. Can anyone blame the cable companies for wanting to put a channel with this cost that is only dedicated to one sports league on a sport tier? I don’t. The NFL wants ALL cable viewers to subsidize the salaries of some of the world’s richest men-NFL owners. Say you get if for free on satellite? Bull. You will end of paying the cost and so will the viewers who don’t give a &##@ about the NFL
The NFL thought that if they put some games on the network, that they would be able to bully the cable companies into paying their ransom (high subscription fees), but it didn’t happen and now many fans are left with no action.
The only way to change things is to boycott the product. How long are people going to pay 7.00 for a beer and 20.00 to park? Greed strikes again.
Can anyone get a list of advertisers for the puke nfl network. If you can please post them here so I for one will write and tell them I will no longer purchase anything affiliated with their product. MAD AS HELL IN IOWA!!!!!
[...] I’ve said it before, multiple times. The NFL Network Sucks! And this time I am not able to watch the beloved Bears because of their greed. It’s one thing to deprive a man of a good football game, it’s another thing altogether to deprive a man of watching the Bears. [...]
These people are sellouts. I can?t believe that we have to have a \”specific\” provider as our provider to see the an NFL football game tonight. Greenbay Packers vs. Cowboys and now tonigh it\’s the Bears vs. Redskins. I know you will have millions of reactions like mine and hope like hell we all broadcast the fact that they are greedy bastards. I will not buy another thing with the NFL logo, Motorola, Verizon or any other affiliates or sponsors of theirs. I\’ve discussed it with my associates, family and peers. They feel the exact same way. GREED GREED GREED!!! We are completely boycotting anything to do with NFL until they stop selling games to individual providers. It is total greed and I suggest making them feel the pain of the all mighty dollar in other areas. Dpn\’t buy a stitch of clothing with the NFL (National Football Losers) logo on it. What have they turned into? they should start puckering their lips and get ready for a number of rear ends they going to have to kiss in order to get them to buy another item with the NFL logo. They are selling themselves out to make their greedy network rich. It\’s BS and I hope they receive tons of emails like mine to express how pissed off we are as fans. Fpr the love of the game, send your vulgar comments and emails to http://www.nfl.com/contact-us
NFL Network sucks, they want more than $140 mil a year from Time Warner. I’m not a big Time Warner fan although I know a bad deal when I see one. This idea stinks, I hope Time Warner doesn?t pay because the end result will come out of my pocket and it?s not worth it. Enough is enough, if you don?t stand for something you will fall for anything. If all the providers agreed to the NFL Networks demands they would make a little over $300 mil per year WOW! We pay for the stadiums; we buy the products from the same companies that advertise with them. We buy the jerseys, memorabilia, season tickets, ridiculous parking, and outrageous food and beverages. When you think off it the NFL Network should be FREE, WE ALREADY PAID FOR IT. The NFL doesn?t even care about their own, like the players of old, what makes you think they give a sh*t about us. Its all about money baby?..greed and power, so after they get congress to force the hand of your provider and you get that letter with a sample of complimentary grease, bend over, the NFL Network has something for you!!!!!!!!!
NFL commentators are lame. I turn off the audio and listen to my local station commentary. Much more accurate.
Mile
Let the boycott begin. We already pay for tickets, for stadiums through taxes, for merchandise. Now they want us to pay for broadcast access and STILL show us advertisements? Fuck them. NFL can eat shit as far as I care.
I have written to Home Depot and Wendy’s but couldn’t find where to contact Reebok, about their sponsoring the NFL Network. I also let them know that as long as they were sponsors of NFL Network that I would NOT be spending a dime on their products or at their stores. I stated that I know many people doing the same. I think its good to let these company’s know how their affecting a lot of football fans , so send these 3 (Home Depot, Wendy’s and Reebok) e-mails and maybe they will finally get the message. Tell everyone you know to do the same. Since I don’t get NFL Network I am sure I have missed other sponsors. If you know other sponsors who run their ads on NFL Network would you post their names here so I can also write them. THX
Very simple. Who cares? I’ll go out with my chick for the night. I’ll twiddle my thumbs. I’ll read a book. If the NFL is there for free (especially teams other than the home), I’ll watch. Look, the games are too expensive to go to. Redskins owner Snyder has devised every diabolical pocket-pick there is at FedEx, so we dumped the clubs and bought GenAdmission. Then those got to be too much of a gouge, we dumped those. The $50.00 parking, the buses, the $9.00 damp, smelly sponge of a hot dog, the 10 dollar beer, the IMPOSSIBLE situation with parking. Scroo em.
Same with NFL on tv. I’ll watch it if it’s there on ESPN, if it’s on a basic channel. But there may be three games of eight I want to see and the tier I get put in would cost me $150/year by the time I rent the box and buy the tier. That amounts to pay-per-view and the NFL knows it.
Their greed knows no limits and I hope the House and Senate DO lift the anti-trust exemptions, the NFL is no longer entitled. I also hope the advertisers demand lower per-minute rates for the lousy viewer ship.
MHO.
Someone should print a t-shirt with the slogan “To Hell with the NFL!” Tonight we miss another Cowboy game because greedy bastards (Jerry Jones, et al.) want to squeeze another buck or two out of us. They want us to think the providers are the greedy ones but why would anyone pay for a subscription to watch one or two games a year? The Hell with ‘em. I’ll watch re-runs of “Two and a Half Men”. If I was going to pay for anything concerning the NFL, it would need to go toward the hiring of professional referees. The current crop of 90 year old windbags are ruining the game.
I Googled, The NFL network sucks and I got a lot of hits with that same language. why is eveyone trying to scew us, for God’s sake its Christmas you pigs! My Partiots should be seen for free by all of New England!
As long as Bryan Gumbel is an announcer, I will never watch NFL Network. The Packers Cowboys game gave me a headache! Why would anyone ever subscribe to a football network that has bad announcers?
You have to be kidding me the broadcast sucks. The cameramen do not even know how to focus a high def camera when they cut back and forth to shots. Not to mention the aweful job done by Collinsworth and Gumble. Is Gumble really a pro? He could put just about anyone to sleep. Chris Collinsworth is o.k. at his regular gig. But take away his color commentary it is not colorfull and shirley at least a little bit gay. He needs to study a little harder and pay closer attention what an idiot.
Give us a break NFL Network as Jerry Glanville once said “N.F.L.” (Not For Long)
At the beginning of the Pats game, the commissioner said, “we are simulcasting this game because we didn’t want fans to miss out on watching a record being broken and history being made”.
So, am I to understand that the commissioner will simulcast a game on the NFL network if there is a chance that a record will be broken??? Records are broken and history is made in every game you idiot! The game was a great match up, and I salute the patroits for a great season.
BTW:Gumble set the record for putting the most perople to sleep that night (he probably did it without steroids too)
another record: least amount of replays on questionable calls. Maybe we’d rather watch gumble’s red eyes????
With the Playoffs starting, the NFL network and satelite providers will be quiet for a while. I wish that there was a way to plan a “sit out on the NFL” we could hit them where it counts. Just one week! Imagine if no one showed up or watched the season opener for every team in the NFL next year. Seriously, we as fans need to make it loud and clear to these idiots that without us, there would be no NFL.
We, as fans, should break a record for the Commissioner. Least attendance!!!!! Simulcast that, you idiot!
i’ve about had it with the assholes at the NFL. We tune in to watch the games. We pay for TONS of NFL-licensed merchandise. We’re good anf loyal patrons for their business, and THIS is how they show their appreciation?! Well FUCK them! I like football, but not enough to let the assholes who run the NFL steal from my wallet.
I hope that all of the Patriots’ games are covered exclusively by the NFL Network. Appropriate for all the blue-bloods in the self-proclaimed “elite” New England area.
I here ya. I have a friend who lives in Rochester, NY. He hates TW. The NFL network is the biggest reason. I have to break it down but I live in Norther VA. I have COX Cable. I have NBA TV, NHL Network, and NFL Network. And guess what??? I didn’t pay any extra for it. My bill didn’t go up. It just appeared in my Chanel guide. Awesome. I have more channels than I know what to do with. I have cable and internet 15 meg gown plus all premium channels minus the international, but i still get some of those. and my bill is only 120-130 a month. So time Warner is ripping you off. Comacast also has nfl network and there customers aren’t paying any extra. They didnt one day say you want nfl network…pay more.. Nope it just appeared on the guide. Sweet.
Oh and by the way here the website for the guide.
http://cox.com/fairfax/digitalcable/digitalchannellineup.asp
More HD than TW plus more channels . Unlike TW we don’t group channels in categories and seperate to make our offerings look bigger. One Chanel per network. I hope one day Time Warner will get there head out of their as$. Peace!!
yeah, it sucks. I hope no one gets robbed like i’m being. I wish I could hook up with whoever runs this piece of crap. Meanwhile, I’m just hoping he hits his f’n head on the freezer door or stubs the f out of his toe in the bathroom. Crooks