i got a gripe about the rate increase!!!

[Barry Erick]

The ESPN package says all subscribers and can't be put in a package by itself. This is
demanded by ESPN to cable and satellite, alike.To get started, ESPN paid cable co's for the coverage, now they sell the service to both sat and cable for a cost per subscriber.

 

[shodobe]

I agree that one shouldn't be forced to pay for something they don't want. I would rather watch sports any day of the week over anything that is on regular TV, ie, Alias, CSI, NYPD Blues, etc.... This is because I find there is something quite different between reality and fiction. Sports is real life, despite the huge salaries paid out, The other stuff is all made up in the minds of over paid writers who seem to run out of realistic ideas all the time. I agree there should be separate packages catering to each person's taste, but we know this won't happen in the near future. I just cringe when I hear that some mediocre athelete has signed a long term contract for millions, but it also irks me to hear someactor who couldn't carry Marlon Brando's shorts gets millions for being in some grade B movie. To each their own. We all have different tastes and hopefully something will change in the near future. To show you how strange things can get, at my house a sports program is on 90% of the time, guess who is home all the time and insists on watching these-------------MY WIFE! She would rather watch a Div 2 basketball game than watch regular shows. Cooking shows, home improvement, gardening notice no regular shows. So you can see I like it real, not made up.

 

[rdlink]

Sports is real life, despite the huge salaries paid...

Er, what? What exactly about sports is real? The made up rules? The manufactured venue?

Friends help you move, REAL friends help you move bodies!

Now that's just funny.

 

[hpman247]

What about sports is real? That is the stupidest most idiotic response I have ever heard... Hell, I am at a loss for words... Damn!

 

[bw820]

I install satellites and my bestfriend is high up in Adelphia cable. We just had this discussion the other day. Not the salaries of Athelets, but the price increases imposed to both dish companies and cable companies. It is true that ESPN is mainly resposible for these companies having to increase their rates in order to pay for the broadcast feed. What the cable company is going to try in do is make their programming A-la-carte.Of course the sports package that would have ESPN would cost more than a package that had lower broadcasting fees. That is the only way that they can stand up to the broadcasters imposed fees. It is still in the works, but I think that it would be a good solution that would make everyone happy.

 

[tonyp56]

What I really think it comes down to is this: sports provide excitement and drama that nothing else can, not 24, Alias, Lost, etc. It is this excitement, this passion that these players show when in uniform that make them worth what their team chooses to play them. Some of you have said that living in a city you have to pay for these stadiums etc. I assume by way of taxes. Well what if I said that I didn't want to pay the Social Security tax (when i go to college and get a job), and I wanted to keep it for myself, because all the older people will break it down before I should, hopefully not, ever need it. That would never happen.


This is kind of off topic so I'll limit myself. There are some really great and honorable people in the sporting world. REggie White, Michael Jordan to name a few. But I see it as you saying that these men would be mature and these 18-29 year olds (approx) are not. Well to give you a story on my favorite sports team, Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas just decided one day to take 200 children to see the Spongebob Squarepants movie. He adopted a child who had just lost all of his family and posessions in a house fire. Yeah that's a really whiney ass grown up kid ain't it.

Hey, I see that you really like sports, I am glad it gives you "excitement and drama that nothing else can, not 24, Alias, Lost, etc.," but I don't agree! I like movies, but if you don't you don't have to pay for it do you? How would you like it if Movie channels were packaged with your sports channels? (of course if you don't like movies) and the movie channels were causing 10,20,30,40% of your package price? Would you be making your arguments, or would you be saying get rid of all movie channels. If the sports channels cost about the same as the other general entertaiment channels, I wouldn't have a problem with them, but they cost more than any of them. And probally one sports channel cost the same as ten regular channels.

 

[hpman247]

Well to tell the truth, I wouldnt care, because I think all channels have something interesting on sometimes, and plus, "That's just the way it is."

 

[shodobe]

What about sports is real? That is the stupidest most idiotic response I have ever heard... Hell, I am at a loss for words... Damn!

I really find it offensive that you would find any remark stupid. This is EXACTLLY why I don't post too much because of morons like you. And exactlly what makes you such an expert on what is real and what is madeup? Forget rules and such and forget about huge salaries that make up most games, I am really addressing amateur sports and such. You don't think going to a high school football game or attending a Little League game isn't real life? The majority if not all of TV comes out of a board room directed towards idiots who sit in front of their TV drooling over stupid if not laughable situations. In sports a least you have two opponents fighting it out to see who is best, in TV all you have is a bunch of whiney actors, writers and directors worried if the ratings will keep them on another year. I think an explanation is expected from you about your comment, what is exactlly stupid and idiotic about my perception on things, be it wrong or right.

 

[BobaBird]

... idiots who sit in front of their TV drooling over stupid if not laughable situations.

I knew we could find some common ground between sports fans and entertainment fans.

 

[hpman247]

I don't owe anything to anyone on here, except those who have helped me and answered my questions. I still must say that your comment was stupid because you can be watching a sport on TV or at the event, and either way it is real.

I guess that I can infer that you are saying that ameteur sports are more real??? Well thats coll with me cuz I go to my highschool during every basketball, football, and baseball game. I also go and watch my cousins participate in Little League Baseball and soccer.

You know, I don't even know why i responded to this, because your point is non-existant in your response above. The more I read it the less sense that it makes. Maybe that's why you don't post much, not because of the moron's like myself.

 

[jerryez]

ESPN likes to claim that they have 200 million (or whatever) subscribers. If they were in a sports package, then they could only claim 50,000 subscribers, therefore it will never happen. But I would never pay for ESPN, if I had the option.

 

[Cliff]

To add insult to injury, when you pay extra to subscribe to the HD channels, you get ESPNHD sometimes. They should broadcast everything in HD.

 

[JON_CT]

and people complain that they can't get ESPN2-HD - we only get ESPN-HD in HD once in a while...

 

[BobMurdoch]

I like the mandatory requirement because I remember the Sports Channel days when it was voluntary.... It cost me $10 a month to get the Sports Channel NY channel to watch my Mets. When everyone gets the channel it drops to $2 a channel or less. I never watch Lifetime but I still have to pay for it as I understand that in order to watch my channels, that others have to watch theirs or the system falls apart.

I'm more concerned with them adding more channels.... here's what I put in the price increase feedback window on E*s website.......

"I don't mind the increase as much as I am frustrated with the lack of new HD channels being added. DirecTV has added Universal HD and broadcast networks for those who qualify while we have only gotten foreign language channels and local channels in obscure markets. In addition, Cinemax and Starz have HD channels which we don't have access to. Please use that Voom satellite you acquired to add HD channels (both National and local LIL channels) to your offerings so you don't fall further behind DirecTV and force me to switch. Add in the fact that my new $1000 921 looks to be obsolete when you move to MPeg4 and it is looking bleak out here. PLEASE at least add UniversalHD and the broadcast networks to hold us over until you solve your bandwidth problem."

 

[JON_CT]

not to change the subject but bob - what are we going to do when the mets move to their own network in 2006 - I did not mind losing YES when I switched from D* cause I could care less about watching the yanks, but if E* does not pick up the mets new station, I might have to switch to one that does... they announced today that all the home games they carry will be HD along with selected away games...

 

[BobMurdoch]

I'm worried about the same thing.......

Who knows, but Fox Sorts and MSG may go away if they have nothing but the Knicks