I am sick: head congestion, sore throat, cough. The symptoms roughly correspond to a cold, but I am convinced it's something worse. Like pneumonia. Or Bird Flu. Hell, maybe it's a tumor. Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure I'm at death's door. Lucky I have made my mark on this world through my legacy of football picks.
At least if I reach Heaven I can count on having NFL Sunday Ticket, or maybe I can just look down and see any game I want and even fly down for a close up view of the line play once I get my wings. On the other hand, if I wind up Down Below, my guess is the football viewing is pretty close to what I have now: the only sure thing is that the Lions game will be on.
Actually, in Hell, all games are Lions games.
But seriously, we live in an on-demand age. I can listen to any music I want, at any time I want, and have the choice of buying or renting it. I can time-shift movies and TV or simply order them when I'm ready to watch. Anything that isn't already on-demand is moving in that direction. How long do you think it will be until I can get my Rhapsody playlist streamed to my car? Or how about the entire inventory of Blockbuster ready to order through my digital cable box?
So then why is it that I can only get a predetermined set of football games, theoretically tailored to my geographical market by some NFL bureaucrat? Instead of getting what I want, I get what some suit's idea of what a typical person who lives within a couple hundred miles of me might want to see on average. Did we take the time tunnel back to the Stone Age?
For those not familiar with NFL Sunday Ticket, it is an extra cost package that gives you access to any the game you want (with a minor exception now and then). That's a pretty simple model. Pay roughly $250 up front and you're covered for the whole season. There are even optional add-ons like Short Cuts, a replay of an entire game with nothing but the plays, everything else is edited out. You can watch an entire game in 30 minutes. Cool, eh? All in all, it's a nice package; I would buy it every year without a second thought. The problem is, it is only available with DirecTV. That's right, no cable TV customer can have access to this; it is for DirecTV subscribers only.
Article comments
1 - David Mazzotta
Sure enough, as soon as I post this, the article I referred to about the DirecTV contract is now archived and available for payment only.
Here is a similar AP story if you want some more detailed info on the NFL's TV contracts:
2 - Tinkerbell
What I really want to know is where can I purchase a down marker? I found end zone markers for cheap, but the acquisition of a down marker continues to elude me.
And I am STILL angry with NFL.com for listing the Broncos on TV last Saturday...I was looking forward to it for TWO WEEKS. Stupids.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
I'm sorry, but how in the world does Rex Grossman get to be a playoff quarterback with a career 4-3 record as a starter?
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
"From Rex Grossman's performance on Saturday, it's pretty clear that one can have a solid throwing arm or a full neck beard, but one cannot have both."
Known as the Jake Plummer Exception.
5 - Bennett
A total laugh riot.
I hope you feel better soon, David, or that you die without infecting anyone else.
Why your column isn't syndicated coast to coast is the really big mystery.
6 - RJ Elliott
Hope you get better soon, bro...
7 - RJ Elliott
(Spread Picks)
Green Bay -4 WIN
Broncos +10.5 WIN
Dallas -12.5 ?
Pittsburgh -13.5 WIN
Tampa Bay -13.5 WIN
Washington -7.5 ?
Indianapolis -6 LOSE
So, 4-1-2 so far...
(Line Picks)
Denver, $440 WIN
New York Jets, $105 WIN
Atlanta, $178 LOSE
Houston, $90.09 ?
Jacksonville, $59.52 WIN
Seattle, $184.00 LOSE
So, 3-2-1 so far...
8 - David Mazzotta
Thanks everyone, for the kind words. Strangely, I'm not dead yet. Not even coughing up blood.
5-2 against the spread. 3-3 on the line, but the Denver win puts me in the money for sure.
Sweet way to end the season.
9 - Eric Berlin
I love your writing voice and your consistently strong column, David!
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