September 30, 2000

TV and Football
   by stacy <pfftnet@stacy.pfft.net>

I admit that I'm a college football fan. I couldn't care less about the NFL, but I really enjoy watching college football, both on TV and in person. I am not able to attend games very often, mostly because I don't live in a city with a good team and because I couldn't afford it if I did, but also because my favorite team plays 300 miles from here.

Watching on TV is fine with me though. The camera gives you a better seat than anyone but the rich boosters get at the stadium anyway. There are a couple of PFFT! things about watching football on TV, as I'm sure any fan of any sport can attest to. First of all, I'm at the mercy of what the TV stations and networks want to show. If they prefer to show Notre Dame and Michigan (and trust me, they do), then that's who I get to watch, week after pitiful week. And it really never fails that the team the networks decide will be one of the best in the nation really doesn't do so great. Last year it was Michigan and ESPN. This year it seems to be Notre Dame and CBS. Give me a break and mix it up a little bit. There are enough couch potatoes out there who are willing to watch whatever team is on, so they could easily afford to show different teams each week.

Second is that my team belongs to the Southeastern Conference which has some kind of contract with Jefferson-Pilot broadcasting, which is a regional broadcaster. That means that if you live outside of the Southeastern Conference states, you don't get to watch them play unless there is a prior arrangement between the team and one of the other networks. Naturally, CBS is too busy showing Notre Dame lose in overtime to Illinois to pick up a game with only "limited" interest.

Nevertheless, I'm a college football fan, and I'll pretty much watch whatever they show. I can't complain about lack of options since NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, and a few regional broadcasters show a game or 2 every week. I'm sure to find one interesting. If not, PFFT!

Published: September 30, 2000
Editor: stacy