Believe it or not, MLS rarely gets respect from ESPN or Fox. I know, I know, with how often they show games and cover highlights, very hard to swallow that fact. ESPN is more concerned with Tebow Time while comparing Tim with Lebron than covering the Superdraft on the main channel. Fox was always too concerned about showing the abysmal Fox Soccer Report in stunning standard definition while ignoring MLS outside of actual games played(they even show Australian A-League highlights while no MLS highlight show was broadcast). That all changes March 11th in Frisco, Texas, when NBC Sports Network broadcasts their first MLS game. Coverage can only improve from there.
Do you remember the Outdoor Life Network, or OLN for short? Not many outside of the diehard hunters and fishers do. Average channel but a genre that many others, including ESPN, covered quite well in the 90's. 1999 rolls around and, in a bizarre fashion, OLN bid and won the rights to the Tour De France, cycling's biggest event. I'm fairly certain that cycling is the exact opposite of hunting, although they are both held outdoors. By tossing their programming up in the air with picking up those rights, they changed for the better and never looked back. They proceeded to pick up the rights to Survivor reruns, marathons, the Iditarod, sailing, and auto racing.
As a hockey fan myself, the 2004-05 season was and is still the only major sporting season to be eradicated by a owner's lockout. The league looked towards an uncertain future coming back in 05-06, with two(at the time separate, now one contract. Companies merged, long story, go watch 30 Rock for that info) new TV contracts with NBC and OLN. The NHL was so messed up from the lockout that they didn't get the usual up front fee from NBC, instead simply sharing ad revenue. ESPN wanted to do the same deal but Comcast, owners of OLN and the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to change things up, offered the NHL 2 years, $130 million with a third network option year. The game began, the competitor to ESPN title that Fox Sports Net failed to raise as a national network had fallen to the former hunting channel, and they weren't finished.
OLN's name brand was changed to the questionable Versus in late 2006 along with a renewal of the NHL rights in 2007 and leading to the massive $2 billion 10 year renewal in 2011. They also attempted to bid for rights to MLB and NFL games but lost out(still rumored to be getting the NFL Network Thursday night games for 2012 though, watch for that). NHL shared the lack of spotlight role at ESPN before and alongside MLS, virtually ignored while NBA and MLB seasons overlapped and NFL coverage dominating all. NHL were the big boys at Versus, highlight shows, dedicated coverage, and helping broadcast nearly all playoff games. NBC picked up the rest but we're slow with the uptake, only picking up coverage after New Year's. Then 2008 happened, then NBC suddenly helped the NHL take over a holiday.
Bowl season had abandoned New Year's Day, only 3-4 minor bowls played. Somewhere in a room full of rich guys in 07, the Winter Classic was cooked up. The game has now been played 5 times along with the 2nd Heritage Classic last year. People love hockey outside in it's original home. Football and baseball venues completely filled up, huge TV audiences, clearly the league's big event for the year. The true rebirth of the sport and this, along with NFL rights in 2006, made NBC look like smart bastards at last.
NBC put on their glassless Ray-ban frames and cardigan sweater for MLS rights bidding in 2011 along with a handful of USMNT games to broadcast on both their networks. They also announced the rebranding of Versus to the NBC Sports Network, the battle of Fort Sumter in sports TV. The World Wide Leader vs The Old Duck Hunting Channel war had begun.
NBC also loves to mess around with cameras and the internet. Go watch a Sunday Night Football or NHL game on their website at gametime. Prepare to have complete control, numerous camera angles, stats running, live Twitter updates, everything. For football, it's the closest I can get to the All 22 presentation as a spectator along with more camera angles than needed for NHL. Just imagine what they can do with soccer presentation eh?
Oh, the other thing. All those MLS games NBCSN picked up? All 41 of them? Broadcast online for free. The days of searching for illicit streams of Fox Soccer Channel are over. You pick up Matchday Live and bookmark NBC Sports and as a fan, you're set. You can have the computer running the game on one camera angle while watching the main feed on TV, if you're as nerdy as the diehards tend to be.
NHL and MLS should also team up to be good roommates as well. The 4th and 5th in total revenue big sports in America can easily take out the scandal and prima donna ridden NBA. After all, the two fanbases are similar: young, full of cash, bearded crazy fans(Mavericks don't count, minor league hockey isn't the same. Independence destroys hockey, the fanbase is trashy). Flyers borrowed Doop from the Union, various teams owned by same owners. The two partnering up just makes sense. Cross promote through each other, offer deals to the other, buy a hockey ticket, get a soccer ticket. People will eat it up and love both teams.
I think I'm simply excited to see what NBC wants to bring with their MLS coverage. This isn't Fox or ESPN, they didn't need MLS with other rights like EPL and NFL. NBC needs MLS to succeed and will help out in every single way. Signing Arlo White was a great idea, and their nightly sports show has already had Grant Wahl on, an instant selling point for me. Simply keep it up, MLS weekly highlight show, coverage on everything every night, and I see no reason why the league and the network can't benefit from this partnership.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Some simple "Can't Sleep" thoughts going into 2012
Been a while since I've done this. Lost the will to write after all the random blogs popped up over the SKC fanbase, most absolutely terrible, along with one of the best losing the head writer then turning into a total crock of shit. Regardless, I just haven't felt the bug to write much. But I can't sleep, rarely do, so I'm gonna think deeply for a moment.
We're going to lose Teal this year, I haven't a doubt about it now. Not talked about much, think only Gooch has mentioned the subject, but he's gotten a lot of looks now in Europe and the money is waiting for him. There's nothing we can do probably, but we can lock up CJ. Pay the man, keep him in KC indefinitely. If you want MLS to grow, you need to stop the bleeding of young talent running away. There is a reason why the KHL, the main Russian hockey league, is booming right now, all because they're paying their players similar wages to play at home. Pay him, lots of money, keep 17 in KC forever.
I look at the schedule, holy shit does it ever play into our favor? If we do not repeat as Eastern Conference regular season champs, the season is a disappointment unless we tear up in the playoffs/USOC. After that awful ten game road trip to start the season last year, no trips longer than two games is absolutely beautiful. Really only one true coast to coast trip this year, after we leave Seattle, we're done with the West for the entire season. We're done with the big bad unstoppable western teams in June, that seriously couldn't play in our favor any better.
From a constant away traveler's point, the two best looking road trips are Vancouver/Portland and NYC/Montreal. Four of the most cosmopolitan (see what I did there?) cities in North America and we even visit the latter two twice. I'd certainly traveling to Vancouver and Portland myself, hoping to get Montreal in there as well by driving the insane and stupid distance up there. I'd almost love to do US Independence Day in Canada and hang out with expat Americans in Montreal for the day along with celebrating Canada Day on the 1st.
I love Lot F. I seem to, part of the time at least, get stupidly drunk at the games and wander the short distance from the tailgate, under the bridge, into the gate, very easily. They move us farther away from the entrance, they risk various Cauldronites wandering into the West Stander's tailgates on St. Patrick's Day, where I will most likely ask them for a beer and a burger. Think about that move before you do it Front Office, just think of the potential complains of the unsightly hairy guy wanting to hear their best chants while slurring every word.
Bobby Convey is such a nancy. I've watched the guy go down easily, ask the ref for calls, make a bad tackle then try to act as if he didn't do anything, and fight his way through anything (see versus Chance at LSP last season BRAH). He is the Anti-Arnaud, the Kyle Orton of the team. He wants to get paid to play, do his job, move on. The man doesn't give a shit about the team most likely and has a long way to earn my respect, most likely never.
Three players who need Twitter accounts this year: The Dragon (imagine his smack talk against the week's opponent), Leapin' Larry (anyone with that nickname obviously has many stories to tell, especially after playing with the enigma team that is Orlando City), and first and foremost, BIRAHIM DIOP. First of all, the fact that Diop isn't my best friend depresses me enough. To not see the Smiling Man on Twitter makes it worst. He really is one of my favorite players on the team. The Diop Game Part Deux was 4 days after my 21st birthday. I was in such disbelief in his hat trick that I believed that I had drunken too much and was hallucinating. The man is the best influence in the locker room, so he needs to join his teammates on Twitter ASAP.
Every time I drive past LSP, I smile and feel so content in life. Every time I see a picture of RFK, I feel a bit of sorrow for the DC fans, then I remember how much they suck, and I move on. I seriously hate seeing MLS 1.0 still exist to a certain extent in New England and DC while the rest of the league has moved on to 3.0. Shocking how this is allowed but I believe things are about to change, DC easily, NE a little harder. The Don needs to force Kraft's hand and either convince him to build a stadium closer to the heart of Boston or simply sell the team off and let them flourish. I imagine someone in Boston would love to buy em and build em an awesome stadium.
I have nothing good nor bad to say about Bravo. A simple "good luck with Cruz Azul" is all there is to say. He made an instant impact, was a fan favorite, but always seemed to have his foot out the door to a certain degree. I don't know if he ever truly wanted to be here, never could mesh in. Just gotta say oh well and move on by getting someone better and younger.
Cosmos are dead, Cantona wants to be French president, I'm starting to feel that Pele has no idea what's going on, and where are the apparent owners suddenly? MLS needs to focus on fast growing, high tech, youthful cities. Top three for myself have to be Nashville, Austin/San Antonio (give or take, one or the other for now), and the Twin Cities. For the future, watch the Research Triangle. Those cities are booming at the moment and continue to grow plus they are all sports crazy. The Carolina Hurricanes have a great turnout and fanbase, along with all the college teams. They're going to pass Charlotte soon enough and become a major eastern metropolitan area.
Those are the thoughts, well, soccer thoughts going through my head right now. Probably about 10 of you will read this, I hope, so just comment and such. Enjoy the madness.
We're going to lose Teal this year, I haven't a doubt about it now. Not talked about much, think only Gooch has mentioned the subject, but he's gotten a lot of looks now in Europe and the money is waiting for him. There's nothing we can do probably, but we can lock up CJ. Pay the man, keep him in KC indefinitely. If you want MLS to grow, you need to stop the bleeding of young talent running away. There is a reason why the KHL, the main Russian hockey league, is booming right now, all because they're paying their players similar wages to play at home. Pay him, lots of money, keep 17 in KC forever.
I look at the schedule, holy shit does it ever play into our favor? If we do not repeat as Eastern Conference regular season champs, the season is a disappointment unless we tear up in the playoffs/USOC. After that awful ten game road trip to start the season last year, no trips longer than two games is absolutely beautiful. Really only one true coast to coast trip this year, after we leave Seattle, we're done with the West for the entire season. We're done with the big bad unstoppable western teams in June, that seriously couldn't play in our favor any better.
From a constant away traveler's point, the two best looking road trips are Vancouver/Portland and NYC/Montreal. Four of the most cosmopolitan (see what I did there?) cities in North America and we even visit the latter two twice. I'd certainly traveling to Vancouver and Portland myself, hoping to get Montreal in there as well by driving the insane and stupid distance up there. I'd almost love to do US Independence Day in Canada and hang out with expat Americans in Montreal for the day along with celebrating Canada Day on the 1st.
I love Lot F. I seem to, part of the time at least, get stupidly drunk at the games and wander the short distance from the tailgate, under the bridge, into the gate, very easily. They move us farther away from the entrance, they risk various Cauldronites wandering into the West Stander's tailgates on St. Patrick's Day, where I will most likely ask them for a beer and a burger. Think about that move before you do it Front Office, just think of the potential complains of the unsightly hairy guy wanting to hear their best chants while slurring every word.
Bobby Convey is such a nancy. I've watched the guy go down easily, ask the ref for calls, make a bad tackle then try to act as if he didn't do anything, and fight his way through anything (see versus Chance at LSP last season BRAH). He is the Anti-Arnaud, the Kyle Orton of the team. He wants to get paid to play, do his job, move on. The man doesn't give a shit about the team most likely and has a long way to earn my respect, most likely never.
Three players who need Twitter accounts this year: The Dragon (imagine his smack talk against the week's opponent), Leapin' Larry (anyone with that nickname obviously has many stories to tell, especially after playing with the enigma team that is Orlando City), and first and foremost, BIRAHIM DIOP. First of all, the fact that Diop isn't my best friend depresses me enough. To not see the Smiling Man on Twitter makes it worst. He really is one of my favorite players on the team. The Diop Game Part Deux was 4 days after my 21st birthday. I was in such disbelief in his hat trick that I believed that I had drunken too much and was hallucinating. The man is the best influence in the locker room, so he needs to join his teammates on Twitter ASAP.
Every time I drive past LSP, I smile and feel so content in life. Every time I see a picture of RFK, I feel a bit of sorrow for the DC fans, then I remember how much they suck, and I move on. I seriously hate seeing MLS 1.0 still exist to a certain extent in New England and DC while the rest of the league has moved on to 3.0. Shocking how this is allowed but I believe things are about to change, DC easily, NE a little harder. The Don needs to force Kraft's hand and either convince him to build a stadium closer to the heart of Boston or simply sell the team off and let them flourish. I imagine someone in Boston would love to buy em and build em an awesome stadium.
I have nothing good nor bad to say about Bravo. A simple "good luck with Cruz Azul" is all there is to say. He made an instant impact, was a fan favorite, but always seemed to have his foot out the door to a certain degree. I don't know if he ever truly wanted to be here, never could mesh in. Just gotta say oh well and move on by getting someone better and younger.
Cosmos are dead, Cantona wants to be French president, I'm starting to feel that Pele has no idea what's going on, and where are the apparent owners suddenly? MLS needs to focus on fast growing, high tech, youthful cities. Top three for myself have to be Nashville, Austin/San Antonio (give or take, one or the other for now), and the Twin Cities. For the future, watch the Research Triangle. Those cities are booming at the moment and continue to grow plus they are all sports crazy. The Carolina Hurricanes have a great turnout and fanbase, along with all the college teams. They're going to pass Charlotte soon enough and become a major eastern metropolitan area.
Those are the thoughts, well, soccer thoughts going through my head right now. Probably about 10 of you will read this, I hope, so just comment and such. Enjoy the madness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)