The UEFA CL Broadcast Petition

[Coach_McGuirk]

..is online and available at http://www.petitiononline.com/uefa/petition.html

Tell all your friends!

[Mike Toole]

Unfortunately, online petitions don't work (http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.htm).

I suggest writing to ESPN (http://espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html). No cutting and pasting a form letter, either-- take the time to compose your thoughts on your own. I've already written, and if I don't get some sort of explanation (I can guess that it has something to do with Real Madrid on the following day, but I want to hear it from them) in the next 48 hours, I'm going to call their offices and try to speak to someone about this.

Remember, it only takes a few seconds to fill in the form and click "OK" for an online petition. Companies know this, and accordingly don't take them seriously. A deluge of separate emails and telephone calls is a lot more likely to get their attention.

[jwaldman11]

I disagree with this sentiment, Mike. Back when the Penguins were possibly going to be moved, there was an online petition started to tell the NHL to work a little harder to save the franchise (as it appeared that Gary Bettman and Paul Allen were already discussing uniform designs for the new Portland Penguins). We accumulated somewhere in the neighborhood of 250,000 signatures and passed it onto the league office. A week later, Bettman said that his first priority was to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I think he was stunned at how many people signed the thing from all over the world. I think if UEFA sees that that many people care about their games, they'll be more inclined to think about that when contract talks roll around.

I also can tell you from working at a TV station that, for the most part, we don't care what individual viewers tell us. If we lose one viewer, oh well. We'll probably gain another down the road. No matter how much they say they value your opinion in those feedback forms, the reality of it is that, unless you're in a focus group, it will probably be read along with thousands of other comments and you'll get the generic "Thank you for your feedback..." reply. Even if you call, typically the program director will tell you why the move was made (most of the time they'll lie to you directly) and then say they'll take your opinion into consideration if this topic should ever come up again.

It's really all about ratings and advertising revenue anyway. As Rick alluded too in another topic, one of the biggest problems for soccer/football in this country is that, in a commercially driven media market, there is little room for advertising outside of the little space next to the score. There's roughly 12 commercials in a two hour broadcast. If you figure that there's 14 MINUTES available for advertising per hour on your average station, there's a major difference. Even if you charge a premium for those 12 spots and the six slots available for billboard sponsorship up by the score, unless it's the Super Bowl, your total ad revenue won't come close to what you can get from around 50 spots over the same time period.

Having said all that, I will be intrigued to see what you hear from "the Worldwide Leader". Just remember that, if and when you call, ask for their programming director. I'll also be signing the petition and would hope that everyone else here will, even if they don't believe it will be effective.

[KevTheGooner]

For what its worth, it doesn't look like the rest of the BigSoccer world is with us.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71532

I guess Arsene's siege mentality could creep into the boards over here too??!!

[TheSlipperyOne]

Originally posted by Mike Toole
Unfortunately, online petitions don't work (http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.htm).

I suggest writing to ESPN (http://espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html).

The petition is to UEFA, not ESPN. It's to get UEFA to sell the rights to a company that will show more CL games in the US. ESPN isn't likely to change it's practises anytime soon in regards to how much CL it will show. So going to the group (through emails or petitions) that decides if ESPN, Fox or any other network gets the English language rights in the US seems like a good idea to me.

[Martin Daoust]

Originally posted by The Gooner
For what its worth, it doesn't look like the rest of the BigSoccer world is with us.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71532

I guess Arsene's siege mentality could creep into the

I put my two cents in there...
Originally posted by monster
So let me get this straight:

You are bitching because ESPN2 is showing matches that might interest people who might not usually watch?

You are bitching because ESPN2 will highlight a player who casual fans will recognize because he was covered extensively in the mass media over the summer?

You are bitching because a team whose tour drew massive media attention will be on TV, thereby maybe piquing the interest of people who remember the name from this summer?

You are bitching because ESPN2 is actually trying to cash in on these two phenomenons, thereby maybe trying to get more people to watch the games?

How dare they put things on that might interest the people who haven't been watching in the past.

Your points are fine except for ONE detail-the matches are on on TUESDAY or WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON-hardly a time when ANY body but VERY SERIOUS soccer fans- actually,FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS- are there to watch these matches. Why do they only show ONE match weekly now-because the ratings aren't there to raise advertising rates-otherwise they'd show ManU one day and real the next if the numbers were there.
There are NO casual fans looking to watch Champions League Football on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon-no one who will watch because of ANY ONE player-not even Beckham or ANY ONE club. The viewers who tune in to these ESPN matches tend to support one of the competing sides or at least to support a specific football club in Europe. This is Saturday afternoon baseball or Monday night(American)football or the NCAA final four. There is not a built-in audience for European Football here, not a body of casual watchers looking to watch that rather than some half-hour fishing and hot-rod programs. Seeking these non-existant "casual" fans on weekday afternoons serves NO ONE'S interests, including ESPN'S... boards over here too??!!

[SLO-Gunner]

isn't espn planning on showing 4 matches each matchday starting next year on their new deportes outfit?

[Coach_McGuirk]

Originally posted by anahvi
isn't espn planning on showing 4 matches each matchday starting next year on their new deportes outfit?

Unless they offer the games with a SAP in English and make Deportes readily available, then they can show games all day long and it doesn't help those of us who don't speak Spanish that much.

[SLO-Gunner]

Originally posted by Coach_McGuirk
Unless they offer the games with a SAP in English and make Deportes readily available, then they can show games all day long and it doesn't help those of us who don't speak Spanish that much.

do you really get anything out of Tommy Smyth/Derek Rae's useless commentary that's blurted out on espn2? I don't speak any Spanish, but I'll gladly take my choice of 4 matches each matchday in Spanish in place of 1 match with Tommy. In my experience, the espn2 English-speaking crew doesn't provide any novel insight to matches.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Originally posted by Coach_McGuirk
make Deportes readily available

Bingo. Deportes costs more for me to add than FSW and many other channels.

[Coach_McGuirk]

Originally posted by anahvi
do you really get anything out of Tommy Smyth/Derek Rae's useless commentary that's blurted out on espn2? I don't speak any Spanish, but I'll gladly take my choice of 4 matches each matchday in Spanish in place of 1 match with Tommy. In my experience, the espn2 English-speaking crew doesn't provide any novel insight to matches.

*LMAO*

Point well taken, my friend. Maybe I should alter my request to "an English SAP with 2 guys who KNOW what they're talking about"

[SLO-Gunner]

Originally posted by Coach_McGuirk
......with 2 guys who KNOW what they're talking about"

classic....wish espn would read our view of these clowns.

[Coach_McGuirk]

OK. We have 115 signatures in less than 48 hours. We've got to get the word out on this thing.

Thanks to those who have signed up.