Maybe this isn't the correct place for this thread, but I want to discuss the impact this could have on Soccer in this country. ESPN has really gotten behind the sport the past few seasons and their coverage of the Champions league led the way on this. I assume UEFA chose FSC bc they out bid ESPN, but long term I feel they may have stunted the growth of their product in this country by leaving ESPN. An example of a similar situation would be the NHL leaving ESPN after the lock out bc NBC offered them more money. I hope I am wrong, but I am worried this could have been a huge mistake for UEFA and consequently will hurt soccer in this country.
Actually - I believe this is a good move. Games are not just on FSC, but also on FSN (and FSE), and the final is on FX. ESPN didn't really get behind the Champions League - except the final. Remember that ESPN only showed 1 live game in English a day in the knockout rounds. FOX are totally commited to the sport.
I think you are both missing the point. Yes, obviously people on this board will benefit because they will be able to see more games. however, for the casual sports fan if espn tells them what to care about and the worldwide leader isn't going to promote something on fox.
I think you're overestimating ESPN's true influence amongst sports fans. ESPN has become the butt of many jokes in multiple forums. Don't take it from me just go take a look around the web... Look in on college football, basketball, NFL, etc forums around the net. People who want and are going to watch it are still going to and they will do so with much improved coverage and more opportunities to do so.
i'm personally not a huge fan of ESPN myself, but to pretend they dont set the sports agenda in this country is burying your head in the sand. Clearly there are other media outlets where someone can get their sports news, but the vast majority of people in this country log onto ESPN.com or flick on one of the 5 espn channels when they want to see what is going on in the world of sports. No other outlet can match the prestige and main stream acceptance soccer receives when ESPN broadcasts the sport. jmho
Personally, I think this sucks. IMO Fox Soccer Channel is one of the most unprofessionally run broadcast outlets I've ever seen.
Yes. I mean, no. I can never figure out how to answer negative questions. FSC charges cable and satellite systems to carry their programming. Not sure why you are asking this. Cable systems pay for most programming. These rates are all negotiated between the channels and the providers but ESPN charges around $4 per subscriber, IIRC. And ESPN pretty much forces providers to also pay for ESPN2, ESPN News, and ESPN Classic. I think Fox Soccer Channel is in the 20 or 30 cents range.
From a purely selfish TV viewing standpoint I think this stinks, because FSC does not broadcast in Hi-Def in my area and the ESPN broadcasts are all high quality in hi-definition. The quality of ESPN's MLS Game of the Week is so good that it makes me detest the low budget, high school sports quality broadcast of normal MLS games.
Do you have any idea how many will be on fsn and if they will be broadcast in HD? I really don't care what channel the game is on as long as I get it and it's in HD.
Well either way; as long as I can watch the Champions League then I don't care. Worse case scenario...go online and watch it.
One Tuesday game a week live on FSN, I believe, for a total of 16 games a season. And they should be in HD.
Stuff like this always illuminates the difference between long-term thinkers and short-term self-gratifiers (and probably between old and young). You can always spot the distinction. The long-term thinkers know that the loss of CL from ESPN is a big deal, that it's a step back for soccer's growth in this country -- a growth that would ultimately benefit all of us. The short-termers, the ones who can't see past this afternoon, simply think, "Yippee! Something for ME, right this MOMENT!" Nitpicky complaints about ESPN are pointless here. The original poster is right -- you're burying your head in the sand if you don't realize ESPN's importance to sports in this country, and its influence on the bigger picture. Taking the CL to FSC is like freezing the tournament's status at this point and locking it in a box. I can't tell you the number of people I know who have gotten into soccer the past few years via the Champions League matches on ESPN. I'm talking about friends who didn't even know what a soccer ball looked like when we were all coming up. Perhaps a couple of them will be inclined to follow it over to the myriad Fox subchannels. But I also know there will be a whole lot fewer guys like them now discovering it. Why anybody thinks that's helpful to soccer in the United States, I don't know.
At least with my cable provider, this is a bad thing. ESPN* comes with "basic cable", if you have cable you have most of the ESPN channels. FSC comes with a "sports package" for non-trivial amount/month. Many (including my family) don't have it.
I don't think I could care less about the ECL "growing" in America. As long as I can watch it in HD with out having to order ppv I will be happy. If it was the MLS getting taken off of ESPN I would be more concerned.
QFT I went from a casual soccer fan to a big one after watching CL games on a widely accessible ESPN. I'm not sure that would've happened if FSC had those games at the time. People may not like ESPN, but it's the top sports network in the U.S. Whether you're a die-hard MLS supporter or a Eurosnob who doesn't give a crap about U.S. soccer, we all should agree that ESPN has the best potential for coverage for more games. I don't blame FSC, however. I blame ESPN and their probable lowballing tactics that resulted in this loss. Now that FSC has the games, they better air more games live and reruns instead of all those EPL classics. I've held off on paying the extra money for FSC because they spend too much time airing games from the last century.
Your casual fan does not have the Fox stations. Some cable providers do not carry it. Nor do they want to order it. So they are out of luck. The same goes for hockey. The lost of hockey was bad. Not every cable provider carries Versus. The casual fan would also would not want to order the extra NHL station. I have the NHL channel and it only shows canadian games. It was a bad idea.
I'm quite worried about the move as well. But some people will be happy. I had a friend tell me "Soccer does not belong on ESPN."
ESPN management is putting their eggs in one basket. Just like American car-makers did. No global perspective, just tunnel vision on the redneck/ghetto American "sports" fan. The NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, NHL, PGA, Bowling, Bass Fishing, or Hunting will never grow outside of the US. However, soccer is growing by leaps and bounds everywhere in the US. Think about how far we have come! Then compare that to how far every other American sport has progressed around the world. NFL Europe went bankrupt.
It's not clear from your post: Is your friend a soccer purist who thinks ESPN is unworthy of the sport, or a Joe American purist who thinks the sport is unworthy of ESPN?