FOX Sports San Diego

ONly issue would be cost. It's not cheap to get on a TV network like that.

 

Might be an opportunity there. 4SD is going to need some programming and won't be nearly as pricey.

As for FSNSD. Hopefully they'll consider picking up Club Tijuana games if they earn the jump up to the FMF next week. Having our obstensibly "local" top level soccer team on the sports network with our top level baseball team would be a very cool thing. And a great way to spread interest in soccer and the Xolos.

 

About the Xolos: Should we have a thread for them in this forum, since they're pretty close to being in the 1st division? Just wondering.

 

Don't see why not. First or second division they're easily the highest level and best soccer team in the San Diego/Tijuana region (hell you can argue they're the best soccer team within 150 miles after the Xolos beat the Galaxy in March)

 

Because they don't have the money to make it happen. The Sockers do better financially than Boca and the Flash.

FSN is not in the business of "helping the sport."

Given the Flash's best-ever crowd was around 900 people, you're unlikely to convince FSN that there's this big audience for those games. They're not going to just broadcast them out of the goodness of their hearts. Broadcasting doesn't work that way.

Now, if one or both teams wanted to buy the time and sell advertising, I would guess FSN would take their money like they would with anyone wanting to air an infomercial. But I don't believe either team has the resources to do that, nor do I think they could recoup their costs.

The broadcasting business simply doesn't work like (too) many people here think it works.

 

Any idea which channels, services, etc?

 

That's where I think channel 4 comes in. They show marginal sports like high school basketball and football all the time. Hell I just watched Aztecs baseball last night on channel 4. I'm sure something could be done for an economical amount.

 

Economical to whom?

 

The teams. It's far cheaper to buy your way on to Ch 4 than say FSN.

 

You can do low-rent TV economically. You can't do good TV economically. And in 2012, soccer televised "economically" has to compete with a whole lot of other soccer that's televised well (not to mention televising games with <900 people attending them doesn't "help" the sport).

Just out of curiosity, what would you estimate to be the cost to produce a game and what are you assuming the annual budgets of Boca and the Flash to be?

Now, multiply what you think it costs to produce a game times the "handful of select home games" they're going to televise. Then add the costs to promote those telecasts, because you won't get any return if nobody knows they're on. So are you going to pay to promote them, or is Channel 4? (Hint: It's not Channel 4.)

Now, would it be impossible? No. But you'd need to find someone to underwrite a bunch of the costs, and sponsors are unlikely to cover the freight on this.

There's a reason low-budget NPSL teams don't do this: because they're low-budget. And because it costs more than you think it does. And the return is less.

 

It's appearing on Cox, but it better appear on Time-Warner as well or else I'll be furious. I'm a huge Padres fans (in addition to being a rabid soccer fan) and I got to be able to keep up with my Pads on the tube.

 

I imagine it'll be on TW, Directv, and Dish eventually. That was the whole point of moving to FSN was to get greater coverage since Ch 4 is cable only. However knowing TW's history with this it'll be a last minute thing because they're stingier negotiators.

 

Two things I've recently found out:

1 - The Flash/Boca game had, supposedly from an eyewitness, 350 people in attendance, maybe.
2 - When Boca plays in Phoenix next week, they will bus over and back the same day to avoid hotel costs. 350 miles each way.

So tell me again how these teams can afford to do TV?