2009 December | Sports Fans Coalition, Inc.

COMCAST Screws Portland Trailblazers Fans for Third Straight Season

2 Comments 31 December 2009

Here is a personal story from one of our members highlighting the local sports exclusive issue in action at the expense of the sports fan:

Over two years ago, Comcast NW signed a contract with the Portland Trailblazers.

At that time, they promised to get the rest of the state’s cable companies and the dish providers signed up so all Oregon could enjoy our only pro sports team.

Today, two and a half seasons later, most of Oregon still can’t see the Blazers on their local cable TV station or on a dish.

In my case, because I also live within the blackout area of the Rose Garden (150 milies even on away games), Blazers games are also blacked out on NBA LEague PASS, NBA TV and even NBA Broadband.

I would buy Comcast if I could. I would buy a local cable company that now shows Comcast, if I could. But I can’t and so I’m screwed.

-SFC Member

The issue is a serious one. If a company promises to provide coverage to its fans, why shouldn’t it be held accountable? It should.

That’s why the Sports Fans Coalition was formed. Accountability.

In related news, the Comcast/NBC Merger is currently being reviewed by the FCC. We are advising the FCC to not only close the ‘terrestrial loophole’ that allows local sports exclusives (i.e. blackouts), but to incorporate into their guidelines strict rules on how the merged company can act in order to protect the sports fan.

Join the Coalition and you’ll receive periodical updates on what we’re doing about these issues, and how you can make a difference today.

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Demands for NCAA Football Playoff Persist, Fiesta Dirt, BCS Ticket Prices Bowl Us Over

2 Comments 29 December 2009

As the New Year approaches, so do the infamous BCS games – which will once again deliver on the promise of leaving us wanting more. More entertainment, more justice, and more cash in our wallets.

The results of a Quinnipiac University National Poll were released today finding that American college football fans favor a playoff over the current system 63%-to-26%.

While fans are on the fence about congress getting involved, the SFC applauds those representatives investigating the issue and bringing these abuses to light. It is our hope that the BCS will realize it is in their best interest to listen to the lifeblood of their organization, the fans, and begin the process of implementing a playoff.

In other news, our comrades at Playoff PAC have filed a complaint against the BCS’s Fiesta Bowl for reimbursing employees for political contributions. The Arizona Republic dug up some dirt on these BCS practices, and now Playoff PAC is asking that they open up their books. We at SFC need a shower just reading this madness. While it’s not exactly shocking, the BCS and the Fiesta Bowl should not be allowed to sweep this under the carpet.

Last, but not least, average ticket prices for both the Rose Bowl (1/1) and the BCS Championship game (1/7) are up significantly over last year.

The average sale price for Rose Bowl tickets is $467–a 21% increase over last year’s average $387, and the average sale price for BCS tickets is $1,117 – a 16.7% increase over last year’s average $957!

God bless you if you can afford to make it to one of these games. God help us all to be able to watch the games on TV at home.

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A Grim Reminder of Poor ROI on Public Funding for Stadiums

3 Comments 23 December 2009

Reading the following article from The Wall Street Journal is like taking a tour of a graveyard for us sports fans:

Last-Minute Gift Ideas: Old Stadiums

Some of These Facilities That Sit Mostly Idle Could Possibly Be Had for a Reasonable Sum

By HANNAH KARP

The Pontiac Silverdome is shown last month.

Most sports fans assume that once a stadium or arena is replaced by a newer model, the old house is immediately blown to smithereens in a pyrotechnics show that would make James Cameron proud. But many more than you think are still around. Some have historical value, while others are still bringing in funds to cash-strapped municipalities. Who knows, some may even be available to well-heeled holiday shoppers looking for a last-minute gift. Here are a few:

Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Mich.

Thirty-five years after taxpayers spent $56 million to build it, this domed stadium, once home to the NFL’s Detroit Lions and NBA’s Pistons, was auctioned off last month for $583,000 to the highest bidder—a developer from Toronto. After several lawsuits, the deal is expected to go through this month because the city can no longer afford to maintain it. The developer, Andreas Apostolopoulos, spent last week in Pontiac and says he is in discussions with Major League Soccer to bring a team to the Detroit area. He says the stadium might not be quite the bargain it appears, given the amount he’ll have to invest to bring the facility up to speed. “There’s a lot of work to do first,” he says.

Reliant Astrodome, Houston

The world’s first domed sports stadium, the Astrodome was nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” when it opened in 1965 to house baseball’s Astros and football’s Oilers. But since the Astros moved into Minute Maid Park (née Enron Field) for the 2000 season, after the Oilers had already decamped for Tennessee for the 1997 season, the city has spent millions over the years on basic upkeep even though the dome has no major tenants. After plans fell through to convert the facility into a hotel and convention center, there are groups lobbying to turn it into everything from a movie studio to a planetarium.

Pyramid Arena, Memphis, Tenn.

The Pyramid in Memphis shown in early 2008.

Opened in 1991, this 20,000-seat arena on the banks of the Mississippi—one of the world’s 10 largest pyramids—housed the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Memphis men’s basketball team until both moved to the FedEx Forum in 2004. Shelby County, which sold its half share in the arena to the City of Memphis this year, has considered refashioning the pyramid as a casino or an aquarium. A local congressman suggested opening a new branch of the Smithsonian Institution. Sporting-goods outfitter Bass Pro Shops is renting the pyramid for $35,000 a month with plans to convert it into a megastore, but a spokesman says the company won’t purchase the building.

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington

Former home of both the Redskins and baseball’s second Senators franchise, which moved to Texas to become the Rangers after the 1971 season, the 48-year-old RFK hasn’t been able to hook a new team for long despite $18.5 million in renovations for baseball’s Nationals, which played there from 2005 through 2007. Critics pronounced it one of baseball’s worst stadiums on account of its cramped quarters and awkward layout. The resident DC United soccer team hopes to have a new home by 2012.

Balboa Stadium, San Diego

Built in 1914, this facility housed the Chargers during some of their winningest years from 1961 to 1966 and hosted three American Football League championship games during that period. Now owned by the city of San Diego and leased to the local school district, the stadium has fallen into such disrepair that many soccer players and runners fear injury on the worn-down track and torn-up turf. The city and district have said they can’t afford renovation.

Olympic Stadium, Montreal

Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 2001.

Designed for the 1976 Olympic Games by ambitious French architect Roger Taillibert, this structure—which was part of a $1.5 billion project that was just paid off a few years ago—has been plagued by problems since its inception, thanks to labor strikes, fires and a host of structural snafus. The inclined tower—now the highest in the world—wasn’t finished in time for the Olympics, nor was the retractable roof, which proved unstable in high winds even when it was completed a decade later. Part of the roof collapsed before the Montreal auto show in 1999. Once home to baseball’s Expos, a soccer team and the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, the stadium was used this month for a swine-flu-vaccination clinic.

Beijing National Stadium, Beijing

This stadium, built for about a half billion dollars before the 2008 Olympic Games and better known as the “Bird’s Nest,” was transformed into a snow park this month, much to the chagrin of environmentalists who say creating the artificial snow is a waste of water, especially given the continuing drought in the area. The snow festival is one of only a handful of events the stadium has hosted since the Olympics. With annual operating costs of roughly $10 million, the facility was placed under government management in August to curb financial losses.

Alamodome, San Antonio

Opened in 1993, the nearly $200 million arena was forsaken seven years ago by the NBA’s Spurs, fans of which complained of poor views from many seats in the designed-for-football stadium. (The Spurs now play in the AT&T Center). In 2005 the San Antonio City Council voted to spend close to $6.5 million to renovate the arena to lure a Major League Soccer franchise to the city, but it soon abandoned that plan, and the city hopes to someday draw an NFL team. One of Texas’ least-utilized stadiums, it hosted the New Orleans Saints for a few games in 2005 when they were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The stadium’s bread and butter is playing host each year to college football’s Alamo Bowl, which this season will feature Texas Tech against Michigan State.

The Forum, Inglewood, Calif.

Home of the Los Angeles Lakers and NHL’s Kings until both moved to the Staples Center in 1999, this circular, $16 million arena was purchased by the Faithful Central Bible Church in 2000, though the church stopped holding regular services in the arena earlier this year. The church’s Web site states “WE ARE AVAILABLE” for film shoots and rehearsal space; earlier this year the Lakers played a preseason game in the Forum to celebrate the team’s 50th season in Los Angeles. The arena also has hosted big health clinics for low-income families.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703478704574612111114848276.html

The bottom line is that public funding for stadiums is NOT the answer. Sports franchise owners are some of the wealthiest people in the world and need no subsidy. However, government officials continue to court and support the use of tax payer funds and generous tax breaks for the purpose of stadium construction.

The last example of The Forum in Inglewood could be the most inspiring example of recycling, giving back to the low-income community through hosting health clinics. Alternatively, Montreal Olympic Stadium may represent the worst example as the city continues to recover from the initial overinvestment and crippling returns.

Across the spectrum of stadiums for sale and stories therein, there is a depression that permeates our current recession. That depression is not an indication of an economic status, but rather, a feeling of sadness in reaction to the misuse of our public funds.

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Kerry Calls for TV Resolution Before New Year’s Day Football

2 Comments 23 December 2009

THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE IS SFC APPROVED:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, today sent a letter to both FOX and Time Warner urging for a swift resolution to current negotiations in order to stop consumers, and football fans, from waking up without College Bowl games on New Year’s Day.

“Fox and Time Warner need to strike a deal – millions of football fans are depending on it,” said Sen. Kerry. “Having screens go dark because two parties couldn’t come together in time is no solution. New Year’s Day and football are synonymous in households across the nation. Private industry negotiations cannot disrupt a fundamental American tradition.”

The full text of the letter is below:

Mr. Chase Carey

President and Chief Operating Officer

News Corporation

1211 Avenue of Americas

New York, New York 10036

Mr. Glenn Britt

Chairman and CEO

Time Warner Cable

60 Columbus Circle

NY, NY 10023

Dear Sirs:

I am aware that FOX and Time Warner Cable have been involved for some time in negotiations regarding the terms of carriage for FOX-owned broadcast television stations, as well as FOX-owned cable channels.

These are private negotiations, and I hope that the parties reach a mutually acceptable resolution before the existing agreement expires on December 31. If you fail to do so, I suggest that FOX allow Time Warner Cable to continue transmitting programming through the College Bowl season either under current terms and conditions or under terms and conditions that will be retroactively applied once an agreement is reached, or under some third option. I also suggest that both parties strongly consider entering arbitration rather than having consumers lose access to programming.

If I understand correctly, at midnight on December 31, 2009, FOX content may be removed from cable systems Time Warner Cable owns. This means that, in January, millions of Time Warner Cable customers around the country could lose access to the Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl, as well as NFL playoff games. Prior to the digital transition, many consumers were able to put up rabbit ear antennas to receive programming. However, digital receivers are more expensive and complex to use. We do not want consumers waking up on the first day of the New Year wanting to watch football and instead finding that they have to take a trip to the electronics store to purchase a digital receiver in the hope that they receive a clear over the air signal.

As the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communication, Technology, and the Internet, I have sought to place the interests of consumers at the center of our work. If both parties conclude that the best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to have screens go dark for consumers, then they will have neglected the core interests of the millions of households that subscribe to Time Warner Cable in affected markets. As leaders of major companies that are FCC licensees and are obligated to serve the public interest, I hope and expect that you will resolve this matter consistent with those obligations.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

God Bless you, John Kerry, for working on this issue so near and dear to the SFC faithful’s hearts during this holiday season. We need more politicians to speak up and speak out, advocating for the sports fan.

We emplore you to follow up Senator Kerry’s letter with your own using the addresses above. Let’s put the pressure on the networks to give us our games. Let’s start the new year off with a victory!

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Paying the High Price to Go “Home” Again: “Legal” Scalpers Profit as Alumni Fans Have Nowhere Else to Turn for Tickets

2 Comments 21 December 2009

The following piece was submitted by SFC member and, as you will soon read, legitimately disgruntled sports fan, Michael Betsch:

I grew up watching Villanova basketball with my father, a fellow Wildcat, and cheering on our team through the best and worst of times. My childhood heroes were guys like John Pinone and Ed Pinckney, and now, it is such a wonderful feeling knowing that my son will share the same fond memories and “want to be like” Scottie Reynolds or Taylor King and many more future Wildcat role model athletes.

My decision to attend Villanova University in 1993 was predominantly based on the fact that I would be able to watch the Wildcats from the best seats in the Pavilion, just to give you an idea of how much I bleed blue and white. Adding fire to my passion, my father was a Villanova cheerleader and Wildcat mascot who energized the crowds as a student, so you can imagine how animated our home was on game days during my youth.

No longer a student with easy access to the best seats in the Pavilion, it is upsetting that in order for my family to attend games on campus, we must rely on online ticket resellers, or “legal” scalpers, for seats, and the fact that our team is coming-off a Final Four appearance in 2009 and looking to win the NCAA title in 2010, it does not make tickets any easier to find or affordable.

The face value for upper level Villanova basketball tickets at the Pavilion are $20 apiece. One need only to search for “Villanova Basketball” on StubHub to find that these same seats are selling upwards of $80 each, and the service and shipping charges on StubHub make the total price for a family of four about $450.

Long the tradition of Villanova, season tickets to the Pavilion games are awarded to those who have endured waiting many years on a long waiting list. Per a recent discussion with a University Alumni Office representative, not all of those in receipt of season tickets are alumni.

Many Pavilion ticketholders, as I learned to my dismay, are locals with no ties to the University except, possibly, sharing the same zip code. These locals can smell a big payday from the less than a mile away they live from campus, and ticket resellers such as StubHub are making it quick and easy for them to turn a profit game after game, season after season.

I am not familiar with how other college basketball programs sell their season tickets or what sort of rules they incorporate in their season ticket holder agreements and contracts, but I think any program facing this same troubling scenario must, first and foremost, place these much sought after and invaluable tickets in the hands of loyal alumni. If there are any remaining ticket packages, I have no objection to selling-out the house by selling them to locals.

Next, a rule must be created that makes it clear to alumni in receipt of home court, on-campus season tickets that they are prohibited from re-selling them on ticket reseller Web sites. These loyal alumni in receipt of season tickets presumably share a special bond with their fellow alums, so they should have no objection to making their unusable tickets available to fellow alums at face value on a special Web site established by the Alumni Association or Athletic Department that could put their seats up for auction (with proceeds benefitting the school or Athletic Department, by choice or designation), for sale on a first come first served basis, or in a ticket lottery that is purely based on luck of the draw (and, once you’ve “won” a set of game tickets in a given season, you would not be entered in any future lotteries to allow for other alumni to attend a game that same season, as well). The buyer would, of course, pay for shipping (cost for seller to send tickets to the college and cost for the college to mail tickets to buyer), but that would be the only additional expense incurred.

Basically, I am proposing an easy and sensible solution that suggests we, as loyal alumni and fans, try to keep these much sought after seats in the “family” so fellow alumni can return “home” and relive all of the memories of their most amazing years spent cheering on their team on their beloved campus and creating new memories for and with their future Wildcats, as is the case in my family.

Michael L. Betsch is an avid basketball fan by night and weekend, and a journalist by day who has produced editorial content in the D.C. public policy arena since 2001. He has been cited by multiple network, radio and publication media outlets, including FOX News Channel, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Times.

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College Football Bowls Begin, Playoffs to Bring the Plagues

2 Comments 20 December 2009

The NCAA Football Bowl Season has begun and, believe it or not, it’s been some pretty exciting football. While the matchups aren’t especially rivetting on paper and actually reading the pre-BCS schedule filled with sponsor tags is a little like watching a NASCAR race, the competition has not been filled with ho-hum blowouts.

A double-OT win for Wyoming over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl didn’t just make Dick Cheney smile. A smirk was also found on the face of the Executive Director of the Bowl Championship Series Bill Hancock who has been spreading lies about how a playoff would hurt college football fans, and the economies of towns who currently host non-BCS bowl games.

According to TIME Magazine, Hancock is one of the most loved men in the sports industry. So, for those questioning the use of the word ‘lies’, it would be wise to read his unpalatable explanation predicting lost interest in the regular season, economic downfall for host cities of bowl games (assuming that host cities would have to change at all), and every other plague mentioned in Exodus short of raining amphibians, if in fact a playoff is instituted.

Furthermore, Hancock’s piece in USA Today illustrates how out of touch he is with the simple desires of the college football fan. That is obvious quite early in this written plea, but never moreso than when he dares to state that ‘playoffs burden the fans’. After going on and on about how great it is to create memories going on road trips to see one’s alma mater in the post-season, this becomes a ‘burden’ when it’s inconvenient for his argument.

It’s a healthy practice to examine the argument in detail. It’s also a good excercise to pull back the curtain to see who is spending what on whom to get what done in terms of lobbyists’ efforts to influence our currently inequitable system for better or worse.

One thing is for sure: The SFC will be following this issue closely, pushing for a playoff with our friends at Playoff PAC until that goal is realized. Awaiting Hancock’s smile turned upside down to pure frown.

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FCC Responds to Sports Fans’ Call to End Local Sports Exclusives

No Comments 16 December 2009

Sports Fans, especially those who reside in Philly, NYC, and San Diego, all hope is not lost!

The SFC has raised questions about the future for sports fans if the Comcast/NBC merger is approved, citing specific examples in Philadelphia, where the local cable company also owns the sports team, arena, and network, forcing Philly’s fans to buy cable if they want to see their local games.

A new SFC member and Philly fan in the trenches expressed his displeasure over the tactics used by Comcast in that market, marginalizing those who can’t foot the bill. SFC’s agenda has called for making all local sports events available to the local fans, regardless of how those fans get their media.

It appears that the FCC is taking up this cause in advance of the Comcast/NBC merger, in an effort to make sure that the type of local sports exclusive found in Phily, NYC, and San Diego becomes a thing of the past. Bloomberg is reporting that Federal Communications Commission ’staff will send a recommendation to the agency’s five members to revise the rule’ that currently allows national (and regional) media companies such as Comcast to deny competitors the ability to broadcasts professional sports. The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal both ran good stories on the FCC’s effort to close this ‘terrestrial loophole’.

For the Sports Fans Coalition, this would be a MAJOR win, in line with our agenda seeking to end local sports exclusives, in addition to ending local sports blackouts and other practices that keep you, the fan, away from your teams.

If you’re not yet a member, JOIN THE COALITION now to be a part of the solution.

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Monday’s Call to Action by Brad Blakeman

No Comments 14 December 2009

Join SFC in calling for your local sports teams to sponsor “Take Them Out to the Ballgame”. TTOTTB is a program that allows Vets and kids the ability to get free or greatly reduced ticket prices 4 hours before every game.

Why should seats remain empty? Why not fill the park with fans who may never otherwise get a chance to see a game first hand?

There are millions of fans in this bleak economy that need an escape from reality even for a few hours. We are fighting 2 wars and we should be thinking of ways to honor our Vets every chance we can get.

What do you think? Will you join our effort? Become an SFC Fan today and lets make TTOTTB part of every game in every sport.

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Tim Tebow Recruited by Crist to Avoid Blackouts?

1 Comment 14 December 2009

Governor Charlie Crist spoke recently to the Jacksonville Jaguars ownership about the possibility of drafting University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Crist believes that Tebow’s presence will be an avenue for the team to sell more tickets, keeping the Jags in Jacksonville.

Whether that discussion was right or wrong, this Governor sees the glaring problem in Jacksonville and wants to fix it.

The impact of the Jaguars leaving Jacksonville would cost the city jobs, charitable support, and future stadium-based revenue. There are close to 2500 seasonal employees on a typical game day, not to mention the employees of the multiple businesses that rely on game attendees patronage.

Local charities that partner with the Jaguars Foundation will no longer receive the annual $1 million in donations. The charitable gifts from high paid players and the generous ownership (see Weaver Family Foundation) will travel with the team.

Any hope of Jacksonville to remain a contender as a site for an event such as the potential United States hosted 2018 or 2022 World Cup will be dashed without a state of the art facility. There is no state of the art facility without a team to fund the stadium upkeep.

The situation in Jacksonville is a complicated one. However, the answer to rebuilding this team’s fan base is not continuing the NFL-sanctioned blackouts due to lackluster ticket sales.

The economy certainly contributed to the Jaguars’ current dilemma, but the NFL’s policy only serves to further damage that economy by alienating fans from their home team, with or without Tim Tebow. Enough is enough.

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Today Versus Tomorrow: Less Sports?

1 Comment 11 December 2009

Ever since Comcast and NBC-Universal announced plans to tie the knot, public interest groups and others have thought about what the world might look like after the honeymoon ends. And it ain’t pretty.

Here’s one story we’ve heard over and over again from our public-interest advocacy friends here in the Nation’s capital:

Versus, a sports network owned by Comcast, appears to be trying to get more high-quality, high-demand sports exclusives, so that the only way you can watch the game is if you get the Versus network. Okay, so far that sounds like any other sports network trying to become the best thing since someone handed John Madden a microphone and a digital pen.

But then, take a look at what Comcast does today with sports programming in Philadelphia, where the only way to watch a game is if you pay a bounty to the local cable operator (Comcast). Or what it does around the country with regional sports networks, where you might get the sports you want to watch, or you might not, depending on whether your local pay-TV provider has paid its bounty– an ever increasing bounty, at that. If you put these things together, our public interest experts tell us, you get more and more sports going exclusively to one network (Versus) and the only way to get that network is if you subscribe to the cable company that owns it.

The story turns into a downright horror show when the next chapter is read: same deal for NBC sports. You want to see the game? Subscribe to Comcast and it’s all there for you. You don’t pay The Man, you don’t see the game.

Sports fans will remember when Monday Night Football left the free broadcast airwaves for good back when ESPN (Disney) bought the rights. It meant that you needed to get pay-TV from someone (cable, satellite, phone, whatever) if you wanted to watch MNF. Can’t afford pay-TV? Sorry. To hear the public interest groups tell it, the Comcast-NBC merger could put one more brick on your back: now, in addition to needing to subscribe to pay TV, you’d only have ONE COMPANY to choose from: Comcast.

So, what do you think about the latest story circulating through Washington? Is this a real threat to sports fans, or just another typical day in the sportsocracy?

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