Listen to Brad Blakeman on Portland Radio
Check out some of the recent interviews with SFC board member Brad Blakeman on Portland radio on our media page. Check out the full list of media appearances made by Brad while in Oregon testifying in an Oregon General Assembly hearing in which he tried to convince lawmakers to step in and do something about the Trail [...]
Ticket Resale Market Preys Upon Sports Fans
On Tuesday, the four men responsible for the former ticket resale outlet, Wiseguys Ticketing, were indicted. For three years, these hackers purchased large amounts of premium seats at events, such as the 2006 Rose Bowl and the 2007 MLB playoffs. Wiseguys then sold their inventory to online ticket brokers at an increased price. The ticket brokers then sold the tickets on websites such as StubHub and TicketsNow. Fans were forced to look to those ticket resale outlets to buy what they needed at a significant markup in addition to the increased price paid by those brokers. So the fans got screwed -- twice. However, removing the Wiseguys from the online ticket purchasing game is only one hurdle facing sports fans in the technological age.
White Collar Crime: Cablevision Defies FCC, Hordes HD Sports
Despite the FCC's ruling that no local sports exclusives should exist providing both standard and HD sports to competitors of cable and, in turn, fans who subscribe to alternate providers, Cablevision, Comcast, and Cox (to name the big players) haven't moved a muscle to straighten up their act. Rather, they've taken the FCC to court appealing the decision - making false promises to U.S. Representatives - continuing to abuse sports fans across the country by witholding access to games. Below is a note from one of our intelligent members about the seemingly endless struggle to supply fans with their sports on TV:
Monday’s Call to Action by Brad Blakeman
I traveled last week to Salem, Oregon to testify before Members of the Oregon General Assembly with regard to Comcast Cable’s blacking out of Portland Trail Blazers home games. Thousands of Trail Blazers fans are denied enjoying their favorite past time because of the greed and control exercised by a cable provider who refuses to [...]
Bag the Sports Hero Worship, Support The SFC
When the Tiger Woods scandal broke, many were shocked while some were unfazed by the news that another hero had fallen from grace. Woods, the first billion-dollar athlete, had chiseled out of gold his pristine image for sponsors and fans to embrace wholeheartedly. Charles Barkley once famously asked the question, ”A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should [...]
Sports Fans Coalition Makes Waves in Portland
In the span of 24 hours, SFC board member Brad Blakeman represented sports fans in Oregon and across the country by going on the radio, speaking to TV and newspaper reporters, and most importantly, by testifying in the Oregon General Assembly hearing targeting the Portland Trail Blazers' deal with Comcast which shuts out so many fans from the team's broadcasts. We need to keep the pressure on Comcast, the team, and the state representatives to make this right. We Want Our Games!
Where Are My Blazers Games?
Sports Fans Coalition has launched the Local Chapter SFC-Portland in order to organize and mobilize those frustrated Trail Blazers fans who continue to be shut out from being able to watch their home team play home games on TV unless they pay Comcast’s ransom. Furthermore, many sports fans in Oregon do not have Comcast in [...]
SFC Board Member Brad Blakeman’s Testimony Before Oregon General Assembly
Chairman Holvey, Vice-Chairman Gilliam, Vice-Chairman Riley, Members of the Consumer Protection and Government Accountability Committee: The question that brings me before you is a simple one: should Oregon sports fans be able to watch on TV their home town team play home games in the comfort of their homes or at their favorite restaurant or bar? When the taxpayers of Oregon help to make sports here a reality, the answer is clearly, yes they should!
SFC to Testify Against Comcast in Oregon, SFC Launches Portland Chapter
At the request of the Oregon State Legislature, Sports Fans Coalition sends board member Brad Blakeman to testify in the Oregon State House Committee on Consumer Protection and Government Accountability concerning Comcast’s egregious practice of shutting out Portland Trail Blazers fans from the ability to watch their home games on TV. While Comcast seeks permission to merge with NBC Universal, Blakeman asks, ‘Why can’t Trail Blazers fans in Oregon ask to see their home games first?’
Comcast/NBC Merger Engagement Could Last a Year
Sports Fans Coalition will not count on these media giants to act in the best interests of sports fans. SFC will not rest on the laurels of a positive decision by the FCC. A delayed merger approval process does not build confidence in the company to act more socially responsible when business practices and behavior of the past will surely dictate how it will act in the future. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
About SFC
SFC is the American sports fan’s advocate in the D.C. public policy arena fighting for sports fans in every city across the country.
Sports Businesses, Leagues, and Universities are grasping for our cash left and right. Let's join together to keep their hands off our wallets unless and until we have a say in how that money is spent. Futhermore, we sports fans believe we should be able to watch our games, no matter how we get our media.
