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.
Sports Fans Coalition Sends Letter Direct to Comcast
The Sports Fans Coalition joined a coalition of consumer advocates, labor interests and video service providers urging Comcast President and CEO Brian Roberts to drop litigation that seeks to overturn an FCC regulation he has pledged to follow even if his company prevails in court. Comcast joined Cablevision taking the FCC to court over its decision on a program access requirement designed to ensure that programming owned by cable operators is shared with competing cable and satellite TV providers so that sports fans are not left out in the cold asking 'Where are my games?'
Not Tiger Woods
This story is not about Tiger Woods. Thank goodness. It is however about brands. Brands that athletes become. Brands that use other brands for financial gain yet never divulge revenues to the public. While common sense and tangible examples of disappearing investigations (Reggie Bush at USC and Derrick Rose at Memphis) tell us that some college athletes do get [...]
New NFL Webpage on Labor
Check out the new webpage that the NFL has created to inform the media and public on how the labor talks are going. (I’ll give you a hint: not good.) With all of Goodell’s pleading in the days leading up to the Super Bowl in Miami, it was apparent, the league was feeling the heat. The Sports [...]
San Diego Mayor Threatens Dry City with Stadium Plans
San Diego appears to be the next ‘public funding for stadiums’ victim as Mayor Jerry Sanders promised to use taxpayer monies to build a new Chargers stadium at the expense of a nagging concern in SoCal: water. There’s not enough of it, and the situation is getting worse. Leave it to this politician to throw the region’s [...]
Baseball Card Company Sued by Major League Baseball
Generally speaking for sports fans, keeping lawsuits, and in turn, taxes and charges, at bay is in our best interest. Furthermore, competition breeds lower prices and the best deals for consumers. So, the case is another sign that allowing sports leagues, whether it be MLB today or the NFL tomorrow, to be exempt from anti-trust measures, is not in the best interest of consumers.
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.
