A Bad Gumble

I was going to make this article available to less than half of the people, but decided against it.

I was able to watch my first NFL Network game broadcast this week, as I was at the in-laws' and they just got a new LCD TV and digital cable. Anne's worried that I might get TV envy. She doesn't have anything to worry about. At least not until after I get my laptop.

Anyway, there were a couple of things that I really enjoyed about the presentation that NFLN had: Chris Collinsworth is a very good color guy; the graphics that they had were nice and unobtrusive; and the HD looked fantastic. Okay, maybe a bit of TV envy. However, the biggest problem I had with the production is the play-by-play. Bryant Gumble is paid very well for his ability to use the English language in a clear and consise way, but I noticed many times where he was using the wrong words for things. After a failed third down conversion: "...and once again the Vikings will turn the ball over on downs." Actually, they're going to be punting. He also just doesn't have the voice for the gravitas of the NFL, deserved or not (it is just a game, after all). There's too much tenor in his voice for my tastes as a play-by-play man. Contrast that with his own brother, Greg. Granted, Greg has more years of being in the booth under his belt, but his voice is perfect for calling the game. From what I've seen of his games, he's accurate and consise.

Now, on to my biggest problem with the NFL Network: that it even exists. I don't like having a network that is completely owned by a sports league. I'm also not crazy about a team owning a network, but that, to me, is more acceptable than having a network owned by the league. The league is able to mandate that teams give an unprescedented level of access to the network so that they always have the best stories, the biggest stars while completely freezing out any sort of competition. Also, it worries me that this is a pre-cursor to having pay-per-view NFL games. Doing that would have the potential to kill the league. And if it ever came to having pay-per-view games, I hope that it would kill the league. I hope that there would be a revolt against the league. The frightening part is the potential of people to go along with the whole idea like the sheep that we seem to be to the big sports. For instance, where is the outcry that a convicted cheater is going the the Pro Bowl? Did Shawn Merriman have a great season? Absolutely. However, he was suspended four games this year for violating the substance abuse policy of the NFL by using steroids. And no one seems to care.

Here's my question: Will we care if we have to pay $50 to watch each game of our favorite team to a league that is already making money hand-over-fist?