Little by little, the NFL has loosened up. They started re-running condensed versions of the previous weekend's games on NFL Network this past season. And in January they finally heede
d my call (I'm sure they were listening all this time) and started airing the network broadcasts of several Super Bowls. Apparently, they still don't have clearance from the networks to air them all. But a few is better than none. This afternoon, they'll air Super Bowl XXIII, featuring the Niners' dramatic last-minute drive to beat Cincinnati in 1989. That's one of my favorite Super Bowls. There are many of the greatest athletes who I never saw play. But I'll always be able to say I saw the greatest quarterback ever, Joe Montana, and I vividly remember watching one of his best performances -- the final drive for the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XXIII. And tonight they're airing the NBC broadcast of Super Bowl III. All I can say is, it's about damn time.After last season, the NFL released a DVD package of the Steelers four postseason games that included the video from the CBS broadcasts. But they used audio from the Steelers radio network. Unfortunately, it was a year to late for that to include Myron Cope, who had retired after the 2004 season. And as much as it's cool to hear Bill Hillgrove and Tunch Ilkin, I'd rather have the TV broadcasts intact.
So while I'm at it, here are a few other sports media things I'd like to see. It may be a while before any of these things happen. But, hell, I waited out the NFL on the Super Bowl broadcasts. After that, it feels like anything is possible:
- Not that I expect the NFL to make any more moves anytime soon, but how about putting out Super Bowl or playoff game TV broadcasts on DVD? The NHL, NBA and MLB have all done it. I own the 1979 World Series. You telling me that every fan in Steelers Nation wouldn't buy a boxed set of the Steelers five Super Bowl appearances? You could sell a set to Dallas fans. Another one to Patriots fans. Another one to Broncos fans. How much does it really cost to press and package a DVD? And then think of how much more you can charge. Cha-ching!
- While I'm at it, let's pile another one on the poor old stodgy, crusty NFL. Actually, this one applies to the rest of the leagues too. How about selling out-of-market TV packages a la carte? I love NFL Sunday Ticket. But what I really want is to be able to see the Steelers even though I don't live in Pittsburgh. I can't watch nine games at once, and I don't really care to try when the Steelers are on. Some people want all those games. Some people (like me, occasionally) want to be able to watch guys on their fantasy teams. But would more people be willing to pay for an out-of-market package if they could pay a little less money to see just the team or teams they want to see? I'd still pay $100 a season to see the Steelers and nothing else. Of course, perhaps the first thing to work on when it comes to out-of-market packages is keeping them available to as many people as possible. Senators Specter and Kerry are calling DirecTV's exclusivity into question on Sunday Ticket and Extra Innings. These packages need to be available to everyone.
- I'd like to see leagues embrace their past by officially licensing video games with classic teams. This has long been done without licenses on baseball games for the PC. And word came this week that 2K Sports is working on an unlicensed pro football game that is rumored to include retired players. And EA Sports' Madden series has included classic teams for years. But in Madden, they don't use player names, and in many cases they don't use the right uniform numbers either. The leagues should get with their players' associations and alumni associations and work to get these things licensed. Gamers in their 30s, like me, will love the nostalgia. And younger gamers will be exposed to the history of sports that they weren't around to see.
- Once MLB and DirecTV finalize their deal to carry Extra Innings, the stage should finally be set for a 24-7 baseball channel. Word is that working out the details of the channel are the final sticking point. It's been a long time in coming. They've been talking about it since 2004. And it's a natural fit for baseball. If you count spring training, the season is eight months long. They can cover the minors. They can cover the summer college leagues. They can cover the Arizona Fall League. If they were really ambitious they could get deals to televise the Caribbean World Series. There's no shortage of programming options. And as you might have guessed, I'd approve of classic games too. They're talking about launching it on DirecTV in 2009. They should make it happen ASAP.
- I'm in love with satellite radio, and it's great to listen to all the play by play and sports talk. But sometimes what I'd really like to hear is the local perspective instead of the national stuff. If they can give us all those local game broadcasts from around the country and even the feed of stations like WLW (which is on XM) it would be great to have local sports talk stations too. They do it on satellite TV. I can get Fox Sports Pittsburgh (and every other regional sports net). So why not do the same thing on the radio? ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio are already carried, so why not some of their affiliates from around the country?
