Comcast is dropping BTN

[Fryowa]

Wow! Can't wait to see what the next twenty years will bring. Hunger Games style holographs? Football games being projected on the siding of your house? Reflecting off the surface of a body of water? The sky? The Alliant Tower in Cedar Rapids? Who the hell knows!

I think there’s probably an 80% chance there won’t be football in 20-25 years.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I think there’s probably an 80% chance there won’t be football in 20-25 years.

2040 is my date for abolishment. Had this discussion with O'Keefe for prez. Money talks, but I think doctors, lawyers, insurance companies, and the public no longer tolerating their heroes dying young will eventually speak louder. The next NFL CBA in 2020 could get ugly. What we learn about CTE and concussions in the next ten years could get uglier. The worst part is the NFL already knows much of it and is covering it up. These players know the risk, but many have said they wouldn't have played with that much risk. And many aren't. Who was that Badger LB who retired at 24? The 49er player?

 

[Fryowa]

Who was that Badger LB who retired at 24? The 49er player?

Fiedorowicz was 26. The sad thing was I don’t think it was his decision. From the sound of it he had to be talked into retiring. He’s likely going to have big problems in the future and I hope he doesn’t turn out like a lot of them do

 

[lightning1]

2040 is my date for abolishment. Had this discussion with O'Keefe for prez. Money talks, but I think doctors, lawyers, insurance companies, and the public no longer tolerating their heroes dying young will eventually speak louder. The next NFL CBA in 2020 could get ugly. What we learn about CTE and concussions in the next ten years could get uglier. The worst part is the NFL already knows much of it and is covering it up. These players know the risk, but many have said they wouldn't have played with that much risk. And many aren't. Who was that Badger LB who retired at 24? The 49er player?

Chris Borland.

 

[mopkins]

This is true.

PSVue (through Roku) is clunky and slow to work through channel guide. No recall/return. No buttons for most watched channels like Directv had.

But for me — the price point per hours watched for live tv (sports) for Directv got to be ridiculous. My Wife can watch her HGTV type shows on any platform. She didn’t like how the psvue works but when I showed her a $100+ per month savings then it became very doable for her.

To drop Directv I had to “explain” why I wanted to drop service in order to find out how to get my money back. Then they offered a 33% reduced rate. I asked why I wasn’t getting the reduced rate anyway.

Directv: That rate is for new customers but since you have been with us for such a long time we can work with you to give you the introductory rates.

Me: will that be a permanent rate or just 12-24 months?

Yeah, right.

If it is more important and less expensive to keep customers then Barta isn’t the only executive working on the business model of squeezing blood from your current and long-term customer’s turnip. It’s happening all over.

That crap annoys me so bad. They value new customers more than retaining current ones

My wife and I have a system going where every 2 years we cancel DTV and then the other person calls DTV to activate as a new customer. As a new customer you get a free year of NFL Sunday ticket, free movie channels for a few months and like 6-12 months of drastically reduced rates. You just have to call and complain every few months.

It's ridiculous the hoops you have to jump thru just to avoid getting screwed over hard.

 

[DDThompson]

That crap annoys me so bad. They value new customers more than retaining current ones

My wife and I have a system going where every 2 years we cancel DTV and then the other person calls DTV to activate as a new customer. As a new customer you get a free year of NFL Sunday ticket, free movie channels for a few months and like 6-12 months of drastically reduced rates. You just have to call and complain every few months.

It's ridiculous the hoops you have to jump thru just to avoid getting screwed over hard.

LLOL. Nice. Wish I would have thought of that.

 

[DDThompson]

I think there’s probably an 80% chance there won’t be football in 20-25 years.

Football isn’t going away.








Unless men just let the anti-men and anti-man stuff feminists rule them.

 

[DDThompson]

2040 is my date for abolishment. Had this discussion with O'Keefe for prez. Money talks, but I think doctors, lawyers, insurance companies, and the public no longer tolerating their heroes dying young will eventually speak louder. The next NFL CBA in 2020 could get ugly. What we learn about CTE and concussions in the next ten years could get uglier. The worst part is the NFL already knows much of it and is covering it up. These players know the risk, but many have said they wouldn't have played with that much risk. And many aren't. Who was that Badger LB who retired at 24? The 49er player?

Money will fight money. Laws banning everyone because a few are damaged is ridiculous. There’s a reason “they” are going after football and not MMA or boxing. or soccer.
or gymnastics which damages more girl’s and women’s backs more than a few men’s brains.
Or alcohol which damages people by the tens of thousands more.

Easy fix. Sign a long term waiver acknowledging the possible long-term effects of playing in a collision sport.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Money will fight money. Laws banning everyone because a few are damaged is ridiculous. There’s a reason “they” are going after football and not MMA or boxing. or soccer.
or gymnastics which damages more girl’s and women’s backs more than a few men’s brains.
Or alcohol which damages people by the tens of thousands more.

Easy fix. Sign a long term waiver acknowledging the possible long-term effects of playing in a collision sport.

We shall see. Our high school football coach is very concerned that, at the high school level at least, it's not going to be around much longer. High school athletes can't play club football or AAU football the way they do other sports. They have limited or no contact camps, and that's it. Kids that are pressured to specialize in one sport aren't picking football to specialize in. Two teams in our conference moved down a division because, guess what, their numbers are down. Two more are threatening to. Our AD has been in contact with nearby Iowa and Illinois schools looking for games for 2019 and beyond.

Watch the high schools closely the next five years. That will tell you how real the trend is.

Maybe the waiver will be the answer. Maybe there will be some sort of tax involved. Maybe hockey and boxing and soccer and gymnastics will be in the same boat someday.

Money will fight money. But the consumer provides a lot of that money. And drives TV ratings, and the cost for advertising time. And if beloved athletes continue to perish before the age of fifty, or forty, the consumers voices are going to be heard.

 

[uihawk82]

I know you have a wood for Gary, but what does Gary have to do with if the BTN fails to generate the revenue that it did these past 12 years or so? Aren't all universities in the same boat regarding how well the BTN does?

Not if you are the school who banked some dough instead of spending it all. I think the UI has been spending a lot the last few years. Save a few million a year for 10 years and you have a big war chest.

Something will come up contract wise to get BTN and Comcast back together as one of them will blink as each is going for the greed right now and there is a lot of money on the table here. For Comcast they could lower their rates a small amount to BTN and still make out well and the same goes the other way.

 

[uihawk82]

Unless you have super slow internet there's no reason not to get rid of dish or cable. Sling and PSVue offer pretty much the same lineups as cable or dish for a third of the price, and no one gives a shit about locals anymore.

Give it 10 years and neither cable nor dish will exist anymore. Anything that hastens the process is fine by me.

I agree and the cafeteria plans where you pick the stations you want are coming on fast. It is about time the consumer took over this media situation, except for Sinclair stations editorials, ahahhahahahah

 

[uihawk82]

We shall see. Our high school football coach is very concerned that, at the high school level at least, it's not going to be around much longer. High school athletes can't play club football or AAU football the way they do other sports. They have limited or no contact camps, and that's it. Kids that are pressured to specialize in one sport aren't picking football to specialize in. Two teams in our conference moved down a division because, guess what, their numbers are down. Two more are threatening to. Our AD has been in contact with nearby Iowa and Illinois schools looking for games for 2019 and beyond.

Watch the high schools closely the next five years. That will tell you how real the trend is.

Maybe the waiver will be the answer. Maybe there will be some sort of tax involved. Maybe hockey and boxing and soccer and gymnastics will be in the same boat someday.

Money will fight money. But the consumer provides a lot of that money. And drives TV ratings, and the cost for advertising time. And if beloved athletes continue to perish before the age of fifty, or forty, the consumers voices are going to be heard.

There is a huge liability difference in football between high school students under the age of 18 who cant directly waive consent and need parents signatures to play football and 18+ year olds playing in college and the pros.

I can see youth and high school football going to more of a non-contact type flag, skill enhancing game in the future and tackle youth and high school football being eliminated in most areas.

But what is or is there a difference between grown ups being able to smoke cigs all their lives when we all know it hastens death and makes health bad for people in their blood pressure, breathing, strokes, etc and grown men deciding they want to play football. Actually far far fewer football players probably getting 'hurt' than smokers.

I would say how can legislation or liability be enforced against grown up football players but not smokers and cigarette companies.

 

[Northside Hawk]

There is a huge liability difference in football between high school students under the age of 18 who cant directly waive consent and need parents signatures to play football and 18+ year olds playing in college and the pros.

I can see youth and high school football going to more of a non-contact type flag, skill enhancing game in the future and tackle youth and high school football being eliminated in most areas.

But what is or is there a difference between grown ups being able to smoke cigs all their lives when we all know it hastens death and makes health bad for people in their blood pressure, breathing, strokes, etc and grown men deciding they want to play football. Actually far far fewer football players probably getting 'hurt' than smokers.

I would say how can legislation or liability be enforced against grown up football players but not smokers and cigarette companies.

Good points, mate. Time will tell. I think more NFL players are retiring early and that trend will continue to increase.

Advestisers for years marketed smoking as hip, cool, suave, sexy, independent, knowing they would only have to target you for a brief time.

The dependence on nicotine and the muscle memory habit forming would take over from there.

By the time you realized the ads mislead you, it was too late.
They had your money for the rest your (shortened) life unless you could somehow quit.

One question. Are you proposing there will be liability forced against the football players or the NFL?
The current CBA expires after the 2020 season. When that gets renegotiated, buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride.

NFL player reps are already warning the players to save as much money as they can.

 

[uihawk82]

Good points, mate. Time will tell. I think more NFL players are retiring early and that trend will continue to increase.

Advestisers for years marketed smoking as hip, cool, suave, sexy, independent, knowing they would only have to target you for a brief time.

The dependence on nicotine and the muscle memory habit forming would take over from there.

By the time you realized the ads mislead you, it was too late.
They had your money for the rest your (shortened) life unless you could somehow quit.

One question. Are you proposing there will be liability forced against the football players or the NFL?
The current CBA expires after the 2020 season. When that gets renegotiated, buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride.

NFL player reps are already warning the players to save as much money as they can.

I dont think there is liability towards the NFL players anymore than people who work as iron workers which is dangerous and other jobs. I think the liability is on the owners and NFL to put aside money for workers comp type usage. The players need to take care of themselves and more and more of them will make some really good money and then quit, which is ok because there are always players coming in from college.

What is more dangerous and risk/reward behavior being an NFL player making at least high six figures or being an iron worker making 60K climbing high in the sky? Lots of dangerous jobs and we dont pay our soldiers enough at all.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I dont think there is liability towards the NFL players anymore than people who work as iron workers which is dangerous and other jobs. I think the liability is on the owners and NFL to put aside money for workers comp type usage. The players need to take care of themselves and more and more of them will make some really good money and then quit, which is ok because there are always players coming in from college.

What is more dangerous and risk/reward behavior being an NFL player making at least high six figures or being an iron worker making 60K climbing high in the sky? Lots of dangerous jobs and we dont pay our soldiers enough at all.

I'll answer your question from the last paragraph. It's Rob Howe. He has a more dangerous job than either of your examples. Of course he makes well into six figures so it's worth it.