nfl network

This is how the NFL sees Broncos fans

Jeromey Balderrama

I’ve written before why I hate Thursday Night Football, mainly because it’s a shameless attempt for the NFL to insert itself into another weeknight just to promote it’s mediocre Network by giving you sub-par game coverage.  The NFL Network, further demonstrating their incompetence, puts together a spot where they show off their coast-bias (NFL Network is based out of LA, where ironically there is no football) against Broncos fans in flyover country.

So apparently Broncos fans are all redneck hillbilly ranchers who can’t drive to save their life.  Thanks, NFL.

At least that commercial got one thing right – you’d have to go to a bar to watch the game, as chances are you don’t get NFL Network at home.

I hate Thursday Night Football

Jeromey Balderrama

Anyone who knows me knows that I love football. I bleed Orange & Blue, and whether in person or on TV – I love watching football games.  But I loathe Thursday Night Football.

Here’s why I hate it:

  • Another Night for Football -  I give the NFL a lot of my time and money. When the Broncos play at home, I spent all day going to the game and then come home and watch Sunday Night Football.  Even though I have a Monday commitment, I still find a way to catch part of Monday Night football. Yet now the NFL is wanting me to give up another evening to watch their game.  I have busy things during the week so that my weekends can be free to watch football.  Look NFL, believe it or not, I have a life outside of your game.
  • It ruins all of the games surrounding football – Whether it’s fantasy football, pick’ems, survival football – most of these games require you to solidify your picks/lineups before the first game.  Last week the Broncos played the Browns and you bet I had that game on my mind, yet I forgot to go in and change the lineups for one of my fantasy teams and missed the pick’em.  After 9 weeks of conditioning myself to prepare for the weekend, you throw a wrench in and take away 3 days on many of these games. It’s asinine!
  • The NFL Network – The idea of the NFL Network is great, but it is the State-Run-Television of the NFL.  The quality of the broadcast & commentary isn’t up par with the major networks, and yet the NFL keeps ramming these games down our throat on these networks.  After watching the Broncos/Browns last week, watching the same 5 commercials over and over again got old pretty quickly.  On top of it all, 40% of the US doesn’t get the NFL Network.  I’ve heard rumors that the NFL may sell the games next year to another sub-par cable network like TNT. Just make the games go away, admit this idea failed miserably and go back to airing classic games.

Come on NFL, give Thursday night back to College football.

NFL Network screws us all

Jeromey Balderrama

If my pictures or constant posts on football didn’t give it away, it’s obvious that I consume the NFL (or more like the NFL consumes me).  I wear my Broncos colors every Sunday, and over the years have 4 different jerseys.  I spend a hefty amount of money for season tickets, and spend even more money tailgating and getting various Broncos items to  show my fan pride.  I even just put a Broncos license plate on my car last month.  On Sundays I live and breath the NFL and gladly accept whatever they put in front of me.  Despite all of that, there’s no way I can get with them on this NFL Network debacle.

I’m sorry but I can’t relate to the battle between the multi-billion-dollar NFL and the multi-billion-dollar Cable Companies to see who can squeeze the other one for more money.  I’m on the NFL email lists at least twice over, and over the last few months I’ve received various emails from them asking me to lobby the FCC demanding to force cable companies to accept the NFL network – as if it’s some noble cause.

Look, I’m all for government advocacy and democratic participation, but fighting for the NFL Network is one of the least worthwhile causes in this country.  Do your own dirty work NFL.  Don’t pretend that you’re an innocent victim.  They’ve attempted to create leverage by putting these live games on their network, and now coincidently one game happens to be a marquee matchup and now a great deal of NFL fans won’t be able to see the game.  To make matters worse, the NFL responds by giving people a half-assed solution by offering updates on-line.

I realize that the NFL is a business, but can the NFL do any more to spit in the faces of their fans, the consumers of their product.  They’re straddling the line between creating a high demand and breeding resentment amongst your fans – the very people who’ve brought you the success you’ve enjoyed.