For the first time in a couple of years I’m watching a football game in lo-def. It’s like a big blur of colorful blobs moving randomly around the screen. It’s hard to believe we used to watch games like this all the time.
And why am I watching a game in lo-def? Because the Pac-12, like every other major conference, decided last year that it wanted its own network. So now, instead of local games being shown on ESPN or CBS or ABC or Fox Sports or any of the other fine hi-def channels I already get, they’re frequently shown on the Pac-12 network instead. My cable provider, however, doesn’t provide the high-def version of the network with either their basic package, or their advanced package, or even their advanced premier package, which I have. They only provide it with the package that includes whole-home DVR. This is so obviously predatory that there’s no way I’d sign up for it. But hey — I guess if the Pac-12 signs a $3 billion deal, then someone has to pony up that $3 billion.
Not me, though. Enough’s enough.
POSTSCRIPT: I know, I know: whine, whine, whine. But it’s a weekend, and it’s my God-given right to whine about my cable carrier and the greediness of modern college sports. Feel free to add your own personal whines in comments.
