'Footy on the Telly' Trouble Ahead

First and foremost I want to acknowledge and apologize to my half a dozen readers for violating Rule One in blogging: Keep the content coming. Yes, I hit a little wall after the World Cup and there was some vacation time in there too (inclduing a trip to Germany and Spain…home of the team that should have won the World Cup and home of the team that actually won it).

With the World Cup hangover gone, we’re already beginning the new club seasons. And with it, some changes at home: Namely, the newly acquired channel GolTV. Yes, I finally bit the bullet and subscribed to Comcast’s digital cable package that includes GolTV – a dual language, soccer only channel that happens to own the US TV rights to airing the German Bundesliga (as well as Spain’s La Liga, among other offerings). And with this addition, I also get the delightful bonus of ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish language sports channel that happens to lean heavily in favor of Futbol (including even more Bundesliga matches…and I can get used to the Spanish commentary, even the overdone “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAL”).

So how does all this mean trouble?

US soccer television coverage has been so limited (especially compared to...let's see...EVERY other sport on the planet) that I could always justify the minimal TV time needed. A game's on? Case closed: I’m watching it (Euro and World Cups being the exception). There was never really any major viewing conflicts and, when needed, I could always use the rationale of “be glad I’m not a baseball fan, there’s, like, 8 games on every day…” just in case soccer viewing was encroaching on other domestic activities.

But now, with FoxSoccer Channel, ESPN2, ESPN3 and now GolTV, ESPN Deportes and don’t forget to layer in the DVR, I’ve got some serious options, some big choices to make. Last week alone there were 3 Bundesliga games on within a 24 hour spell. I’m not used to that!

Yes, despite the fact that I now receive a whole host of other Spanish language channels in my Primero Latino package that I’ll never watch in order to get GolTV, we’ve come a long way. A little acknowledged fact: ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 European Championships was the first time in US history that the Euro’s were available here on semi-mainstream TV. Before that it was the awful Setanta Sports' $170 per-per-view package (where there was no halftime commentary and games would get cut-off if they extended into PKs, and we’re talking 2004 here!). And before that there was nothing. Today, we’ve got World Cup games not featuring the US still getting on ABC. The EPL is on both FSC as well as ESPN2. We’ve got more and more Champions League games on each season. So I’m afraid the days of saying “I HAVE to watch this game, how often do I get to see Bayern Munich play Werder Bremen?!” are nearing an end. I’m entering the phase of having choices and having to prioritize my footy on the telly time.

But before I get too far ahead of myself and expect to see the German Cup Final aired on MTV any time soon or that Bastian Schweinsteiger will host the ESPYs, I need only to have a glance at any bookstore’s magazine rack:

Hunting/fishing/gun/knife/ammo magazines: 32. Soccer Magazines: Zero.