Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• When will the NFL Network standoff end?

  Like so many others , I was furious when I couldn't watch the Packers-Cowboys games a few weeks back. The NFL Network is only carried on satellite which is simply not an option for many of us in urban areas like NYC. For those who haven't been paying attention, there's been a long-running standoff between the cable companies and the NFL network. (ComCast carries it at a premium, but neither Time Warner or Cablevision offer it, free or otherwise). To sum up: The NFL wants its network carried on basic cable packages with channels such as ESPN or CNN, where it can reach the broadest possible audience. Cable companies including Time Warner Inc. say it belongs on a sports package, or tier, where its audience would include only those fans willing to pay extra. I am a huge fan of the NFL and would certainly subscribe in a second. Much like the issues with net neutrality, the problem is that we're not dealing with a perfect market. If Time Warner doesn't offer me the ability... Posted Dec 27 2007, 12:22 PM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Rants, Things that bother me, Sports, Law, NYC

• Why hasn't the World Cup caught on in the United States?

  Why hasn't the World Cup caught on in the United States? I've really gotten into it this year - there's a lot of excitement around the office, and it's hard not to get caught up in World Cup fever. My local pub has been PACKED all day for the 10am games. Note: I'm going to refer to it as "soccer" in this post, simply because I'm also talking about NFL football and I don't feel like trying to clarify which I'm talking about each time . I've read some articles that Americans can't get into soccer because of the low scores. Take, for example, what I read in The Week : So many matches seem to end 0–0 or 1–1 that "in truth, soccer could be played without using a ball at all and few would notice the difference." For the chain-smoking "nihilists" who occupy Europe, the dearth of goals makes soccer a perfect "metaphor for the meaninglessness of life." But here in America, we "still believe the world makes sense" and that the expenditure of effort results — or should result —in achievement. Anyone... Posted Jul 03 2006, 07:32 AM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Rants, Sports

• Here we go Steelers! Get one for the thumb!

  [ This message was pre-recorded ] I haven't written anything yet about the Steelers magical run this year to avoid any jinx... but let me say this much: the Steelers deserve to win more than the Seahawks. Not necessarily because the players are better, but because the fans are. Pittsburgh is a city that takes it football very, very seriously . It is a city that lives and dies with its football team, sometimes quite literally . The fans write songs ( notice that was plural ). The Seahawk fans just infringe trademarks ... This post really sums it how these two cities approach football. "Just how much of a nut-out should one person have over a football game? It's an exciting game, but winning the Super Bowl probably won't change the course of history." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer Website , Friday February 3, 2006 Don't tell that to a Pittsburgh fan. "We've waited a decade...to make history..." -- WTAE 4 Commercial Seriously, though, what a storybook ending it would be for one of the best... Posted Feb 03 2006, 01:28 PM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Rants, Sports, Personal