Not Renewing NFL Sunday Ticket

I'm not going to renew my expensive Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket package next year, or "The NFL's & Direct TV's greed disgusts me".   I was born and raised as a Bear's fan.  I watched them lose throughout my childhood, and then when I was in college, they won the only Superbowl during my lifetime, before becoming Green Bay's perpetual punching bag, year in and year out under Favre & Rodgers.

Until we lived in Phoenix, and Qwest lost their contract to provide Cable TV through Motorola boxes, and we were forced to go to Direct TV if we wanted to continue cable service, I'd never even considered getting Sunday Ticket. My cousin in Phoenix had Sunday Ticket, and he watched "All the games" in his efforts to keep up to date on his fantasy football league.  I'd go over to his house from time to time and watch my beloved Bears lose to various NFC teams.  Always a playoff Bridesmaid, never a bride.  Dr Desert Flower and I would frequently go to Old Chicago and watch Da Bears play with several dozen Bears fans, all in Jerseys, for camaraderie.  But then we moved to California, at the end of November, and Direct TV gave us Sunday Ticket for free.  "Sweet" I thought.

Then they start billing you in April, Long Before the next NFL season starts.  It's steep, $375 for a full season, which is non-refundabe, non-cancelable, so that by the time pre-season comes around in August, you've already been milked of your cash.  So what does this $375 get the subscriber?  Does it get 100% of every game?  No, not if the game is not sold out.  Does it get you commercial free games, since you've paid so much?  Hell no!  The $375 is just to have "access" not to have 'commercial free access'. Does it get the subscriber Anything Additional on the games that are nationally televised?  (like Sunday Night, Monday Night, Thursday Night, or the 'game of the week' each week?) Absolutely not.

Sure, the rabid NFL fan gets the "red zone" where you can see picture-in-a-picture, and "alerts" if you care about Fantasy Football or "all the games", but I don't care.  You get the 'fast forward summary' that comes out at 1am that shows all the major plays of the game,  spliced together, rapid fire.  And while the 'fast forward' is nice, it is not worth $375.

This season, I could have seen 1/2 the Bears games for free, on Fox, CBS, ESPN, the NFL Network.  The other games I could have gone to a local bar and watched the game for $15 or $20 in beer and wings, and a dollar or 2 in gasoline to get there.  That still puts me nearly $200 ahead, and feeling much less violated.

If NFL Sunday Ticket guaranteed 100% of the games, regardless of sell out or not, eliminated the ubiquitous commercials, worked glitch free regardless of clouds, wind, rain, snow, or any other weather conditions (all of which a Real team, who doesn't play in a domed stadium, are accustomed to playing in), then I might consider renewing.  But I don't want more of my hard earned cash going to the Erebor sized gold pile the NFL has accumulated over the last 4 decades.  To me, it is just not worth it.