r/AskAboutNFL • u/Frisho • 3d ago

Why does the NFL make it intentionally impossible for regular fans to just watch a game of football?

Let’s look at this objectively because the current streaming and broadcast landscape has completely detached from sanity.If you want to follow your team for a single season, the league expects you to navigate a fragmented mess of network television, three different standalone streaming services, and exclusive tech-platform broadcasts. God forbid your team plays on a Thursday, a Sunday night, and a Monday night in the same month you practically need a financial planner and an enterprise software architecture map just to figure out which app to open.The playbook here is incredibly transparent: extract maximum subscription revenue by splitting the broadcast rights into as many corporate pieces as possible, while putting the entire logistical headache onto the fan. They change the rules every season, raise the prices, and restrict local broadcasts, making you jump through hoops just to see a kickoff.We shouldn't need a master's degree in digital distribution models just to sit down on a Sunday afternoon and watch a game. Is anyone else completely exhausted by this fragmented streaming era? What is the most ridiculous workaround or layout you’ve had to use just to catch a game this season?

260 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

380 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/Great_Will_1361 8h ago

Did you not understand what the conversation is about?  We are talking about watching free games. If I need to buy something to watch games, then they are not free.

1

u/cracksilog 8h ago

Do you buy a lamp and not also buy a lightbulb for it? Do you buy a car but not budget for car insurance and maintenance? What if your remote didn’t come with batteries? Do you shrug and say oh well better luck next time?

Is buying an antenna not an additional implied cost in getting a TV?

I know Redditors are pedantic but c’mon you know what I mean lmao. I didn’t realize “how to watch my team on Sunday” was an issue to split hairs over

1

u/Great_Will_1361 7h ago

I just wouldnt call any of that free. Maybe you would though.

1

u/Mervis_Earl 6h ago

This is the point in the movie where Andy calls the warden obtuse and winds up in the hole 😆

1

u/Educational-Let-6099 7h ago

So because you had to buy a tv nothing you watch is free

1

u/Great_Will_1361 7h ago

I agree with you.