Sincerely disappointing. The football game to determine the champion of the season, the Superbowl of the collegiate ranks, the sadly-named Discover-BCS National Championship Game, is available only on cable television.
Well, that isn’t exactly true. If you have a handheld computer device that can access the ESPN application (and live in the Pacific time zone) you can view it on WatchESPN.
Unfortunately, the television I generally park myself in front of for couch-potato-ing doesn’t feature ESPN. (Editor’s Note: There is a television in the bookstore office that is part of a cable bundle – including ESPN – that would be viewable if the proprietor cared to forego dinner and stay at the shop for most of the evening.)
I thought there were some things that remained sacred. The NFL is still carried on the free channels. News bulletins. Car races. Soap operas. Even the shopping channels have a spot on the basic tier. Most of the college bowls games?
Nope.
They belonged to ESPN. I didn’t see too many as a result.
The OU Sooners played their game on the FOX network, but then – after halftime – fans like me were hurting too much to continue watching. In fact, fans who shelled out for tickets, travel, hotels, meals, and souvenirs were filing out of the stadium long before the game ended. Even though it was one of the few games of the season I could watch, I couldn’t bear it.
I’ll have to wait until March, I suppose, when the basketball season is carried by old trusty CBS, available on that ESPN-less screen.
Of course, I can watch all the BookTV I want, at least until the publishers organize and hold a championship, which will be snapped up by ESPN, no doubt.