Monday, December 24, 2007

Kerry Threatens NFL

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In a year where the Senate actually did less than in previous years (I guess I should be thankful), Senator John Kerry (D-MA) has taken Senate inanity to a new level:


With the New England Patriots now one win away from finishing the regular season undefeated, Sen. John Kerry is stepping up his campaign to get the final game broadcast on national television.

The contest Saturday with the New York Giants is to air locally in Boston and New York. But outside those markets it is scheduled to appear only on the NFL Network, a cable channel that reaches just 35 million households nationwide while the league and cable operators dicker over pricing and distribution.

Kerry asked football Commissioner Roger Goodell today to move the game to NBC – and threatened Senate hearings if he does not.
Even for a world class ass-kisser like Kerry, this is world class pandering. The threats of investigating the anti-trust exemption is about all the Senate can do but it would not be pleasant for Goodell and the NFL.

What Kerry fails to grasp--probably because he's a liberal--is that the NFL has a valuable commodity and Comcast and Time-Warner want access to that commodity. If they aren't willing to pay, they lose out. Hell, I dig the newest Maserati but I don't want to pay the $200K for it so I should have John Kerry call them to the Senate floor to explain themselves and why they charge so much.

The NFL Network is available on Verizon--a company who is eroding Comcast's subscriber base--and earlier games this season on the fledgling netword did surprisingly well. Verizon made a smart business decision by buying into the NFL package and the incessant whining of the big cable companies will now resonate well with subscribers who've faced incredible price increases while the cable firm's held near monopolistic power over the last two decades. I'm glad the NFL is taking them on and embarrassed for Senator Kerry that he's resorted to this.

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