Wondering why the cost and availability on TV of sports is becoming more expensive and hard-to-find?

[AverageOldGuy]

I stumbled across a loooong but excellent essay on the topic of what is happening in sports -- collegiate and professional -- ticket prices, cost of concessions, cost of building a stadium, proliferation of streaming services, time out for commercials -- and why you can't find your favorite team on your favorite TV channel.

https://prospect.org/2026/02/03/feb-2026-magazine-sports-not-in-their-league-fandom/https://prospect.org/2026/02/03/feb-2026-magazine-sports-not-in-their-league-fandom/
]
Here's one quote -- I recommend you read the whole article -- it's a bit long but it's well-written -- and will piss you off.

NFL games are now spread across 11 different networks, and varying estimates put the annual cost for access between $750 and $900. If you want to see games for all four major sports, New York Times commentator Joon Lee estimated that at $2,634 a year. And that’s a moving target, because streamers keep raising prices.

Most sports fans don’t enjoy tracking which streaming apps bought which contracts when they want to catch the game. But league executives demonstrably don’t care. When NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about its record $76 billion media contract that hived off many games onto Amazon and Peacock, he responded that basketball is “a highlight-based sport,” so fans could always go to TikTok or Instagram to find the best plays for free. The implication was clear: The rich get a courtside seat, everyone else gets a highlight reel.

And there is nothing we can do about it. Except just quit -- which is what we have done;
-- watch only or favorite SEC and pro football team when they are not on a streaming service
-- watch the four major tennis tournaments on cable, don't watch the streaming that accompanies it, and will quit when they go to streaming
-- watch our favorite pro baseball team only when they are on a standard channel (ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN)

[yankee87]

1. End Stage Capitalism

Corporations have to get every penny from us because of the shrinking middle class. In cars you have to pay a monthly fee for heated seats.

[Tasmanian Devil]

2. NFL just bought 10% of ESPN

I don't think this is going to reduce prices at all ... one of many stories about NFL & ESPN:

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/nfl-and-espn-officially-close-massive-deal-with-government-approval-league-now-owns-10-of-network-060755625.html

But it doesn't bother me at all. I can no longer watch football after the CTE scandal. Take the time to scroll through this article and tell me again how much fun it is to watch football :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy