AFN cancels sports for the troops
Twist sends us a link to Stars & Stripes which reports that the Armed Forces network has cancelled sports programming to troops overseas because of the government shutdown.
The American Forces Network, reduced to just a news channel this week by the government shutdown, says it has no plans to screen football, baseball or other sports until things get back to normal.
The hopes of sports fans — raised this week when AFN started showing ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on the news channel — were dashed in an email from AFN on Friday that ruled out screening actual sports events during the shutdown.
Navy Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Harrington, an AFN spokesman, said in an email that the broadcaster’s lawyers had determined there is no sound policy or legal basis to air sports.
You might think I’m an agent of the Taliban or something, but this news gets a “meh” from me. [In a crotchety old man voice] In my day we always got the games a week after they played, a week after we knew the scores – the reason I quit watching sports. Training and preparation didn’t suffer a whit. I mean, I know getting live sports is a real morale builder (we got the Super Bowl live the last year I was in Germany at like 2 o’clock in the morning) and I’m sure the President feels your pain and commiserates with you while he watches the games live. But, you know, you guys are getting paid (sometime) so you have to made to feel the pain. Everybody hurts for this shutdown, just be grateful that this is the best pain they could come up with for you.
Category: Big Army
What sucks is seeing mil bases with damn golf courses open, but the cost to air NFL or MLB games is to much?
Tell me this isnt politics only? its like ambertalert.gov is shutdown, but letsmove.GOV (First Lady’s little play toy web site on gov dollars) is up and running!
Based on the disclaimers during NFL games, it seems that AFN doesn’t really pay to air sports; whatever it costs to air sports is probably only in the cost of managing and airing the station itself. I never watch boxing, but after reading that the pay-per-view was $75 stateside I did watch the Mayweather/Canelos fight a few weeks ago.
And unless I’m missing something, AFN has been circumventing their own decision. The Navy/Air Force games was on a couple of nights ago, and I watched the last quarter of the Broncos/Cowboys game last night before watching parts of 49ers/Texans. It lacks the choice of three separate sports channels on weekends, but it’s something. These were on the single “news” channel, so I guess there are different priorities at night…
It’s more petty bullshit dished out by this administration to try to paint their political opponents as meanies. That being said, for nearly a decade I watched the Superbowl either way early Sunday morning or way early Monday morning, depending on which side of the Date Line I happened to be at the time. But this nickel and dime shit is getting real old.
This is only half true. We get one channel right now, AFN News. They are actively switching the feed on the one channel to carry SportsCenter and a few games in between news. I watched Air Force/Navy at dinner on Saturday. I know a few games broadcast yesterday.
Story outdated: http://www.stripes.com/news/afn-airs-football-other-suspended-programming-to-follow-1.245591
They played football.
That actually started the first day of the shut down and an AFN slide up that all the stations will be back up when the shutdown ends. Reduced to AFN news and the Pentagon channel to cover live sessions of Congress. Never mind that most of AFN has to be automated at this point. Almost like back in the day when AFN was just one station.
But them welfare checks are ‘a comin’ on time, keepin’ B. Hussein 0bama & Co.’s favorite crowd fed & fat!!
I’d agree with you, but AFN gets the NFL coverage DONATED to them by the NFL. Costs gov NOTHING.
In one sense, losing sports coverage is no big deal in the big picture. It’s the fact that they are being so damn petty about everything. It’s just as stupid as the Parks service now closing scenic turnoffs overlooking Mt. Rushmore….really…. It’s the whole “finger in the eye” mentality, it’s truly a temper tantrum by children. They need to have their asses spanked…
Whose house?
OUR FUCKING HOUSE!!!!
I don’t give a fig about pro sports, though I understand many folks do.
It’s not about the sports. It’s about this regime actively going out of their way to fuck with people, for no reason other than they are throwing a fit more befitting my 4 year old.
Last time I was deployed nfl.com had a deal where you could buy a streaming package for games (as long as you were outside of N. America) and watch any game you liked-I bought a package to watch the Panthers, because I am a glutton for punishment. Our internet was purchased from a Kuwaiti vendor, so as long as that was not cut off, and why would it be, it seems to me that Joe can spend a few dollars and watch what he likes (I think mlb.com has a similar offer).
IF there were any actual savings, then perhaps we should consider it. However, even knowing nothing about the details, we all know that if there is a contractual arrangement with the NFL and whoever, the contract will be honored no matter what. So there is not point other than to punish those who watch.
Hows about cutting off TV, phone, and whatever other gadgets we are paying for among the welfare queens? No?? Then continue doing whatever it takes to keep up the morale of those deployed far from home.
OWB: the problem is not with the cost of programming – as someone stated above, it appears the NFL donates that for use by troops overseas (I believe that’s correct, but can’t say with certainty it is).
The problem comes in maintaining the networks, broadcast facilities, transmitters, etc . . . , associated with getting AFKN to the troops in those overseas locations. That is not free (the cost isn’t a huge part of the DoD budget, but it isn’t zero). And as I understand it, it is in general paid using operations and maintenance funds – e.g., those that “die” on 30 Sep and have to be reappropriated annually.
Beyond maybe a single radio and/or TV channel for dissemination of essential news and/or command information, it’s kinda hard to argue that the “sorta” equivalent of US radio/TV entertainment that AFKN provides overseas is “essential”. Sounds to me like that’s what’s going on and the folks managing that single channel are trying to stuff in as much troop morale stuff into that single channel as they can.
AFN is currently showing the following as of this afternoon “AFN is resuming normal operations. AFN TV channels will being coming back on the air throughout the day. Some programs may not be available as originally scheduled. Thank you for your patience during this transition back to normal programing.”
Football and Baseball is back on here in Afghanistan. Not a big follower myself but I know a lot of the troops are much happier for it (not to mention my firehouses).