Read the debate intro and the argument from Bleacher Fan.
I absolutely love Hot Stove time in Major League Baseball. I was eating up all on the information last week during the Winter Meetings. Outside of maybe the NFL draft, it’s my favorite non-game related sporting event of the year. One day I am going to be in the same town as the Winter Meetings just so I can feel the buzz from possible trades and free agent signings. Being a huge fan of baseball I am constantly looking for information. I often need a baseball fix 24-7, even during the off-season. Having a cable channel focused fully on baseball is a dream come true. Unfortunately, I do not have MLB Network on Dish Network. Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek both have it, and they often like to rub that fact in just a tad (Editor’s note: It is more than a tad. We rub it in a lot.). I have a fever, and the only prescription is MLB Network! The point is that it is a huge benefit to have a channel devoted exclusively to a sport. Exclusivity is a tremendous advantage to over other sports networks like ESPN.
As Sports Geek stated in the intro, MLB Network has recently hired Peter Gammons, who was employed at ESPN for twenty years. You will not find many more credible people in sports media than Peter Gammons. He is well respected in the business by players, front office personnel, and by other members of the media. You may recall that Gammons is the journalist Alex Rodriguez chose to interview him back before the 2009 season began when it was deemed that A-Rod tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. By leaving ESPN, Gammons leaves a void there, and fills a void at MLB Network.
As you can probably tell from my previous articles I am also a huge fan of the NFL. Finally, after switching from cable to satellite two years ago, I have access to the NFL Network. I did not have the channel for quite some time… and it aggravated me because I wasn’t able to watch the Thursday night NFL games and the Saturday night December games. In fact, the network has a big game this Saturday night featuring the undefeated New Orleans Saints against the Dallas Cowboys in a huge game for Dallas. The network obviously also has ‘round the clock coverage of games from the previous week, analysis, classic games, and much more. It is the perfect channel for NFL junkies like me
I do not have to wait for NFL Live to come on ESPN. I do not have to listen to the latest developments on Tiger Woods. I can just watch a show that is 100 percent football and get the in-depth knowledge I crave. I know ESPN covers professional football heavily, and I have no problem with its coverage. But if, in the middle of the day, and I want to watch football I am turning the channel to the NFL Network. I also change the channel in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft, as the NFL Network provides hours and hours of coverage, even televising the scouting combines. ESPN does not do that.
My point is not to diss ESPN. My point is that the niche networks are able to carry exclusive content and are able to focus solely on one sport, year-round. ESPN has several sports to cover and obviously cannot go as far as NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, or the NHL Network with its coverage.
Now, excuse me while I go call Dish Network to complain again about not having the MLB Network.
