Growing up I was never a big basketball fan. I watched the occasional Sonics (R.I.P.) game on TV with my dad, but that was about it. The game was so repetitive it was hard for me to get into. It seemed like only the last 10 minutes or so really mattered. Then,in college I started playing quite a lot of basketball, both pick up and intramural. I also got into attending the Western Washington University (WWU) men's basketball games and quite a few of the women's games. Both of these activites helped me find a new appreciation for watching the sport. It is easier for me to get into watching something I can relate to.
After college, with intramurals unavailable and WWU too far away, I needed to fill my basketball void. I took up watching the UW men's team. With the death of the Sonics it was the biggest game left in town. Back then the Huskies were primarily on Fox Sports Northwest (now Root Sports). As a basic cable subscriber I could see almost every game on TV.
In 2012 the Pac12 Network was born. This network was pitched as a one stop shop for Pac12 sports. You were supposed to be able to watch all of the Pac12 sports your heart could desire. When I heard about the network, I was hesitant. I was concerned that the Pac12 Network would be a premium channel and I wouldn't get it with my basic cable subscription. Turns out they also created regional networks. So, I get Pac12 Washington instead, which is available in my cable package.
The first season turned out great. I could see all the games and with a higher quality broadcast than Root Sports. It was a good thing, but things changed. The Pac12 network stopped showing all of the UW Huskies Men's Basketball games. Lots of the games now air on ESPNU, which I don't get. So, now I can't watch Huskies basketball. I can watch lots of Oregon State Basketball on Root, and tons of random Colorado and USC games on Pac12 network, but very few UW games. This is unacceptable.
The Pac12 network was created to show Pac12 games on TV. I am positive that the UW is still in the Pac12 and now that it is the conference season they play all their games against other Pac12 teams. I understand selling the rights to a few games here and there to the big boys at ESPN and CBS. Those major providers present a chance to showcase Pac12 basketball on a national scale. But, ESPNU? Basically nobody gets that channel. All it is doing is limiting the fanbases ability to watch the games on TV.
Sure I could listen on Radio, but let's face it basketball is not a good radio game. The constant rate of play and score changes make it hard to follow the action. Basketball is best experienced when you can see it. That means live or on TV. When the game is on ESPNU that essentially means I (and lots of you) cant watch. Last year that didn't really matter because the team was mediocre at best, but this year they have been playing well. I actually want to see the games. Basically this all boils down to one single request to UW Athletics, please stop contracting to show games on ESPNU.
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