UEFA Champions League on ESPN2; 2:30pm EST

[RPI-Fan]

Just a heads up.

[SackAttack]

who's playing?

[RPI-Fan]

Roma vs. Real (nobody in the stands)

[GoldenEagle]

Roma can not have any fans for this game, I think.

[Chief Rum]

You know, that Ronaldo character might have a future in this game. ;)

CR

[Crapshoot]

damn it! Id like to be at home watching this..

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Just wondering wheter it s live or on taped delay.

[3ric]

It's live - I'm watching it (halftime right now)

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

What's with the empty stadium. The commentators were sasying something about its a travesty to Roma fans or something. Did anything happen?

[atatange1]

Chem, yes something did happen. Roma fans during a game vs Kiev hit the referee with a lighter, cutting him and ending the game. So they got penalised 3 games, I think, in an empty stadium.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Chem, yes something did happen. Roma fans during a game vs Kiev hit the referee with a lighter, cutting him and ending the game. So they got penalised 3 games, I think, in an empty stadium.


Ouch! Drastic measures but I can understand it. Shame how less than a handful of fans ruins it for everyone else.

[B & B]

Wow, that was easy money.

[Desnudo]

Ouch! Drastic measures but I can understand it. Shame how less than a handful of fans ruins it for everyone else.

In Europe it's a lot more than a handful of fans. And there is a long history of these incidents, especially in Italy. So if you take background into account, the penalty doesn't seem so harsh.

[Miller Time]

Anyone who gets a chance to watch the Liverpool vs. Olympiakos game are in for a treat!

[3ric]

Anyone who gets a chance to watch the Liverpool vs. Olympiakos game are in for a treat!
Agreed - a great game, all 90 minutes of it...

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Champions League play = Better than most stuff on ESPN. Wonder wont put great programming like this on a weekly

[Crapshoot]

Champions League play = Better than most stuff on ESPN. Wonder wont put great programming like this on a weekly

Because most of the US doesnt care for a sport without "action!"

[Desnudo]

Stu Scott doesn't watch soccer. Boo-yah!

[scooter]

Ouch! Drastic measures but I can understand it. Shame how less than a handful of fans ruins it for everyone else.

I was watching this game, and my wife asked me why the game was so quiet. I explained the story to her and she thought that was an interesting way to try to crack down on that kind of behavior. So it got me thinking: could the NBA ever bring it upon themselves to make Detroit play a couple games in an empty stadium after their little brawl? With european soccer it doesn't seem like that strange a thing (I've seen a couple matches that way on tv), but for a US league in a major sport to do something like that seems totally foreign.

Just food for thought...

[Ajaxab]

Champions League play = Better than most stuff on ESPN. Wonder wont put great programming like this on a weekly

Unfortunately, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to set up a few cameras at a casino for poker than to buy the rights to broadcast the Champions' League and unfortunately, more people will likely watch it. So we're stuck wondering if that fat guy in sunglasses is going to get his full house rather than the crowd at Anfield all excited about the potential for getting to the next round. ESPN is getting sadder by the year.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Unfortunately, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to set up a few cameras at a casino for poker than to buy the rights to broadcast the Champions' League and unfortunately, more people will likely watch it. So we're stuck wondering if that fat guy in sunglasses is going to get his full house rather than the crowd at Anfield all excited about the potential for getting to the next round. ESPN is getting sadder by the year.

I remember 8 years ago when ESPN showed Rugby and Aussie Rules, Which of course dissappeared. Now I have to get digital cable to get FSW and in hopes that they offer EPL action on their sports in demand. I.m truly interested in futbol but if I dont have any exposure then it wont happen.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Because most of the US doesnt care for a sport without "action!"

Dola: Um ... Golf.

[Desnudo]

Unfortunately, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to set up a few cameras at a casino for poker than to buy the rights to broadcast the Champions' League and unfortunately, more people will likely watch it. So we're stuck wondering if that fat guy in sunglasses is going to get his full house rather than the crowd at Anfield all excited about the potential for getting to the next round. ESPN is getting sadder by the year.

Also the timing of the games makes it tougher. You're not going to get much of an audience at 2:30 PM EST and showing a repeat when the result is already known won't draw as large an audience either.

[DaddyTorgo]

That was a nice game. Nothing better than having the CL on and booting up the laptop and firing away at FM2005 for a couple hourshttp://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[daedalus]

Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. And damn. Damn at being at work and not knowing the game was going to be on. I check every Tuesday that CL games are on - since it used to be on then - and it wasn't on this week. Damn. Damn. And damn.

Did I mentioned DAMN?

[Tekneek]

I have Champions League matches on a season pass on the TiVo, so I don't even keep up with the schedule anymore...

"ESPN, The Worlwide Leader In Sports" does not have to show any exciting sports from around the world. You don't have to demonstrate that you can actually live up to the slogan conjured up by some marketing wizard. I don't understand why they keep the Champion's League rights, considering they show us fewer matches from it than they did 5 and 10 years ago. I can remember having as many as 3 or 4 matches in a single week from it...now we seem thrilled if we get 1...

[scooter]

I believe ESPN actually has the rights to air any of the CL they want. If you watch their broadcasts, they advertise "for our international audience, following this match we will have Team X vs. Team Y". So they are showing those other games somewhere. Sometimes I wish I was the international audience. :p

[Tekneek]

Sometimes I wish I was the international audience. :p

I always wish I was. I've written ESPN several times asking why they have slowly diminished their coverage in the states, to which I have never received a reply. Oh well. They have conditioned us to be happy with just the one game.

[tanglewood]

Does ESPN offer a digital service? In the UK, Sky Sports does and we get can watch any of the 8 matches on per night. I'd think that 'The Worldwide Leader In Sports' could offer such a service.

[Desnudo]

So it looks like Setanta PPV has the Bayern v. Arsenal CL matchup. No freebies on ESPN this year I guess.

[ice4277]

I always wish I was. I've written ESPN several times asking why they have slowly diminished their coverage in the states, to which I have never received a reply. Oh well. They have conditioned us to be happy with just the one game.
They are putting the bulk of their CL coverage onto ESPN Deportes, as that is where they feel their biggest audience will be. AFAIK, the only reason there are CL games on ESPN at all is because UEFA has a rule that a certain number of games broadcast must be available to the majority of viewers in a certain country (or something to that affect).

[Critch]

According to soccertv.com, ESPN2 has Man Utd v AC Milan on February 23rd so it's not all ppv.

ESPN Deportes seems to have all the Champions League games and a few UEFA ones too. Why oh why oh why isn't ESPN Deportes part of the DirecTV sports channel pack? They have it, and it's a sports channel, so shouldn't it be in the sports channel pack? Ooooooh, it makes me mad.

[ice4277]

According to soccertv.com, ESPN2 has Man Utd v AC Milan on February 23rd so it's not all ppv.

ESPN Deportes seems to have all the Champions League games and a few UEFA ones too. Why oh why oh why isn't ESPN Deportes part of the DirecTV sports channel pack? They have it, and it's a sports channel, so shouldn't it be in the sports channel pack? Ooooooh, it makes me mad.
I'm upset because I can get Gol TV in our digital cable sports pack; its a nice channel, but I don't know why they wouldn't make ESPN Deportes an option as well, especially since they have the CL. Oh well, at least I can get more UEFA Cup now.

[Easy Mac]

ESPN/ESPN 2's soccer schedule for the next month:

2/15
ESPN2
2:55 pm EST (LIVE)
FIFA Football For Hope
Shevchenko XI vs. Ronaldinho XI
Nou Camp Stadium Barcelona, Spain

2/23
ESPN2
2:30 pm EST (LIVE)
UEFA Champions League
Manchester United vs. AC Milan
Old Trafford Stadium (Manchester Utd) Manchester, England

3/8
ESPN2
2:30 pm EST (LIVE)
UEFA Champions League

[MIJB#19]

Ohw, that reminds me, I have to bump a particular thread the upcoming weeks.

[Desnudo]

That's cool, I've always wanted to see Shevchenko play. Hopefully Milan will put a nice pasting on Man U.

[Critch]

Happy news for DirecTV people on the DirecTV site :)

"DIRECTV to Offer GolTV on DIRECTV PARA TODOS® and SPORTS Pack Programming Service
24-Hour All Soccer Network will be Available to Customers Nationwide in February 2005 in both Spanish and English."

GolTV on the same package as FSC/FSW. Happy happy joy joy. According to big soccer boards, it starts February 22nd.

linkie (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutus/headline.dsp?id=01-11-2005A)

[Butter]

Happy news for DirecTV people on the DirecTV site :)

"DIRECTV to Offer GolTV on DIRECTV PARA TODOS® and SPORTS Pack Programming Service
24-Hour All Soccer Network will be Available to Customers Nationwide in February 2005 in both Spanish and English."

GolTV on the same package as FSC/FSW. Happy happy joy joy. According to big soccer boards, it starts February 22nd.

linkie (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutus/headline.dsp?id=01-11-2005A)

I just saw this channel pop up yesterday evening.

Hooray for Italian, Spanish, and Brazilian football!