Last Sunday, if you recall, unless you have Direct TV and the Sunday Ticket satellite package or ventured out to a sports bar, you were unable to watch the Steelers-Jags game. That's because the NFL deems this area a secondary market for the Ravens, requiring the CBS affiliate in Harrisburg, WHP-TV, to air Ravens' away games here instead of Steelers' contests.
So instead of watching an exciting game between two playoff-bound teams -- it wound up 29-22, Jags, on a last-minute touchdown scored after the Steelers made a big second-half comeback -- viewers in this area were treated to the crapfest staged in Miami between the Ravens and the Dolphins. That game needed overtime to determine which team wanted to lose it more -- which turned out to be the Ravens, handing the Dolphins their first victory of the season.
Interesting fact: According to Gregg Easterbrook, ESPN"s Tuesday Morning Quarterback, the Steelers-Jags game was aired in Iran. Viewers in Tehran were able to see this game while fans in this area were shut out.
What makes it even worse is that Middle East TV lets viewers vote on which game they want to see. Sunday, they chose the Steelers-Jags. If it were put up to a vote in this area, it's pretty obvious that Steelers fans would have prevailed.
So, to review, in Iran, they use a democratic process to select which NFL game viewers will be able to see over broadcast TV. Here, the NFL dictates it.
Doesn't seem right.
