🏀 KuBuckets Archive

So tonight KU and TCU play an all important football game on Fox. Not FSI their cable sports outlet, but on their premier national channel.

Meanwhile at the same time there's a minor sporting event relegated to FS1. It's only game 7 of the ALCS between Houston and NY.

Here's my gripe. Current commissioner Rob Mannfred and past commissioner Butt Selig put up with this crap. They should be telling FOX to show this game. They should be in Fox's ear wondering why they're afraid to show baseball games. The major network that televises their sport would rather show a game between TCU and awful KU than an epic game 7. I know football trounces MLB in ratings, but I also believe that baseball, and by baseball, I mean Selig and Manfred are to blame by just sticking their tail between their legs and kissing foxes butt.

My elderly parents still like to watch these games and tonight my mom will be calling me asking what channel the game is on because she can't find it. Heck, they might not even have it on their direct tv package. I'm expecting this phone call because I get it every year.

Last week it was the length of games, this week it's Fox and MLB's self defeating actions. Sigh....

@wissox You answered the question yourself. It's all about ratings. Even 4th tier bowl games between 6-6 MAC and Sun Belt teams draw bigger numbers than Duke/Carolina games.

Even coming from an Astros fan, KU/TCU is going to draw bigger numbers than game 7 would if it was on Fox.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I doubt that. It'll be interesting to see.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I highly doubt TCU vs KU pulls more numbers than a game 7 playoff series that has the Yankees in it. Maybe if it was OU vs TCU and not the most popular MLB team.

@wissox According to the Direct TV channel listing on their website, FS1 is channel 219 and available on all their channel packages except the basic one (Select). I was curious since someday I may switch. Don't know how reliable this is.

@wissox @kjayhawks Game 5 of the Yankees/Astros had a 1.2 and game 4 of the Dodgers/Cubs had a 2.0. Those are not big numbers.

There might also be contractual obligation that take precedence.

Baseball is now a niche sport I say this as a lifelong baseball fan that was going to Royals games back when George Brett was still on the team.

@BShark Unfortunately that's true and it chagrins me.

@mayjay it's become a standard channel but for a lot of 80 year olds like my folks it's hard to find.

Annual attendance for the Yankees home games this year : 3,146,966
Annual attendance for Alabama football home games : 881,344

"But TV..." I know. Still, that's a lot of people. Don't think its a niche sport quite yet.

Sure, youth sports are in decline, but I can't image that they will disappear; I think they'll just not be for everyone and level out.

@approxinfinity 81 games compared to less than 10. Assuming no playoffs counted for that Yankees stat.

@approxinfinity I don't like that comparison because one team plays 6 or 7 games home while the other plays 80. That's how that claim baseball is America's because more people have watch it total even tho its way more games and older. Ratings wise NBA, NFL and NASCAR all destroy baseball in viewer ship. I just figured the game being in the playoffs compared to a snooze fest beat beat down would be better.

Every rant against Fox Sports and MLB really needs to include something about that gawdawful strike zone they impose on every pitch.

I broke my Fox Sports baseball boycott and watched the final Astros/Yankees game last night, and I'm still irritated.