Apparently the Los Angeles Lakers won the Western Conference:But you'd never know it by watching over-the-air television in Los Angeles, even though the event was sold out.
It was on TNT Sports, as was the first playoff game in the series. Other games were on ESPN. ABC had, what, one (or two) games?
So has basketball moved, for the most part, to the kind of entertainment people must pay for in order to watch on television?
What's odd is to watch the local news in Los Angeles this morning. The Lakers won the Western Conference, and the anchors and sports reporters are all happy. Fans at the stadium where the game was played are happy. Los Angeles is happy!
Or is it? How many Laker fans in the city actually watched the final game? Certainly not as many as there would have been if the game was televised "old style", by a local independent channel.
posted by Quiddity at 5/30/2008 05:39:00 AM
Is there something that prevents the team from broadcasting a local feed in addition to the national feed?
Baseball teams do it.
Unless there is, I'd lay the blame at the feet of the team.
It's basketball anyway. Maybe it's different in LA, but here in Boston...these games are the most incredibly boring thing I've ever seen, and I've long since tuned out.
The local station must just have the contract for regular season games. The local Lakers televison guys said, "that's it for us" and bid us good bye for the season.
During the regular season when TNT or ESPN decide to carry a Lakers' game, it is on the local station also.
Besides, ESPN and TNT are basic cable or basic satelite.
By-the-way, I watched all the play off games and I'm happy the Lakers won.
