Go Freedom!

A major success for the forces of goodness and justice and lardasses everywhere, as the NFL caves and announces a simulcast of Saturday night's Giants/Pats tilt on CBS and NBC, in addition to the NFL Network.

I like that the Senate Judiciary Committee was threatening to look again at the NFL's antitrust exemption. If the NFL wants to use its monopoly status to try and squeeze maximum profit from the cable and satellite companies, then they don't deserve that monopoly status. Let them have to compete in an open market, and see how much their product is really worth. Since they receive special privileges at, in essence, the expense of the taxpayer, they owe the taxpayer the opportunity to see their games, and offering to sell the NFL Network to cable companies at the low, low rate of $8 per household (just slightly less than what the ESPN family of network charges) isn't really being very generous at all. Good job by the Senators, representing the interests of their constituents.

Gotta love Commissioner Goodell's blowing smoke up our collective ass:

What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever.

No, Commissioner, we don't care a whit for the NFL Network. We want the NFL games. Specifically, we want the two games this year featuring two actual professional-grade teams (Cowboys/Packers and Giants/Pats, although calling the Giants 'professional-grade' is a stretch.) To say that means we are showing a 'very strong consumer demand' for the network might be just a sliiiight exaggeration