# Those Stupid Sports Streaming Spam Threads **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 2, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366 "2017-12-02T19:44:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/1 "2017-12-02T19:44:10Z")
There’s no way in hades I’d ever click on one of them… But… What would happen if I did? Okay, “Streaming Giants vs. Orioles.” I click. What would I see? I think the guys/bots who put this stuff up here are stinkards of the nastiest stripe, and it’s a shame people are so ugly and greedy as to do this kind of poop. But I’m merely curious; what do I see? Does a paywall appear first, asking me for a credit card or PayPal payment? Would I come into the middle of the game, or see it from the beginning? (If this is encroaching on forbidden subject matter, oops, sorry. Only curious!) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/2 "2017-12-02T21:21:21Z")
i just clicked on one. Went to another forum with a post “advertising” the streams with tinyurl links. That led to a blogspot that had links to the streaming site. That led to a site with a generic streaming media player and buttons for “Watch now” and “Live HD” Both lead to an account sign up page. Didn’t go farther. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/3 "2017-12-02T22:29:23Z")
Staff members. Make Running Coach a mod. Put him in charge of spambusting. Get him a 1959 Cadillac hearse and a vacuum cleaner and a cool armband. Once the word gets out, there won’t be a spammer with big enough balls to try to post spam here. Sorry RC, I know I said that M word and pointed to you, but someone has to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/4 "2017-12-02T22:51:41Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > know I said that M word and pointed to you, but someone has to do it. I wonder if it would be possible to work out some sort of compromise - like give **Coach** the power to instaban first, and report it to TPTB second? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/5 "2017-12-02T23:04:13Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > i just clicked on one. > Went to another forum with a post “advertising” the streams with tinyurl links. > That led to a blogspot that had links to the streaming site. > That led to a site with a generic streaming media player and buttons for “Watch now” and “Live HD” > Both lead to an account sign up page. Didn’t go farther. I would suggest a virus/malware scan as a next step. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/6 "2017-12-02T23:11:32Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I would suggest a virus/malware scan as a next step. Thanks but I have multiple “walls” in place. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/7 "2017-12-03T00:43:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > i just clicked on one. > Went to another forum with a post “advertising” the streams with tinyurl links. > That led to a blogspot that had links to the streaming site. > That led to a site with a generic streaming media player and buttons for “Watch now” and “Live HD” > Both lead to an account sign up page. Didn’t go farther. For heroism (and curiosity!) above and beyond the call of duty, I thank and salute you! Not for the first time, I wish I were a runner, so I could have you as my coach! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/8 "2017-12-03T00:50:00Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > For heroism (and curiosity!) above and beyond the call of duty, I thank and salute you! Not for the first time, I wish I were a runner, so I could have you as my coach! Thanks. If you want to be a runner, you have to take the first step. I’ll tell you how to handle the second and we’ll go from there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/9 "2017-12-03T00:54:00Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > For heroism (and curiosity!) above and beyond the call of duty, I thank and salute you! Not for the first time, I wish I were a runner, so I could have you as my coach! Not to belittle his efforts but you do realize he didn’t physically go to those places. He clicked a mouse 5 times. Gee heroism is easy to achieve nowadays. It’s hardly Pheidippides. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/10 "2017-12-03T01:41:25Z")
There must be legitimate bona fide broadcasters and streaming sites out there, but I don’t think you are going to find them by clicking on spam. In fact, if it is spam then you already know it is not the content you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/11 "2017-12-03T02:34:35Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > There must be legitimate bona fide broadcasters and streaming sites out there, but I don’t think you are going to find them by clicking on spam. In fact, if it is spam then you already know it is not the content you are looking for. Jedi spam? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/12 "2017-12-03T03:11:32Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Not to belittle his efforts but you do realize he didn’t physically go to those places. He clicked a mouse 5 times. Gee heroism is easy to achieve nowadays. It’s hardly Pheidippides. Seriously, it takes some real courage to click a mouse on an internet icon, sometimes, these days. There are real ratbags out there, just oozing with menace, armed to the molars with malware, lined up to suck the life out of their prey. There was no way I was going to click on even the first level of the series, and **running coach** was brave (and curious) enough to go five layers – five circles into the Dantean malebolgia. I call it Herculean. ETA: running coach: I walk for exercise, but I’m afraid I’m just not built to run. Even at a modest walking pace, I sort of fall down a lot. I’ve gotten really good at “breakfall.” As well give a fish a bicycle… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/13 "2017-12-04T18:12:47Z")
I’m totally baffled why those yo-yos even keep trying. Multiple times a day for at least a couple years now, and pretty much every single thread started taken down within minutes. If they are getting paid for click-throughs, the numbers must be in the low single digits per thread. One would think that eventually they would move on to more accommodating surroundings. At this point I have the impression that they are doing this more to annoy the moderating staff than for any potential profit. ---
**Author:** ![Harrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac8455/32.png) [@Harrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harrington)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/14 "2017-12-04T19:04:41Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > i just clicked on one. > Went to another forum with a post “advertising” the streams with tinyurl links. > That led to a blogspot that had links to the streaming site. > That led to a site with a generic streaming media player and buttons for “Watch now” and “Live HD” > Both lead to an account sign up page. Didn’t go farther. I went just a bit further and attempted to sign up for an account. Yep, as suspected, it requires a credit card which “isn’t charged,” only “used for account verification.” Didn’t go further. > [@snfaulkner](#): > > I would suggest a virus/malware scan as a next step. I suggest having software installed that prevents viruses and malware from affecting your computer. ---
**Author:** ![Harrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac8455/32.png) [@Harrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harrington)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/15 "2017-12-04T19:21:08Z")
> [@Italian Football Streaming Website](#): > > Why do we ask you for your billing information? > > Because we are only licensed to distribute our content to certain countries, we ask that you verify your mailing address by providing us with a valid credit card number. We GUARANTEE that NO CHARGES will be applied for validating your account. No charges will appear on your credit card statement unless you upgrade to a Premium Membership or make a purchase. > [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I’m totally baffled why those yo-yos even keep trying. Multiple times a day for at least a couple years now, and pretty much every single thread started taken down within minutes. If they are getting paid for click-throughs, the numbers must be in the low single digits per thread. One would think that eventually they would move on to more accommodating surroundings. > > At this point I have the impression that they are doing this more to annoy the moderating staff than for any potential profit. Yep. With the apprehension of clicking on the link and the greater apprehension of giving your credit card information to a website in a foreign country, the yield from the harvest has to very, very poor, and they’d have to know that. It is very perplexing. I’m thinking about using an old account that I want to close but still has $2 in it, just to test the veracity of the above statement. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/16 "2017-12-04T19:24:17Z")
> [@Harrington](#): > > Yep. With the apprehension of clicking on the link and the greater apprehension of giving your credit card information to a website in a foreign country, the yield from the harvest has to very, very poor, and they’d have to know that. It is very perplexing. I have a feeling that anyone looking for their product has little to no apprehension After all, if spamming wasn’t profitable, it wouldn’t be done. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/17 "2017-12-04T19:29:10Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > At this point I have the impression that they are doing this more to annoy the moderating staff than for any potential profit. What’s most annoying is that they are wasting so much of everyone’s time, including their own, for what would appear to be so little gain. The sheer stupidity of the gibberish usernames, thread titles, and email addresses gets annoying too. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/18 "2017-12-04T19:43:34Z")
Everyone says “someone must be being scammed, otherwise the spammer wouldn’t do it”. But IS anyone doing it? How many? Who are these people? That’s what I want to know. And are they that many people interested in foreign soccer (excuse me, football) that don’t already have a way to watch it? Like, hey, live streaming spam. I can totally trust that. I guess, despite my age, I still get amazed at the stupidity of humans. I shouldn’t, but I do. I get a kick out of the ones like “watch streaming Sunday Night Football.” Dudes, it’s on broadcast TV, for free. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/19 "2017-12-04T19:56:07Z")
> [@Harrington](#): > > Yep. With the apprehension of clicking on the link and the greater apprehension of giving your credit card information to a website in a foreign country, the yield from the harvest has to very, very poor, and they’d have to know that. It is very perplexing. > > I’m thinking about using an old account that I want to close but still has $2 in it, just to test the veracity of the above statement. According to the old adage, usually incorrectly attributed to P. T. Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366/20 "2017-12-04T20:51:24Z")
The obvious solution would be that the first few posts by each new member would have to be approved by a moderator. Why can’t this be implemented? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-stupid-sports-streaming-spam-threads/803366.md?page=2)