# Why can't ESPN air a game instead of SportsCenter **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 26, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297 "2014-05-26T17:32:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/1 "2014-05-26T17:32:14Z")
The channel guide says they are airing the BoSox/Braves game. But NESN is airing it. How expensive would it have been to air an alternative game, considering how busy baseball is on Memorial Day? Alternately, how much would NESN have lost not airing the game? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/2 "2014-05-26T18:28:42Z")
ESPN is televisin the Red Sox and Braves in my area. I would guess you are in the Blackout zone because of turf wars. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/3 "2014-05-26T18:30:53Z")
Yeah, I live near Boston. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/4 "2014-05-26T22:03:12Z")
The regional sports networks pay a pretty penny for the rights to air ball games. ESPN has their rights to the show the Yankees and Red Sox(insert sarcasm) on Sunday nights, Monday nights, and Wednesday nights. The Monday day games aren’t part of their usual package. The Red Sox game was being shown in Chicago. If ESPN had picked up Cubs/Giants rather than the Red Sox game, the Cubs game would have been blacked on ESPN. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/5 "2014-05-26T23:17:36Z")
Dale, could you please re-explain that, without the uncalled for snark. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/6 "2014-05-26T23:26:19Z")
The snark was the “East Coast Bias” that ESPN shows. Yankees and Red Sox seem to get the preferential treatment on their networks, and ESPN tends to give a slobberjob to the Yanks even if they suck that year. They do it slightly less with the Cardinals, but it’s true; ESPN, since it’s located in Connecticut, acts like everyone wants to hear about the Yankees and Sox, even when we don’t. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/7 "2014-05-26T23:30:37Z")
Once again, I ask: can someone explain why ESPN just can’t air an alternate game? Or how much does NESN lose by not airing that game? If you can’t answer the question without bitching and moaning about “East Coast bias” please stay out of the thread. If the threadshitting continues, I will request the thread be locked. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/8 "2014-05-26T23:42:26Z")
Huh? How was any of that snark? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/9 "2014-05-26T23:50:40Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Once again, I ask: can someone explain why ESPN just can’t air an alternate game? It’s due to their contract with MLB. Perhaps you could ask to read it. As mentioned above, Monday is not a normal day for ESPN to air baseball, and I’d assume that the contract allows them to select one game. > [@](#): > > Or how much does NESN lose by not airing that game? They’d lose advertising income for a pre-game show, nine innings of baseball, and a post-game show. How much income? I dunno, it’s in their contracts with the advertisers. Enough so that NESN chooses to enforce their rights to the local broadcast. You really have only to use some common sense to understand this. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/10 "2014-05-26T23:52:38Z")
Don’t make him turn this thread around! ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/11 "2014-05-27T00:21:15Z")
Frank, except for your implication I lack common sense, a unnecessay dig I explicitly asked you to avoid, your answer is the closest I’m going to get. Thanks, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/12 "2014-05-27T00:22:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Don’t make him turn this thread around! Don’t think I won’t!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/13 "2014-05-27T02:18:58Z")
Sorry for the snark, but ESPN can’t air an alternate game because NESN doesn’t want you to have an alternate game. They want to be the only game in town. I’m not sure what the policy is on rain outs, but I can remember in the past that they wouldn’t switch to another game in the case of a rain out. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/14 "2014-05-27T02:19:29Z")
Methinks you need to develop some calluses…you seem to have some rather thin skin. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/15 "2014-05-27T02:30:57Z")
Dale, that makes sense. Chalk it up to Red Sox greed. I guess their margins are too thin. Dude- My calluses are fine, people just prefer to be jerks unecessarily. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/16 "2014-05-27T03:03:19Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Dale, that makes sense. Chalk it up to Red Sox greed. I guess their margins are too thin. > > Dude- My calluses are fine, people just prefer to be jerks unecessarily. Nobody was a jerk – I don’t know what you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/17 "2014-05-27T12:02:48Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Nobody was a jerk – I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to agree. As a Red Sox fan I didn’t see any snark in this thread until you started on about it. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/18 "2014-05-27T14:05:06Z")
You don’t consider bitching and moaning about “East Coast bias”, which is completely irrelevant to the OP, at best snark, at worst, threadshitting? Look, I understand I’m not the most popular Doper, but that doesn’t give you license to be an asshole! If you feel it does, I guess I will leave permanently. Which In suspect is your goal anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/19 "2014-05-27T14:08:53Z")
I see a lot of bitching and moaning here, but it’s not about East Coast bias. Are you going for suicide by mod today, etv? ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297/20 "2014-05-27T14:16:39Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > You don’t consider bitching and moaning about “East Coast bias”, which is completely irrelevant to the OP, at best snark, at worst, threadshitting? Look, I understand I’m not the most popular Doper, but that doesn’t give you license to be an asshole! If you feel it does, I guess I will leave permanently. Which In suspect is your goal anyway. Didn’t you make that exact threat just two weeks ago? How’d that work out? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-espn-air-a-game-instead-of-sportscenter/689297.md?page=2)