Why can’t some Web site somewhere sell old recorded copies of sporting events? I can’t find any Web site or business anywhere that offers this service, other than ESPN Classic - wish I liked boxing more. I know all about the legalities involved, but why should they care about something that was on TV so long ago? It’s not like I’m going to profit from it. Don’t these rights expire? Can’t Major League Baseball itself offer to re-sell old games? I can’t be the only one who would want to watch old baseball, hockey or NFL games - what about people who got married at a game, or knew they were on TV that day, or something? I can rattle off a huge number of complete re-broadcasts I’d like to see and would be willing to pay handsomely for - a perfect game here, a Stanley Cup game there…seems like they’re missing a golden opportunity to make some money.
Copyrights for most TV recordings last 50 years. Some events are being resold, but usually by small dealers and only if there is some sort of weird way that a recording was saved. Usually these people advertise in magazines aimed at the particular sport, like Baseball America, Hockey Digest, etc.
I think the bottom line is that it wouldn’t make money.
Sports leagues regularly produce highlight videos and similar items with mass commercial appeal. But to keep all old games in circulation, or even to cherry-pick some specific ones, would probably not have enough mass appeal to justify the investment in equipment, marketing, etc.
A lot of those events weren’t even saved. Most TV and radio people thought there would be little purpose in having old sporting events (or old news programs for that matter) since no one would want to see them once the final score was known. Countless other events that were recorded were later destroyed because they took up too much space, or the old kinescope film they were recorded on simply crumbled away.
I’m sure there are probably some old newsreels and other archives of “important” sporting events, but more in the nature of highlights than full accounts.