If you’re the ultimate fan and don’t have satellite TV, your true fan status just dropped a notch or two. With cable, you don’t get nearly as many channels. Sure, you can watch the big games, especially the ones from area teams. But what if you’re a fan of the Washington Nationals and you live in San Francisco? It is very likely that you will miss a large part of the team’s games. Satellite packages are the solution.
If the major leagues are your thing, there are four packages that you absolutely must have. MLB teams play more than 160 games each year, so it’s hard to watch every one of your team’s games, even with local coverage. MLB Extra Innings is the only way to get close to that goal, providing up to 60 games per week. Next up is NBA League Pass, which shows up to 40 basketball games each week, many of which you won’t be able to watch on cable. NHL Center Ice also offers 40 hard-to-find games each week. However, the most popular of the bunch is the NFL Sunday Ticket. This package provides up to 14 games per week. An incredible number given that the league only has 32 teams, with 16 being the maximum number of games per week.
The NASCAR HotPass is a particularly interesting package. Satellite executives had to come up with an innovative idea, since all NASCAR races are available on regular cable. This package offers four different channels that provide a live feed from a camera inside the cars of four drivers. On each channel, you get a split screen of the regular broadcast and the individual driver’s camera. You can also listen to the drivers and crew chiefs chatting on their team radios. NASCAR HotPass, which is broadcast in HD, is a really interesting way to watch a race.
If prom is your thing, you’ll be glad to know there are varsity packages as well. ESPN Full Court is available during the college basketball season. Provides up to 30 games per week. Conferences covered are: ACC, Big 12, Big East, SEC, Pac-10, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, Colonial, and MAAC. For college football, you want ESPN GamePlan, which offers up to 10 hard-to-find games every Saturday of the season.
Haven’t you seen a package that will float your boat yet? There are a few options that cater to less popular sports in American culture. How about the Setanta Sports package, which offers European football and rugby? Or maybe you’re interested in Cricket Ticket, which offers 200 days a year of cricket coverage. Lastly, there’s MLS Direct Kick, which gives you access to over 130 soccer matches throughout the MLS season.
As you can see, no matter what your sports preference is, the satellite will provide you with more games than you can handle. Please note that the games in these packages are in addition to what is shown by local broadcast stations and other networks, such as ESPN.