Freestylin' Into The Summer Heat

Vendors Russell Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Patrick: Well, fellas, we’ve nearly arrived at that point in the year when the excitement and the hugeness of the specific playoffs—i.e., NBA, NHL—has eased, and we’re back in the sports-freestyle surf.

Donald: Not a horrible thing. Shoot, I mean, there’s still the WNBA, which has just recently kicked off. So, for those who need a transition into the non-“Power” sports, the WNBA could help.

Russ: And it’s really exciting. Shoot, I look for the Chicago Sky score across SportsCenter’s bottom-screen-scroll as I would a Bulls one.

Patrick: Man, I watched about 20 minutes of bags—rather, Cornhole—competition events. Absolutely amazing what these cats can do out there. I mean, dang near every shot is in the hole. I play a lil’bit from time to time, and I’m lucky to have all of my shots even touch the board— let alone stay on the board or, ridiculously, all nearly fall into the bullseye.

John: Well, I say, with summer here and both the NBA and NHL seasons just about

wrapped up, the focus should now be on Major League Baseball (MLB). However, a combination of poor marketing and a poor TV package has put MLB in the rearview mirror—not hot topics. Unfortunately, the playoffs don’t begin for them until October, which occurs during the prime of NFL and college football play.

Donald: I don’t quite understand what you’re getting at, John. You’re saying folks won’t care about the baseball season because of…well, not sure what you’re saying.

John: The focus will be on the NFL, who are the masters of marketing now, what with DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket now expired, and YouTube TV gaining the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket. I like the idea. However, there’re a couple of growing pains attached. The first is the cost: $349 for the season. That’s not a small amount of money.

Russ: Especially not for the little person.

John: Right. And number two is that residents with a home or internet have access to the NFL Sunday Ticket package. However, sports bar owners have been running into problems with YouTube TV regarding the NFL Sunday Ticket.

Patrick: John, I’m looking up this stuff as I am clueless, and I’m learning a few things. Something I found online: “The NFL and YouTube will work together to determine additional ways to support distribution of NFL Sunday Ticket in commercial establishments such as bars and restaurants.”

John: So, basically, one alternative amongst a few, and one that appears to be the easiest to me, is for bars and restaurants to dramatically upgrade their in-house internet/Wi-Fi and stream the games.

Russ: So, life after the NBA and NHL is here…and I’m ready for it. I enjoy all sports. Currently, I’m enjoying the WNBA; I’ve watched 6 games this week. Plenty of action, too. Having baseball for the summer and fall will absolutely hold me. I can watch a game or two every other day, so no problems until the football season.

Donald: What do you think about what John said about being able to watch certain things…and being not able to watch others?

Russ: Look, there are all kinds of ways to watch stuff these days. You have apps, streaming, etc., so if you can get to it, get to it; if you can’t, find something else to watch…or find someone who does have capability to watch what you want to watch.

Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org The first 5 responders will receive an item from the StreetWise swag box!