So, how come you don't blog more about Rugby?
Because it's not on tv regularly, and I can't blog about sporting events that I don't see.
This is a persistent source of irritation, though. For example, Wales just won the Six Nations, and the only mention of it I've seen on the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" was a quick clip in the Top Ten Plays on SportsCenter the other day. There hasn't been any continuing coverage of one of the biggest events in international rugby.
Meanwhile, though, we get half an hour every night of Gilette Fusion Presents the Miller Lite NFL Draft Report Brought to You by Nextel, with Mel Frickin' Kiper and his Lego pompadour jabbering on about the NFL draft, which is still a month away. And it's not even a sporting event-- it's a goddamn cattle auction.
I'm just old enough to remember when ESPN used to mostly show sports-- when you could flip it on at 2am and watch a little rugby, or Aussie Rules football, or that crazy Irish game that's sort of like field hockey, only you can beat the other players about the head and shoulders with the sticks. Now, it's about 80% yelling-head shows.
I would love for my cable to reliably bring me international rugby. Fox used to run a weekly rugby show on Sunday nights, and that was great. They bumped it in favor of more episodes of "The Best Damn Sports List Show With Random Half-Naked Starlets," so I'm once again rugby-less. Which means no rugby blogging.
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Have you taken a look at Setanta? I know they show quite a bit of rugby. (Let's see... they list Six Nations, English Premiership, Super League, and quite a few others.) They're available on DirecTV and DISH Network, and they have a broadband option available too. Watching on the computer isn't as nice as on the TV, but it's gotta be better than watching Jim Rome or whoever.
ESPN is a travesty of course. If it's not talking heads, it's World's Strongest Man or some other irrelevant crap. And don't get me started on their horrid ownership of Champions League...
Sorry, I borked my URL:
Setanta is what I wanted. Sigh.
We don't have a dish, nor are we interested in getting one, so Setanta is pretty much out.
My daughter and her team watched the Six Nations Finals at a Bar in Chicago on Saturday morning. Freaked her Mom right out!
Regarding the Big Picture - I am surprised that Rugby is not bigger in the US - it beats the hell out of soccer.
Ah, but the US has its very own third-rate rugby derivative, which probably reduces the demand somewhat.
That Irish sport is hurling.
Setanta, btw, was the original name of Cu Chulainn, hero of one of the Irish myth cycles. Cu Chulainn means 'hound of Cullen' - when he was a kid, Setanta arrived late at a party at Cullen's house, because he had been playing hurling. He was attacked by Cullen's guard dog, and killed it by driving his sliotar (ball) down its throat. Setanta makes up for becoming Cullen's dog by becoming his guard dog himself for a while, which is where he gets the nickname.
Sorry if I buried my lede, but you can watch Setanta online, with a subscription of course.