Shame On The NFL and NFL Network

My local cable company, EverestKC, has carried the NFL Network for years, but not the live Thursday and Saturday games. Why? Because the NFL wants the cable companies to pay millions of dollars in surcharges to carry the live games. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that those extra costs, to see games that NFL fans already could watch for free in previous seasons, would be passed right through to the cable subscribers. Cable companies aren’t about to shoot themselves in the foot and raise their prices to view a minuscule number of live NFL games. Cable companies will stand their ground to keep their prices the same, and say NO to the NFL Network. Here's how EverestKC responded to my inquiry why they don't broadcast the live games:

Thank you for continuing to choose Everest. You may have noticed that Everest offers NFL Network, but we are not presently airing eight regular season games being carried by NFL Network. Two of the eight games, which are Chiefs match-ups, will be available to you through local broadcasts. This means only six out of market games will not be seen on Everest.

Two years into our long-term contract with NFL Network, Everest was asked to add the games at an expense of millions of dollars over the remaining life of the contract. As your hometown cable provider, we refuse to pay millions of dollars to the NFL and increase our customers' bills to make up the substantial surcharges. The NFL has also refused to allow us to sell these games separately.

It is not fair to our customers – those who are sports fans and those who are not – to pay such a premium for games that were available to all Everest customers last year.

Frankly, I stand with my cable company. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I took a position against the NFL. I love NFL football, but if I wanted to pay extra money for games, I’d get NFL Sunday Ticket.

Fans would want NFL Network in order to see the live games, but what they would get is the channel without the live games. To use fans in this manner, to pressure other cable companies to carry the NFL Network, knowing that those cable companies would have to pay the extra surcharges for the live games, is hypocrisy. Shame on the NFL for using such tactics.

The NFL has taken Thursday and Saturday games away from its fans. It's just flat out highway robbery and I am disappointed in the NFL and the NFL Network for doing that. As if the NFL doesn't make enough money already from the major networks. NFL, give us back our Thursday and Saturday games!!!