Nov 20 2008
Avoid the Lions Blackout
Several weeks ago, I blogged about ways to avoid blackouts of Detroit Lions games.
My first warning: There is no excellent way to avoid blackouts. The NFL wants to sell tickets. So, the only guaranteed way to see the game within the 75-mile blackout area is to go to Ford Field.
This weekend, the Detroit Lions play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, this game has very little interest beyond the cities involved. This means that options for avoiding the blackout via a good television antenna are small.
For those attempting this option, the link below provides the broadcast coverage map for this Sunday’s (11/23) games:
http://www.the506.com/nflmaps/2008-12-FOX1.html
There is basically one over-the-air option for pulling in the game. This is the Fox affiliate in Grand Rapids, Channel 17/WXMI. I have never been able to pull this station in from Monroe. But the FCC coverage map below suggests that viewers in Lansing or even Jackson might be able to watch the game via this route:
Absent a good outside antenna, the shift for viewing the game switches to the internet. And before I go into details, I have to warn you that rebroadcast of games on the internet is most probably illegal. So, the ethics of using this route have to be considered.
That said, several peer-to-peer sites have the technology necessary for viewers in areas outside the blackout areas to rebroadcast the game across the internet. The quality of these rebroadcasts can be good or it can be marginal. But often, these sites can provide a watchable game when no other option exists.
Given the cloak-and-dagger nature of these sites, there is no way in advance to know which site will have a feed. So, one needs to check several. Here are a few possible options:
Now, I suppose it is a bit crazy to go through so much trouble to watch a team that is 0-10. But I kind of take a perverse pride in following a team that is so bad. There is very little risk of disappointment. I expect them to win every week, so if they game is remotely competitive, it gets quite exciting. And there is always the possiblity that the Lions will go 0-16. And you can say that you watched every last bit of it.
Cheers.