Guest Column: Which sports are best on cable?

One of the most debated topics in sports media in recent years is the movement of so many different sports to cable.  It can be debated forever whether that is the best way to deliver sports into homes. I am not going to discuss that here. What I am going to discuss is where I believe certain sports should be shown.

I personally believe that the NFL is best over-the-air.  I am not completely opposed to it going to cable, however.  The NFL has built itself into the powerhouse that it is partially because it has handled its TV contracts better than any other league.  They have let some games go to cable, but only because they are broadcast over-the-air in the local markets.  When ESPN first got Monday Night Football, it could not match the production quality that ABC had in its final years. It has certainly improved since then. The NFL Network also had some issues when it first started, but it has also improved and should be very good this year with the help from CBS.  The NFL may always have the best TV situation of any sport.

I have mixed feelings on this one.  ESPN does college football better than anyone else.  It puts games on ABC partially because it cannot fit everything on cable.  The coverage on ABC is about the same depending on who the broadcasters are. It could be better, it could be worse. FOX has come a long way from when it first started covering college football.  I like to trace it back to when it first got the Big XII and the Pac-10 back in 1996. The coverage there was sub-par for a long time until a few years ago when it started to take a turn for the better. CBS seems to committed to making college football better with some of the moves that have been made recently. NBC also seems to be doing the same with Notre Dame.  There are many other cable channels that may never be on the level of coverage that ESPN has of college football. I would not mind if it all went to cable.

College Basketball

I also have mixed feeling on this one. MLB for the longest time had games on an over-the-air network every week. FOX has changed that this year and has not had a game every week in previous years as well.  The schedule for baseball really is not favorable to having games on over-the-air networks. MLB probably does not want to hear that, but it is true. The schedule is better suited to cable. I would not be opposed to having no games on network TV. I do realize that may not happen for many years.

I believe that the time for the NBA to be on over-the-air networks has come and gone. It always has a younger average age than anything else. I do not think that many people watching the NBA care that it is not on an over-the-air network most of the time.

I believe that the NHL has long missed opportunities to be on an over-the-air network.  The ratings are improving over recent years. The NHL would be wise to put more games on over-the-air.

This is another sport where the schedule suggests a move to cable.  Cable can provide more comprehensive coverage than an over-the-air network can because there would be more time to fill. I would not mind if more events moved to cable eventually.

The ratings for NASCAR have fallen off in recent years for many different reasons.  The schedule still suggests that more races could be over-the-air.  The new contract next year calls about the same number of races on cable as recent years. It would not surprise me if more races moved to cable eventually.

There are many other sports that people enjoy to watch every week or occasionally. IndyCar is probably better suited to cable due to its recent ratings woes. The Triple Crown events in horse racing should always be shown on over-the-air networks. Most other sports are probably better suited to cable because of the specialized audiences.