Left In the Darkness

     The University of Texas plays their last football game of the season on Saturday.  The Texas-Baylor game will be televised on national television where anyone who wants can watch the game live.  This year's Longhorn team is not one of the University's best but neither is one of their worst.  More than anything else, this year's team has become and will forever be known as the team representing the inaugural year of the Longhorn Network.  From the onset, one of the main motives of the Longhorn television network was to increase  national clout for the University of Texas.  But soon after the network televised it's first Longhorn sporting event, hatred  for the network began rising from the fan base.  Owned and operated by ESPN, the sports broadcasting company demanded very high fees from the national cable companies for the rights to televise Longhorn programing.  Time Warner said no to ESPN which meant 95% of Austin was left in darkness when it came time for kickoff.
     $300 million buys a lot of access but it also buys a lot non access.  ESPN has exclusive rights to most games, player interviews and coaches interviews, leaving the local television stations in Austin with only very limited access.  What is the general public to do when their favorite sports team is controlled by a greedy broadcasting company and an even greedier  University?  Are the fans who bleed orange suppose to switch cable companies so they are not stuck with stale Longhorn news provided by the limited access of the local television networks?
     With the majority of Longhorn fans left in the dark, the resentment against the University is getting stronger each day.  It's obvious ESPN  will pay the University a lot of money but what exactly is the price of good will? I see no benefit to this arrangement and neither did Texas A&M University.   They told Texas to stick it where the sun doesn't shine and then A&M moved to a difference football conference where they would not even have to play the Longhorns.  Maybe the fans of the University of Texas will get mad enough and stop going to games  and I'll be able to set in the end zone for $5 like I did in the late 80s but that extremely  doubtful.  At least I will not be the only one singing the Eyes of Texas in the dark.