Gone

Contrary to the old saying, there really used to be a free lunch, or at least free TV coverage of Chicago sports’ teams.  Now, there’s only the Bears, and that’s more torture than entertainment.

Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox?  All exclusively on cable.  Ditto the Cubs, who are gambling they can make fans and cable providers pay for the privilege of watching the North Siders play.  I can’t help but question the implications.  How long until a Wirtz-lite scenario plays out?

The late Bill Wirtz was so much of a Neanderthal he kept his Blackhawks off TV to the best of his ability; Hawks fans either had to pay up to watch their team at the Stadium or listen to games on the radio.  By the time of Wirtz’s death in 2007, the team was on life support, saved only by the sports’ savvy of son Rocky Wirtz.

The Hawks have won three Stanley Cups under the new Wirtz, so the team’s TV situation is unique, going from virtually nothing to a hit on cable.  As long as the team was really good, fans didn’t mind watching them while somebody, a bar or homeowner, picked up the tab.  The Hawks aren’t so good now, and it’ll be interesting to see how much their viewership declines, along with attendance.

Sox fans are especially sensitive to the subject of TV access for a couple of reasons.  First, back in the late 1960s, the team left WGN for Ch-32, a UHF station, which meant no box on top of the television, no Sox game; we bought a box, only the reception, like the team, stunk.  Then, when Jerry Reinsdorf bought the team in 1981, he rushed a portion of their games onto cable as soon as he could.  But you could still see some Sox games—and Cubs and Bulls—on free TV locally as late as last year.  No more.

Clare grew up a Sox fan because her father insisted on finding games to watch, regardless the monthly bill.  And that’s fine.  No, I take that back.  For better or worse, it’s the wave of the future.  No more turning on a TV, any TV, and finding a ballgame to watch.  If you can’t afford a sports’ package, pro sports in Chicago doesn’t want you.

How sad, and possibly dangerous for the long-term health of local teams.  If they lose the kids to Xbox, they’ll lose the kids’ kids, too.