Like the others, you’re wrong. The issue you’re complaining about it inherent with any non-premium cable channel. That’s also not to mention the fact that this site is not the means to whine and moan about the perceived ills of ESPN. We’re not ESPN and we have no affiliation with them. This article is a resource to help people legitimately save money on cable, and from the countless people we’ve spoken with we know it’s a help. And, yes, you are saying people should still content. You just don’t want to come out and say it.

Yea, them or Hulu Live are your best bets. Completely agreed.

But the complaint is about ESPN specifically. The point your commenters are making is that content should be free to the consumer and ad supported (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc) or paid for and ad free (HBO, Showtime). ESPN is getting both, and that’s the complaint. They’re not doing it because that’s what it costs to pay the announcers and camera crew, they’re double dipping because they CAN…as many comments have noted, the main reason people haven’t cut the cord is due to live sports, ie ESPN.

And, before you spout off about ‘that’s what the athletes cost’, I have two rebuttals: 1) ESPN started gouging (double charging, ad + subscription), raked in huge profits, and then could afford mega billion $ TV deals that the leagues could then trickle down to athletes. The only reason athletes are paid so much now is because of how rich ESPN has been for ~30 years. These athletes would still play even if their salaries were cut from 10M to 5M per year. 2) What about college sports like football and basketball where the athletes are free? Are those sports broadcast ad free since the costs are lower? Here’s a hint: nope.

One last point that speaks to the cronyism that has fueled this monopoly: as you mentioned, cable subscribers pay roughly $15/mo for all ESPN rights. So why don’t they (ESPN) offer a streaming service at that price to go direct to consumers (not the ESPN+ garbage)? The fact is, you have to have a $40-50/mo bill for cable/streaming/satelite to get ESPN, so ESPN protects the cable monopoly and vice versa.

People aren’t complaining about paying for content. People are complaining about being GOUGED by a monopoly that is having ads + $15/mo subscription + $25-35/mo additional subscription that I don’t even want.

I pay for NFL Gamepass and guess what? I can watch all the games with NO ADS. Once the NCAA wises up and follows suit (or even just the Big Ten so I can watch my beloved Nittany Lions play), I can say goodbye to ESPN/cable forever.

I’m not necessarily saying people should steal content, but I understand it if they do. Like the classic ethical question, is it OK to steal to feed your family? Likewise, is it OK to steal from a monopoly that has been double charging (stealing from) you for 3 decades?

Yea, that has been unfortunate. Hulu Live is an excellent alternative.

We also used to believe the Earth was totally flat, but that’s no longer the case. Yea, and network channels have…wait for it…ads! Ads, regardless of the medium you’re consuming, are all over the place. Instead of acting like an old man screaming at kids to get off their yard, move on if you’re not happy. This post has absolutely nothing to do with ads. It’s about how to get ESPN without paying $110+/month for cable. Have a nice day.

Uh, network channels? You can get them free over the air? How do they survive? Seems like that simple example pretty much nullifies all your arguments. I understand that some high-cost movies and shows (Game Of Thrones) are a totally different beast, but we used to be able to watch some Monday Night Football totally free, sigh. Now it costs $50/mo AND they still have the Ads.

You’re wrong. Have a nice day.