Bert, that's an admirable sentiment, but a little on the naive side. The government already has its handprints all over the the NFL. If Specter's threat had gone through, removing the anti-trust exemption that has been in place since the AFL-NFL merger, the net result would actually be less government interference in football, and this would, presumably, open the door to the chance of increased competition from, heh, other football leagues.
The case of the NFL network is less an example of freedom than the result of a war between two cable companies, but on the whole I'm fine with it. I just won't pay to watch it. The NFL has the money to keep the channel going no matter what the viewership is, so you're going to see these sorts of discussions and disagreements Honestly, it's pretty close to unwatchable anyways. Bryant Gumbel as a football commentator?!
