[Viking_Guy]

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  The men's home basketball game tonight is not being webcast.  Audio, sure, but no video.  At exactly the same time, the women's game is being webcast by Oregon State.  For free.  Over exactly the same system.

They've upped the cost of the subscription to Stanford's premium all-access package, and by my guesstimate are offering maybe 60% of the games they used to about three years ago.  One women's soccer match for the entire season.  Water polo? Hah!  But they did offer coverage of most of the women's volleyball games in the fall, so I thought, "Okay, Maples, they can make it a permanent installation..."  and gave them a pass.

But not webcasting a home basketball game against a conference foe in the latter stages of the season?

I can see the management consultant team from HBO Showtime's House of Lies in the Athletic Department's offices, explaining "And once they're subscribers, we cut costs to the bone, because people just don't want the hassle of unsubscribing..."  (The end of that show's premiere episode, with the management consulting team explaining to a skeptical financial services CEO the merits of a dog-and-pony "mortgage refinancing" plan, was just wonderful).

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  The men's home basketball game tonight is not being webcast.  Audio, sure, but no video.  At exactly the same time, the women's game is being webcast by Oregon State.  For free.  Over exactly the same system.

They've upped the cost of the subscription to Stanford's premium all-access package, and by my guesstimate are offering maybe 60% of the games they used to about three years ago.  One women's soccer match for the entire season.  Water polo? Hah!  But they did offer coverage of most of the women's volleyball games in the fall, so I thought, "Okay, Maples, they can make it a permanent installation..."  and gave them a pass.

But not webcasting a home basketball game against a conference foe in the latter stages of the season?

I can see the management consultant team from HBO Showtime's House of Lies in the Athletic Department's offices, explaining "And once they're subscribers, we cut costs to the bone, because people just don't want the hassle of unsubscribing..."  (The end of that show's premiere episode, with the management consulting team explaining to a skeptical financial services CEO the merits of a dog-and-pony "mortgage refinancing" plan, was just wonderful).

VG

[Nan3cy]

I'm having a little trouble getting into "House of Lies," even though I think some of the dialogue is great. It may just be an aversion to the whole notion of watching a show about... management consultants.  ::)

[Nan3cy]

I'm having a little trouble getting into "House of Lies," even though I think some of the dialogue is great. It may just be an aversion to the whole notion of watching a show about... management consultants.  ::)

[Viking_Guy]

Glenn--

Sorry bout that.  Have emended.  Nancy, I think I enjoy it purely for the portrayal of management consultants as slightly smarter but just as amoral alligators in the swamps of corporate bureaucracies.  Or maybe, more regionally apropos to Glenn, as invasive anacondas taking out the gators in the Everglades, a new variety of apex predator (or is it apex parasite) in the business world.  Also really enjoy most of Don Cheadle's work, so I'm biased.

Did you sign up for the All-Access stuff a few years back?  Am I wrong in remembering a larger number and wider variety of events being available?

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Glenn--

Sorry bout that.  Have emended.  Nancy, I think I enjoy it purely for the portrayal of management consultants as slightly smarter but just as amoral alligators in the swamps of corporate bureaucracies.  Or maybe, more regionally apropos to Glenn, as invasive anacondas taking out the gators in the Everglades, a new variety of apex predator (or is it apex parasite) in the business world.  Also really enjoy most of Don Cheadle's work, so I'm biased.

Did you sign up for the All-Access stuff a few years back?  Am I wrong in remembering a larger number and wider variety of events being available?

VG