I've received a lot of interest on how to watch sporting events without paying for a cable package. For many people this is the biggest thing that prevents them from stopping their cable or satellite subscription. Broadcast sporting events have always been a tricky subject. Even when one has the most expensive cable or satellite package they can be subjected to things like blackouts or just the failure of your local carrier to broadcast the game that you want to see. The good thing here is that with the advent of the web there are now more options for watching sporting events than there are even on cable and satellite.
We'll start with the free options and go from there. ESPN is a great option. They stream ESPN 3 live for free directly off their website. They also feature a large cache of content on demand including Sports Center Right Now, a regularly updated version of the popular Sports Center program. ESPN is now offering a live feed of their network via XBox 360. It does require the XBox live subscription, but that's only about $50 a year and it allows you to play games online. Still considerably cheaper than cable if you only like to watch ESPN, which many people I know do.
If you have a TV that's capable of picking up digital over the air signals, there is still a lot of sports that are broadcast on free network television. From Monday Night Football, to playoff games, to Saturday golf tournaments. These are also often available directly from the network's website.
Now for the pay options. Most professional sporting organizations offer a multi-level subscription package that allows you to watch either a specific team, or every team for the duration of the season. These are available directly from the organizations website and generally require a computer to view. The subscriptions can get a little pricey, but if you only pay for one subscription per season it's still generally cheaper than paying for cable or satellite.
There are also grey market options available. Services like TVU, Sopcast, and TV Ants allow you to watch live streaming video from a variety of sources. From the History Channel to college and professional sports. They require a download of their software, which may or may not contain spyware or other malicious programing. Then the user is able to access thousands of live TV feeds from a specific website which may or may not be illegal. This internet forum http://www.myp2pforum.eu/ gives a full listing of live tv feeds for nearly every game at any given moment. For the more adventurous user, this may be an option.
The ability to watch live sporting events is what causes many people to spend that extra $600-$4000+ a year on cable and satellite. Really though, in this modern age you can easily get by with some ingenuity and a high speed internet connection. Instead, put that money towards perhaps seeing your favorite team live and in person instead of on your tiny TV screen. It's also a godsend to people that spend a large amount of time away from home, either at work or on the road. Never again will you have to wait a week or more to view your favorite team.
