Pros and Cons of Paying for Summer League Games

[Manufan909]

I'm 90% certain I'm going to buy the summer league games no matter what anyone says here, but I would like to know what eveyone else thinks of said purchase. I would only like to hear logical arguements, I don't need to read anyone buying it out of principle. I would like to hear from those who bought like Timvp, and I would also like to hear from those who did not buy it like Renaldo (Who thought it was a better investment to buy a 50 dollar t-shirt from the Gap) I read from someone that the games are archived until the 26th, is that the 26th of July or August? My reasoning for paying for this package is that I think is fifteen is nothing compared to possibly witnessing the future of the Spurs... and to watch Blair BEAST!

[HarlemHeat37]

15$ is really nothing, so I don't really buy the "cheap" factor..

I'm not paying for a few reasons, that I find legitimate..

The first is the obvious one..if I can get a live stream, I don't really see the point of paying..I've had 2 very good steams for these first 2 games, so I haven't had any problems with quality..like I said, it isn't about the 15$, I just don't want to pay for something that I can get for free..

the other reason is that I hate watching the bench players..the game gets very boring and sloppy when the bench players come on, and they really just annoy me TBH..

I understand why somebody would pay though..the NBA.com package is obviously a lot more reliable than random streams, and you have access to the archives of all the games, which is obviously the main attraction..

[GooberNuts]

I bought it, and the quality is definitely improved over last year. The announcers don't really pay much attention to the game, but there are good interviews with Spurs personnel, like RC, during the game. I'd say if you enjoyed watching Summer League in the past, just go for it - it's exciting to watch our prospects.

Also Blair sat out last game partly due to contract negotiations and also to give other players more playing time, so it's not set in stone that he'll appear for anymore games (though I think he'll return). There are also illegal streams that some people have been using, not sure how great the quality but I guess that's always an option if you don't want to pay.

[Obstructed_View]

I think it's ty of the NBA to squeeze a relatively small amount of money out of a relatively small number of fans just because they know we are such big NBA fans that we'll ultimately decide to just bend over and take it. These are the fans that get on message boards, share information and generate enthusiasm for the league.

If the NBA were committed to improving the quality of the broadcasts and using the money to invest in the infrastructure to make online viewing something worthwhile then I'd be less critical of it, but that's simply not their track record. When streaming audio first became practical, the NBA went and took the broadcasts away from the radio stations and charged five or ten bucks for audio league pass. Audio league pass has sucked so badly for ten years that they finally couldn't justify charging people for it anymore, so now it's free, and you're lucky to get a Spurs home broadcast most nights on it. The quality of the SL this year is better than the quality of the RMR last year, but that's about it. If we're paying the salary of the announcers, then I'd prefer they just fire 90 percent of the color commentators on the other broadcasts and recoup a hundred times as much money.

The NBA likes to tout itself as an international game in the US because most of us don't know that places like Slovenia, loaded with basketball fans, can't get League Pass games because of contractual obligations. I'd suggest that they change the name of the league to the Not for Fans League, but that acronym is already taken.

I'm stealing the SL broadcasts on general principle for the time being, and if they block it, I'll follow the game threads. I can afford the money, but the NBA's not going to get it. I'm less likely to spend money on regular season tickets as a result, but I'm sure the league doesn't care.

[galvatron3000]

Cons:

It's been on NBA TV in the past why are those who have the Sport Package been asked to pay extra for summer league games, these are not official league games, it's a training ground for refs and potential players. What is the purpose of paying for it when it's mostly about the league looking to gain money due to the economic situation. The sports package should have just gone up a dollar or two since you have to go that route with NBA TV unlike the other sports channels, i.e. NFL Network, MLB etc...
You can watch it online for free anyway so why pay, I hook my laptop up to my tv last night and watched the game in full screen, not the best picture but far from the worst, I could recognize who was on the court that is...

[Ginnoobbllee]

I bought it. The site worked well. Very little freeze up, which I checked, happened to me for the free site. Went and bought the pay site. Also, the archive feature is very nice, since I couldn't watch the first game live.

The biggest bonus, which for me was well worth the price, were the extended interviews with Dennis Lindsey, R.C. Buford, and even George Karl. As noted, when the games get fairly sloppy, the interviews hold your attention, but they are long enough and the guys are relaxed enough to release some good info.

It was interesting to hear Lindsey talk about what they look for in a player to see how they fit into the Spur "culture".

So yes, it was worth it to me.

[Obstructed_View]

Yeah I hate the interviews. I'd rather they pay attention to what's going on or shut up. It's like being at a stinkin' super bowl party or listening to Mike Breen and Hubie Brown go off on one of their tangents while the game's going on without them.

[SonOfAGun]

$15 dollars is nothing, but I should not have to pay to watch SUMMER LEAGUE.

It is meaningless and it will be over in mere weeks. I think it is wrong to charge your most loyal and diehard customers.

I'm still burnt on the $50 I literally threw away on NBALive09, EA will not get anymore of my money, ever.

[Tully365]

Sure, it kinda sucks that the nba decided to start charging for this service, but they obviously are having some financial issues, so I can forgive the decision. I figure I will watch all of the Spurs' games, which comes to 3 bucks a game, plus I can rewatch games in the archive later. I've already watched other games with players that interest me too-- Jerebko, Taj Gibson, Sam Young-- and watched other highlight performances from the archive, like Anthony Randolph scoring 42 and Blake Griffin in his debut.

Fifteen bucks is basically a cheeseburger, a few beers, and tip. If I spend one night at home watching games instead of going out, I'm even.

[galvatron3000]

$15 dollars is nothing, but I should not have to pay to watch SUMMER LEAGUE.

It is meaningless and it will be over in mere weeks. I think it is wrong to charge your most loyal and diehard customers.

I'm still burnt on the $50 I literally threw away on NBALive09, EA will not get anymore of my money, ever.

still on LIVE

[ChumpDumper]

With the exception of a few technical glitches, I'm fine with the package. It costs $25 for a general admission ticket in Vegas for a single day (and UNLV's concessions were full price), so the cost doesn't bother me.

The detail in the flash player is better than past videos, but I'm hoping they take care of any buffering issues if they plan on using the same technology for the D-League Futurecast next season.

[angelbelow]

The pro is obviously reliability and the convenience of being able to watch the games at anytime.

[coyotes_geek]

I ed at first, but they got me. I paid my $15. I'm fine with it. I do find myself really liking how the games are archived. I'm enjoying reading other peoples observations and then going back to watch parts of the game again to see what they saw for myself.

[Solid D]

Initially, when the games were on NBAtv, you got some of the games the Spurs played, but not all.

With this year's approach, you are out $15...using your junk e-mail address (for when they sell the distribution list), but you can see all the games, whenever you want until a week after the SL is over. No-brainer. If it's the money that concerns you, just skip a couple of meals or make them more cheaply for a few days and your ROI will be just fine.

[SonOfAGun]

still on LIVE

PC gamer , didn't do my research in actual game selection before choosing platform

If it makes the NBA feel any better, I will most likely buy the league pass for this upcoming season. (first time)

[timvp]

$15 is well worth the money. Even $150 would probably be worth it to most hardcore Spurs fans.

I think it's a weak marketing move for the NBA to milk more money out of their top 1% most hardcore fans ... but at $3 per Spurs game and like thirty cents per game overall, it can't really be seen as a bad deal. Plus, the stream has been very good during the two Spurs games so far. Not TV level but you can see what's going on easily.

[Dex]

Worth my 15 dollars. The streams have worked fine and have been reliable, and I'm able to see the games Archived if I miss them.

After watching people freak out trying to find a working feed in the Game Blog last night, I was glad I just paid the 15 bucks.

And for those people who paid and are still complaining about video quality / lagging, you probably just need to get your computer checked out.

[SCdac]

How many Spurs games are left?

If there were 9-10 more games left, I'd definitely pay, but if there's only 2-3 left its just not worth it (for me). I'm not too interested in watching any other teams, nor am I that interested in going and watching the past games.

[anjlbitz]

How many Spurs games are left?

If there were 9-10 more games left, I'd definitely pay, but if there's only 2-3 left its just not worth it (for me). I'm not too interested in watching any other teams, nor am I that interested in going and watching the past games.

I'd pay $15 just for the upcoming Thabeet vs. Blair game this weekend.

[SCdac]

I'd pay $15 just for the upcoming Thabeet vs. Blair game this weekend.

While I definitely would like to see that matchup again, I can't say it's worth that much to me. Especially if Blair were to be held out of another game (which wouldn't be suprising).

[koriwhat]

the streams aren't HD or anything but they're fun to watch nonetheless.

i bought the package yesterday and have been recording all the archived spurs games thus far(2).

[angelbelow]

Con: Were paying the NBA and not Peter Holt himself.

[ElNono]

For me, it's the value for the product you're getting. I refuse to pay $15 for an inferior product.
NBA League Pass costs $200 for 82 games of the main Spurs roster, with all our stars.
That amounts to $2.4 per game and includes an HDTV signal on my TV, free Internet broadband with archives, free NBA TV for the season, free NBA Scores channel and free NBA multicast channel, plus all 82 games for other teams.
Now THAT is what I call great value.

[koriwhat]

coming to a ZSHARE near you soon!

[ducks]

For me, it's the value for the product you're getting. I refuse to pay $15 for an inferior product.
NBA League Pass costs $200 for 82 games of the main Spurs roster, with all our stars.
That amounts to $2.4 per game and includes an HDTV signal on my TV, free Internet broadband with archives, free NBA TV for the season, free NBA Scores channel and free NBA multicast channel, plus all 82 games for other teams.
Now THAT is what I call great value.

that is why it is $185 more money