Champions League on Fox Soccer - the unexpected downside

This past fall Fox Soccer (FSC) took over the US broadcasting rights for the UEFA Champions League from ESPN. I was never particularly dissatisfied with ESPN, other than having to watch some of the games in non-high def on Classic, but was still upbeat about the change.

Justifiably so it turned out. A few reasons:

1. The announcers are more knowledgeable, call the game well, and are less completely and totally biased towards English teams.
2. The simultaneous broadcast of two games (one on Fox Sports North in my neighborhood) meant not having to avoid the internet to wait for the delayed broadcast of a game you wanted to watch.
3. FSC added the high-def this winter and it makes for excellent viewing.
4. The beautiful game can feel like the unwanted stepchild on the ESPN network. They claim to love it to, but often fail to show it. I have multiple times watched the first half of a US qualifying game on one station then flipped over to another station to watch the rest of it. Annoying. FSC is, well it's in the name right?

So overall I have been very pleased with the new lay of the land, until last week that is. Spring break and a trip to the beach with family and friends is always a great, relaxing time. In past years I've been able to sneak off to catch quarterfinal CL action at the local watering hole (or just turn it on and force anyone actually in the house to watch with me).

The games then? On ESPN2 and available anywhere that has basic cable including most bars in the country. At 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon any bartender will stick on the game for a paying customer, as nothing else is competing with it for customers attention.

The games now? On FSC, which unfortunately is a premium channel just about everywhere and not always available in the bar you choose to pull up a stool at. And there you have one downside to the broadcast change.

In the end it was all good, and the world did not end because I missed the second leg of the quarter-finals (surprising, I know). I spent some quality time with the family in the pool and on the bike trails, only remembering later that night to try and catch the scores on the crawl across the bottom of ESPN.