Best way to watch regional sports out-of-region?

November 13, 2007 4:43 PM

What is the best way to watch a regionally televised college basketball game if I'm not in the region?

The UofArizona men's basketball season starts this week! Tomorrow night, actually. Alas, after many seasons in Tucson I have recently moved to Los Angeles and out of FSNAz's region. I have basic cable but cannot afford a sports package. I wouldn't mind finding a comfortable place nearby that provides refreshment and sports television. In Tucson I knew of a sports bar that handed out/rented little radio receivers tuned to televisions at each table—something like that would work, but if I could find a way to pull this off and enjoy hawt Wildcat action from home it would be awesome. If it must be a sports bar, please let it be near to—if not floating in the middle of—Echo Park Lake.

I welcome all suggestions, recommendations, and ideas. Thanks!

posted by carsonb to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

Yahoo Sports offers a subscription to listen to audio broadcasts. It's something like $4.95 a month. (See: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/collegebroadcast/teams/aaq).

As someone who follows soccer pretty religiously, trust me that, in the long run, it's worth it to get the cable package. Usually the package ends up being the same price as 2-3 trips to the sports bar, although that depends on your ability to withstand the allure of beer and fried foods.
posted by proj at 5:08 PM on November 13, 2007

I should add that listening to an audio broadcast combined with ESPN GameCast virtual coverage of the game can sometimes serve as a poor man's substitute for TV. The GameCast will be slightly lagged but it's a good visual representation of stats and where shots are coming from.
posted by proj at 5:10 PM on November 13, 2007

Possibly ESPN 360 if your broadband service offers it.
posted by bijou at 5:35 PM on November 13, 2007

Try Sopcast. It's a p2p television. . .thing. Pro sports are usually easy enough to find. College maybe not so much. And the quality can be a bit iffy, but it's certainly better than nothing. If you can't find FSNaz on Sopcast, kindly ask a friend who's still in AZ to install Orb on his or her TV card equipped PC. I occasionally use a friend's Orb to watch the BBC, while my friend in the UK uses my Orb server to watch the NFL. The quality is great, depending on available bandwidth.
posted by Capostrophe at 6:50 PM on November 13, 2007

Best answer: Get a friend in Tucson to install a Slingbox, then you can watch anything on his or her TV over the internet. I'm in LA, and it's how I watch Philadelphia Eagles games on Sundays (not that they're really worth watching this year...)
posted by visual mechanic at 12:58 AM on November 14, 2007

You can also try SIRIUS. I know you mentioned the cable bill issue but with Sirius you get EVERY game. I bought it when we moved from TX to CT and was sick of only getting 1 or 2 games a season (for me it was college football but they also have every NCAA basketball).

Last check you can get a receiver for about $35 and the subscription is around $12 a month. Add the cost of food and drinks together you’d spend at a bar and this should be a pretty good option.
posted by doorsfan at 6:09 AM on November 14, 2007

Response by poster: On closer inspection it seems irrelevant that I cannot afford a cable sports package because my service provider doesn't even offer one for college basketball. Sheesh.

That Slingbox looks sweet, sweeter as Dad's Christmas present.
posted by carsonb at 4:26 PM on November 14, 2007