CN
III VOICES
L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R
"The worst was the Aragon round, where beIN Sports showed
the podium for race two in the middle of the race."
Canada Carpet-
Bagging?
I certainly don't believe Ryan
Villopoto sitting out the outdoors
season has anything to do with
the new anti-doping regimen
being instituted by MX Sports.
But Alessi carpet-bagging in
Canada? Hmmm...
Christopher Johnson
Via the Internet
Real Sports?
In reply to Curly Kunert - Real
Sports (Voices, Issue 19, May
13), I Googled "definition of
sport." Top of the heap was this:
Definition of sport in English:
Noun. An activity involving
physical exertion and skill in
which an individual or team com-
petes against another or others
for entertainment: team sports
such as soccer and rugby (Go
to: http://www.oxforddictionar-
ies.com).
I'd like to think Curly's stirring
a bit and having fun, but it does
deserve a reply.
In any event the idea of
"….grown men playing with their
balls…" is something I prefer not
to think about.
In reply to Charlie Vetter - Real
Sports II: I'll be surprised if
there's a "complete shake up…
of the top riders…" There will be
normal changes in the pecking
order so be careful of self-fulfill-
ing prophesies.
In reply to Brian L. Jones -
Real Sports III: LaTasha Jenkins
vs. USADA does not make for
nice reading. (Go to: http://
law.pepperdine.edu/dispute-
resolution-law-journal/issues/
volume-ten/Straubel%20Article.
pdf). It would be a travesty if a
motorcycle racer were to be
prejudiced with a career-ending
decision such as this.
Paul Ward
Durban, South Africa
World Superbike TV
I read the letters section (Is-
sue, #17 April 29) and I am not
the only one frustrated with the
World Superbike coverage and
beIN Sports. To get beIN Sports,
I had to get the entire Sports
Channel "package" just so I
could watch World Superbike
the last two years. I care not a
whit about ball sports, yet all the
sports channels in that package
are ball sports. So it's $14 extra
every month for one channel so I
can watch World Superbike and
occasionally Supersport.
And, no, I don't have a good
enough Internet connection to
get the "Season Pass" through
the website. The beIN Sports
treatment of World Superbike
since they've had the contract
has been less than expected.
Having to wait until the last
couple days before the race
weekend for programming list-
ings/updates is bad enough, but
not knowing if Supersport will be
shown is equally frustrating. The
program guide listing for the As-
sen race was not accurate at all.
When I watched the replay,
there was Supersport, which
was not part of the original race
one/race two slot. The worst
was the Aragon round, where
beIN Sports showed the podium
for race two in the middle of the
race. My friends and I all looked
at each other going "WTF?" On
lap 10, they interrupted with the
podium, spoiling the results for
everyone.
Then, after the podium cere-
monies were over, they resumed
on lap 11 (without commentary for
three laps) until the end, showing
the podium again. Supersport
managed to be crammed into
the two-hour time slot. I guess I
am expecting too much, as the
racing is commercial-free and my
friends and I can still get together
and watch the racing. Unlike the
AMA/DMG series, which has
shut out all those who don't have
a good enough Internet connec-
tion speed to stream/watch their
"vision" of the future.
This is how they get more
fans: give the middle finger to
thousands and thousands of
loyal long-term fans who don't
have the connection capability to
stream the video feeds. Not one
person has addressed the an-
nouncement last year that CBS
Sports had the 2014 AMA Pro TV
broadcast contract signed and
in place.
Thanks Paul and your great
staff; I love getting Cycle News
every week so I can still read
about the racing and enjoy the
terrific photos.
John A. Stockman
Onalaska, WA
Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters
should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should
contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor
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