The FSO Fiasco Unsettling to Reds Fans

If you were one of the 41,117 in attendance, it was not visible, or actually, invisible. While those that were at Great Amercian Ball Park celebrating the Reds clinching the NL Central for the second time in three years, those that were at home waiting to view the postgame celebration were not privy to such. This was due to two things.

Sep 22, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds players celebrate at the end of the game after clinching the National League central title at Great American Ball Park. The Reds defeated the Dodgers 6-0. (Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE)

Yes, I said two.

First, and the one that has many Reds fans up in arms, is that Fox Sports Ohio did not carry anything from the postgame celebration. I was not among the 41,117 and was anxiously awaiting FSO (or any other local TV station) having interviews, seeing the guys celebrate, dousing Walt Jocketty with champagne, and simply wanting to feel a part of the festivities.

Wouldn’t happen. A furor has since sparked.

FSO offered its side of things. They were ready at the helm to bring those of us at home a view. They even promoted such. Alas, nothing. Here’s why…

"“Unfortunately just prior to air, the signal was lost out of Cincinnati. Our engineers feverishly tried to restore the transmission but they were unable to recover it.”"

Hard to imagine that in this day and age a signal could get lost. I’m no techie, so I can’t even begin to surmise why such happened. All I knew at the time was that there was not a single means in which to enjoy this. I felt empty, almost lost, as I’m sure the vast majority of you did as well.

The final line from the post…

"“We sincerely apologize for the disappointment and frustration this caused so many Reds fans.”"

These days, apologies aren’t seen as adequate as they once were. I begrudgingly accepted this, but others have not been so quick. Some may never.

The furor has even spilled over into the world of Facebook where a page has been produced claiming to cancel FSO with an emphasis on two things: FSO is based in Cleveland and that Cincinnati teams need a new medium. Not sure if the Reds hold an out-clause within their contract. Even if they did, I’m not sold they would choose to exercise such. I know there have been various issues throughout the season as far as having interruptions in the broadcast. I’m sure all of us have had at least one moment (some possibly much more) where such occurred.

I can understand the mentioning of Cleveland, but, honestly, I don’t see the correlation. If there were any means of jealousy (or any other negative feelings) involved, then I must ask a question. If that were truly the case, why did we see the festivities after the 2010 Clinchmas?

The “bright spot” (yes, in quotes) is that FSO will air edited content from the postgame coverage at 8 PM this evening. It will rerun at 8:30 PM and will be aired at various times throughout the week per the FSO website.

But this cannot be attributed solely to FSO either. What about FOX? And just to clear the air, the two are not related entities except with the usage of the name “Fox”. They barely showed any celebration from the Good Guys. A brief moment of some of the players jumping up and down on the field. Then, cut away to college football. I mean, after all, there was this big contest between Kansas State and Oklahoma we all had to see.

What happened to at least chatting with a couple of the key players from the season? Not like they didn’t have the personnel on hand. I would have loved to see Ken Rosenthal get a word in with a couple of the players, bow tie and all. I know that on practically every occasion where national broadcasters were present, that network showed at least that much. Was college football that important? It’s not like Reds fans would have not stuck around to watch the game after seeing our beloved Redlegs celebrate.

But I know many switched the channel after FOX cut to the football game. Most likely to FSO and were stunned to see no celebration.

Anyway, I found a little nugget from FOX Sports.