Pelicans Fans Are Right To Question Value Of Bally Sports+

Will the cost of subscribing to Bally Sports+ be worth it for New Orleans Pelicans fans or the organization?
Pelicans Fans Are Right To Question Value Of Bally Sports+
Pelicans Fans Are Right To Question Value Of Bally Sports+ /
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Since Bally Sports took over the broadcast rights to New Orleans Pelicans games in March of 2021, its relationship with New Orleans Pelicans fans has been tenuous at best. The fanbase has had issues with everything from the constant unreliability of the Bally Sports streaming app to the accessibility of Bally Sports New Orleans from various broadcast streaming sites, and price gouging.

Just about the only thing that Bally seems to get universal approval on is the tandem of play-by-play man Joel Meyers and color commentator Antonio Daniels, sideline reporter Jen Hale, and studio hosts Erin Hartigan and David Wesley.

But they are all holdovers from the Fox Sports era, so it was pretty much a no-brainer to retain that group. The animosity between Pelicans Nation and Bally Sports has now reached Hatfield and McCoy levels with the introduction of Bally Sports+.

At a time when consumers are dealing with historic levels of inflation and stagnant wages, the streaming service is being offered to viewers at a cost of $19.99 per month or $189.99 per year.

To put that into perspective, the NBA announced that it had reduced the cost of League Pass by almost 50 percent, down to $14.99 per month, which also includes complete access to NBA TV.

You can “Netflix and Chill” all you want for as little as $9.99 each month and Hulu will let me watch live sports, Disney+ and ESPN+ for only three times as much as the monthly cost of Bally Sports+

Besides Pelicans broadcasts, what added value does Bally Sports+ provide that can’t be gotten elsewhere?

As an organization, the Pelicans must be given credit for listening to fans more closely over the past couple of seasons. The arena experience itself has become more reflective of the spirit and the people of New Orleans.

The New Orleans Pelicans may not belong to the city per se but they are quickly becoming a big part of the area's cultural fabric. Many New Orleanians who helped weave that fabric, have been priced out of the city they love, taking them to other locales and in some cases other states.

Now is not the time for the Pelicans to force its fan base to stretch their dollars just a bit more for the luxury of watching the team they’ve supported through thick and thin.

Perhaps they’ll renegotiate the deal after thousands of subscriptions go unsold, or as the negative tweets and posts begin to pour in at the first moment the service goes down during the first quarter of the first preseason game.

Perhaps there will be rebates for those brave souls who put down their good money on a bad value. Though considering the process that led to this situation, well. Perhaps, not.

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David Grubb
DAVID GRUBB

Pelicans Scoop writer and 'Hard in the Paint' Podcast host.