Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Not to say that is entirely the case in the SEC league office with league commissioner Greg Sankey, but he is certainly doing his part to give off the vibes of being solely aristocratic in an increasingly painful world defined by bureaucratic red tape. To not bore the great readers of Dawn of the Dawg, here is effectively is going on with YouTube TV and ESPN/ABC.
While this usually happens at the start of the season, the streaming contract between YouTube TV and the ESPN/ABC/Disney family expired on Saturday morning. This means any college football game being aired on one of ESPN's many channels are not longer available on YouTube TV. There are other streaming services out there, as well as good, old-fashioned cable to be able to watch these games.
Of course, Sankey took to X on Saturday afternoon to say "Problem solved." This is a slap in the face...
Problem solved. Plenty of options in this environment (saved a bit while making the change). pic.twitter.com/y7d51aBfUQ
— Greg Sankey (@GregSankey) November 1, 2025
The irony is not lost on us, as Sankey quote tweeted Stewart Mandel of The Athletic about a year ago.
This is why I have @YouTubeTV… https://t.co/EnWcMsqrxP
— Greg Sankey (@GregSankey) September 2, 2024
With most of Georgia's games airing on ESPN properties, this is a massive issue come SEC play, y'all...
SEC, YouTube TV carriage dispute has Greg Sankey laughing at all of us
To be totally honest, what is the gain here? The reason Sankey can make the money he does is because of the distribution rights of SEC football games. While other sports can pull numbers, the SEC is a Power Two league because of football, as well as its working relationship with ESPN. To effectively deny a great deal of potential watchers is not what you do to the people who pay you...
We are sadly living in a world where people are not their brother's keeper anymore. Nobody cares about anyone besides themselves. There are only so many college football Saturdays, so why waste the potential money-making opportunities one or more could present? Halloween may have been last night, but November is all about football. This is the time of the year where the contenders emerge.
Overall, does this not feel beneath all parties involved? This is the type of nonsense that has driven legions upon legions of fans away from the NBA over the years. College football is often seen as a great unifier, even more so than the NFL at times because the student-athletes and the student body keep it fresh. Georgia fans have five more games left to be played, including today's Cocktail Party...
Hopefully, this issue gets resolved and it will only be a one-week issue impacting many SEC fans.