Government shutdown means no NFL action on American Forces Network
Congressional dysfunction has set the stage for a shutdown of the American government as of midnight on Sunday morning. For thousands of American soldiers stationed overseas, it means they won't be able to watch NFL football on American Forces Network.
Via Jennifer H. Svan of Stars & Stripes, a shutdown will dramatically limit the content available on AFN. And it will prevent NFL games from being televised by AFN.
If/when a shutdown occurs, AFN will reduce staffing and services from eight channels to one, which will show only news.
The AFN streaming service also will show only news. The app had been intended to display 12-15 NFL games per week, some of them live and some of them recorded.
It's a small point among the bigger problems that will flow from a shutdown. But it's a very tangible example of how the failure of our elected officials to ensure proper funding to run the government can have a direct and tangible impact on soldier morale. For many of them, having that three-hour escape every Sunday helps them get through the crap they have to deal with.
It would be nice to have a system in place that would allow American soldiers in such predicaments to get free access to the games via the relevant streaming services. Maybe this example should serve as the impetus for getting something in place the next time Congress fails to do its job.
And I don't care who's to blame. They're all to blame. Both sides. And we're ultimately to blame, because we voted for them.
