FanHouse

Most fans were happy when the NFL decided to put Saturday's Patriots-Giants game on free TV because most fans don't have NFL Network. But some people who paid extra for cable or satellite packages with NFL Network specifically because they wanted to watch that game aren't too pleased.

One such person is Christopher Biechele, the manager of an Ohio establishment called Cheers Sports Bar & Grill. Biechele says he got a DirecTV subscription for the bar specifically to attract customers who wanted to see football games they couldn't otherwise watch, and that the decision to put the game on free TV cost him money. So here's how he responded:

Biechele filed a lawsuit this week in Erie County Common Pleas Court against DirecTV, his bar's satellite provider, for charging him to show the Patriots-Giants game, while non-subscribers received the game for free on network stations. Biechele paid $151.99 in December for his DirecTV subscription, which gives him access to the NFL Network.

"I'm paying for something that not everyone else is paying for, and they decided to just give the game away," Biechele said. "It's a frustration."

I get why Biechele is upset, but I don't get how DirecTV can be held accountable for a decision it didn't make. This was the NFL's call, and people who are angry because they paid for NFL Network only to find out later that they didn't need to should be angry at the NFL, not at their cable or satellite company.

Hat tip: Sports by Brooks.