Brewhouse Bias – DirecTV Taps Out UFC at Scotty's

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Editor’s Note: Brewhouse Bias is a recurring segment brought to you by Scott Wise, President/CEO of Scotty’s Brewhouse. We thank him for his contributions to 23/7 Sports and our stomach’s cravings!

I wanted to write and give “Joe Sportsfan” a behind the curtains look at what goes on when your favorite sports bar shows your team, your games, your sport or any events on their TV’s. It might just surprise you.

Let’s start with our favorite season, NFL. This one probably pays off in the end, due to the popularity of the sport and everyone has a favorite team to cheer on. We pay about $2000 PER restaurant to DirecTV to have the right to show the games. The fee is based on your occupancy load. The more people who can see the games, the more money they want.

This fee is separate for every sport. Want Nascar? Pay for it. Want MLB? Pay for it. And, so on.

The fee that I think is the most outrageous, however, is the fee for a one-time event.

I understand the popularity of UFC or even some WBC fighting events. But, for me to pay the required $1500 for a one night event does not make economic sense. We cannot sell enough booze and food to even cover our costs to show the fight, much less, make a profit.

Next time you wonder why Scotty’s isn’t showing the fight and another of your favorite watering holes are, some of this has to do with the set up of the establishment, the size and how many drinks they are selling. Some can make it work. But, Scotty’s, unfortunately, just isn’t a UFC headquarters. But, if you wanna’ talk about Peyton, Reggie or Sanders… well, we will make it work for my Colts. Go Horse.