Pirating Bucs Games Just Got Tougher
February 2nd, 2011
Joe remembers how some of his dedicated readers used to mock Joe’s “Blackout Tour” and fans who actually went to the games.
Why, these fans chuckled, they can watch any games they want online in the comfort of their own home with cheaper beer, zero parking fees and no lines at the restroom.
These same fans admitted — both privately and pubicly — to watching NFL games on foreign websites.
That just got a bit more difficult.
Per a strange website entitled TorrentFreak.com, the long arm of the federal law has come down on certain sites known to stream illegal feeds of NFL games. The U.S. federal government, per this website, has seized the sites and shut them down.
US authorities have seized the domain of the hugely popular sports streaming and P2P download site Rojadirecta. The site, which is one of the most visited sites on the Internet, lost its .org domain which now redirects to a notice from DOJ/ICE. Rojadirecta is an unusual target because two courts in Spain have ruled that the site operates legally, and other than the .org domain the site has no links to the US.
That’s not the only site. Joe knows of another but will not list it here.
In short, your days of watching of blacked out Bucs home games on Internet are likely numbered.
Joe’s “Blackout Tour” isn’t so silly now, is it?
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:23 am
No its still silly. Riding on a bus all day to watch a game on TV. No thanks.
But if $ is to be made I don’t hold that against Joe or the businesses that partake. Not making $ if available is silly.
With the new ticket prices, I will find my way into the stadium this year but did not miss seeing the Bucs on TV last year like I thought I would, I simply listened on Radio and/or watched another game.
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:27 am
They cannot shut down a site like [Joe deleted the site name] and my other personal fav im not going to list.
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:31 am
Im from Ireland, so my only way to watch my beloved Bucs play every week is to watch them online. Although I did get to go see them get stomped by the Pats at Wembley last year :/
I feel bad for using on-line streaming but what’s a man to do!!! 🙁
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:43 am
nah, US GOV cant lock all of them, i can bet u joe
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:18 am
The timing of this is no coincidence, with the Super Bowl this weekend. I’m sure there were a lot of folks who were planning on watching the big game over the internet stream.
Just goes to show you who is really pulling the strings at the DOJ.
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:19 am
Lol not that easy Joe, but I hear ya. They haven’t suddenly gained the ability to stop all streaming, if it was that simple they would have done that much sooner.
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:33 am
Either way .. Joe .. This is BS* .. I know you are all against us Piraters .. But WTF am I supposed to do .. I am blacked out and live in Melbourne, FL 2 1/2 hrs from Tampa with a 1 year old .. Am I really supposed to be responsible to fill the stadium ..
The blackout boundaries are FBS* .. I can understand being blacked out to Orlando but I am well over 100 miles from Tampa
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:41 am
i cant get to yourt bus, cuz i’m from Brazil. =D . So streams is the only way to get acess to the bucs games for me. =(
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:47 am
All it takes is a site to change its domain and BOOM, more streaming. Ya can’t stop the internet lol
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:54 am
To be clear, the gov hasn’t seized the sites. They’ve seized the domains, because the .com, .net and .org TLDs are all under American jurisdiction. Almost all of these sites were back up operating on foreign domains last night.
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:55 am
they shut down one and one only because they were charging money and not passing royalties along! there for there can ony be two shut down….there are 15 to 20 free sites on line that stream every week that can not be tuoched because of the area which they are streaming from(server)well outside the 75 mile radious….how do i know you ask…i know the guy who run’s the site….so black out tour what? i dont think so…..ill enjoy watching the game online attached to my 65″ tv in hd….the joys of technology…..
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:59 am
GOING TO THE GAME isn’t so silly now is it?
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 am
Time to buy some tickets you cheap bastards that can afford it. This is a good team. No more excuses cheapskates. No more free rides either.
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:02 am
Joe, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Streaming will go on and it will be even easier. Stick to football news and half naked chicks, it’s what you do best.
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:05 am
What Teddy said
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:14 am
Really not a big story as all the sites are back up again under non-U.S. Domain sites. Just like Teddy said.
Obviously, I’m still hoping the games sell out but lack of streams won’t be a reason.
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:20 am
Pete:
Joe never made a penny off of The Blackout Tour.
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:31 am
Come on, Joe! We know you have a vault full of the money you made off it, for rolling around in. Besides, without this bus tour the stadium would have soldout! You fan stealing, money monger!
Now where did I put that sarcasm rag? My key board is dripping!
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
I don’t think the Bucs will be blacked out next eyar any way.
The Glazers have already hinted as much.
I think they sell a bunch more tickets and get close enough that the Glazers and maybe the TV network foot the rest of the bill to televise.
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:20 am
Joe, I wanted to go on the Blackout tour since you started it. Something always came up, usually a car repair or groceries+bills the same home game weekend. Needless to say I spent all of my home games at home, laptop intimately linked to my television.
There’s no way they’re going to stop ALL of the websites. I have 3 different ones bookmarked in case one went down on gameday, and I found all 3 within 30 minutes of each other. I wish you luck in continued success with the blackout tour, but don’t think we’ll need any luck finding games on the interwebs.
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:43 am
In Motown, I rely on the NFL Sunday Ticket – haven’t had a blackout yet – except for the occasional Lions game. It’s a lot of $$$ but less than the nosebleed section tickets I used to have in Tampa.
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:43 am
@Oar
LOL
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:46 am
You know what’s really interesting about those pirated sites, is that most of them are streaming a feed that the NFL uses for the international community. In other words, you weren’t getting the FOX or CBS broadcast. You weren’t seeing their commercials.
What you did see, during commercial breaks, were the International NFL commercials, which featured the Dunta Robinson-Deshawn Jackson hit, the Harrison hits, and the Todd Heap-Merriweather hit. Funny that the NFL STILL USES THOSE “ILLEGAL HITS” TO PEDDLE THE GAME ACROSS INTERNATIONAL BORDERS.
GOODELL = HYPOCRIT
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Dude, the DOJ can’t shut them all down.. this will be a non-issue once next season rolls around. We will get our streams no problem. OH, btw.. just change the .com for .es on rojadirecta and your GTG… Joe.. just go with it dude.
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Getting back to the outdated blackout rule, that was when stadiums were built by NFL and owners. Now that communities pay for them, blackouts should be banned. NFL needs to revisit.
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:29 pm
The Streaming site and program i use still work, just tried it for the first time since the home schedule ended. Im watching NFL network right now since Brighthouse has failed to deliver. i still wish games sold out so i could watch the bucs in HD but its better than nothing. i just cant afford to go to more than one game a season, this year i choose the lions game and im still wondering what could have been. All i know is the league is on notice watch out for the 2011 Bucs if there is a season they will be a force
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Taking a long bus ride to watch the game….on TV is still silly Joe.
They can shut down as many as they want, more will pop up to replace them. They will be about a successful as the music industry has been in stopping people from sharing music online.
Unless America decides to be a dictator like China and take total control of the internet, I can and will continue to watch whatever movie, tv show, or sporting event I want to, for free on the internet. It’s always going to be there if you know where to look.
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Hire,
Agree, he sure seems to be! I even heard players talk about pictures of thier “fined hits” for sale by the NFL!
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Joe- Ha Ha. Look how excited you got for a second. I dont get the anti-piracy dweebs. You work for the RIAA or something man? Get over it. Piracy is great. The common man finally has a way to fight back against the increasingly bank breaking prices corporate greed has foisted upon us to obtain our entertainment. But you go ahead and keep on shelling out 20 bucks for a CD, 60 bucks for a video game etc. etc. Have fun with that.
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:13 pm
its funny how joe is deleting my comment on how they cannot stop streaming sites that are free and stream from outside the 75 mile blackout rule…..its all about money ha joe…….screw the people who just cannot afford to go ha joe……
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:13 pm
I still dont think the Blackout tour is silly though. There is obviously a lot to be said for being able to sit around and drink with other fans while you watch the game.
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:43 pm
The most popular one also got seized but change the .net to .me and your back to the same site. Government will always be a step behind
February 2nd, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Dammit, mine is offline. “seized by homeland security’. Are some Al Queda’s using it of a booty jihad? WTF!
I’m ticked.
February 2nd, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Couple of things:
Yes, all those sites are back on the air. Most of them are using .me and myp2p.eu is using their eu extension.
One thing that REALLY bugs me is that as of this point, I am NOT able to purchase NFL football games UNLESS, I go with THEIR Satellite provider of choice Direct TV. I would PAY for their services if they were shown on Dish but due to DirectTV not having the ‘other’ stations I want I’m staying with Dish.
If someone would LEGALLY give me the chance to BUY a stream online I would do THAT as well!
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Joe’s bus is not silly at all. The streaming quality stinks and is behind(in time) the radio which makes it difficult to use both.
I of course will continue to stream until the glazers change their financial ways since 2004.
Rah rah is example number 1 of the failure to commit (firing gruden with $ left on his deal was a desperate attempt to save $ bc they expected that he would take another job. As long as rah rah is here, blackouts persist and we need streams and buses to see the team play. Because most of us arent paying the $ to see rah rah and the kids (many with checkered pasts)bc the team has relegated to drafting players with first round talent whose stock has fallen
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:33 pm
haha joe you failed…the sites are back and workin! muhahahaaa
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:48 pm
How am I going to watch the Superbowl this sunday while I am at work?
Damn right I will switch on to a different site. There are several of them, NFL can do only so much (Long live piracy).
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:09 pm
I think the bus is a great service, Joe, and you should keep doing it.
Unfortunately, with my health, I cannot go to the games or use the bus. I am mostly stuck at home. I even work from home.
Do I think watching over the internet is wrong? Yes.
However, so are the blackouts, so the NFL is leaving no choice. Frankly, the comments that this is because of the superbowl is hogwash…because the superbowl is not blacked out anywhere.
This is because clubs are setting new ticket prices throughout the league, and the NFL needs to put a scare into people in order to sell tickets. Because after last year, if we’re honest, they could drop tickets to $25 and we would still watch at home…because it is the best seat of them all.
I don’t really blame them for going after the sites. I DO blame them for blacking out games, but I also understand it. I DO blame them for making NFL Ticket exclusive to Direct TV.
Frankly, I wish they would offer the option of buying blacked out games on pay-per-view. That would make them money AND keep us in the games.
(and yes, I am finally back!)
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Joe will edit if I told you guys how to do it right. This will be the last year for our Seasons Tickets
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:34 pm
What a load of crap. The DOJ is worried about streaming internet sites while jihad sites run amuck.
The government needs to worry about better things than NFL streams – especially those that are in blackouted areas. Living in Melbourne I’m outside the 100 mile radius but get blacked out!
Maybe the government should investigate the NFL MONOPOLY that the owners have instead of worrying about internet sites NOT IN THIS COUNTRY.
The hypocrisy is terrible. Screw you NFL.
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Hey Binhu bucsfan! Ilive in Brazil also I have been living here in Fortaleza Brazil for the last 2 years. I am a huge Bucs fan from the Central Florida area. I can not get enough of JoeBucfan.com,I really enjoy the writing best coverage by a longshot for my beloved bucaneer news!! Thanks for all your hardwork and insight! I am a big fan from across the globe! Billy FIRE THE CANNONS!! PS. JOE IF I WERE IN THE STATES YOU COULD BET YOUR HINEY I WOULD BE ATTENDING THE BLACKOUT BUS TOUR!!!
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:09 pm
In same Boat as Pete D. After decades of attending Buc games, My health has failed. If their are accommodations I could endure, I couldn’t afford them, as I am not working now. I don’t blame anyone for that, and it’s certainly not the Bucs Fault. But as a long time time Fan and staunch supporter, it’s hard to miss half their games. It probably has to be the way it is, but I sure miss shocking the team, which is still a family affair, just at home now. I wish there was a better option than blackouts!
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:15 pm
It’s like back in the Days of Russia!!
February 3rd, 2011 at 1:25 am
we will see if they stay off…but seems like they are back online..sad really..ill never watch games online…no HD…
February 3rd, 2011 at 6:59 am
The only reason they took it off is that they haven’t figured out how to make a buck off of it yet.