Desire for sport!

Published: 2008 - June/July, Sport

Perhaps is just the desire to get away from the usual run of the mill sports that every day we watch on the Italian television screens, perhaps it is the desire to discover something that smells new or perhaps the desire of dreaming a little of the famous “American Dream”. A sofa, a television and a satellite channel that starting April 8 will open the window on the North American sport world: MLB baseball, NHL hockey, college football and basketball, Nascar and Indy Car Racing. Plus, MLS soccer, Texas Hold’em poker, and some extreme sport and horse racing. This is now possible thanks to NASN – North American Sports Network, the new satellite channel unveiled thanks to an agreement signed between ESPN and SKY Italy. NASN completes the offer already present and now, thanks to a whole of programming included in the Sports channels’ package, is possible to follow every major sport on the planet, from tennis to soccer, from baseball to track-and-fields, from NBA to Euroleague. Certainly a welcome news for the lovers of American sports and others. In Italy the channel will be visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The channel has been “unscrambled” for all those subscribers of the World packet until April 30, while from May 1st will be viewable as part of the Sport package and without any additional cost. Most likely the highest part of attention will be focused on New York sport, since there is more hisotry in the Big Apple than any other American city: exactly 8 are the franchises with headquarter here (or in nearby New Jersey). Precisely, there are 2 NBA basket teams (Knicks and Nets), 2 NHL’s (Devils and Rangers) 2 for NFL football (Giants and Jets) and 2 MLB baseball’s (Yankees and Mets).
The distinguishing mark of this channel is that it broadcasts in English. However, next to the programming in original language, NASN channel will offer every day, replicas in Italian, many programs and it guarantees live broadcast for special events. Particularly for baseball and hockey, the team of Italian commentators will be enriched with stand-out names from the world of sport and music.
Commentary in Italian language, available only for the broadcasts during daytime, will be conducted by Pietro Nicolodi, sided by Elio and Faso from Elio e le Storie Tese for MLB baseball. For NHL hockey instead will be assigned Luca Boschetto and Adolf Insam, the winningest coach of the Italian hockey, who has guided the national team and currently coach of the Milano Vipers to give voice to the American matches. A very important step for all the fans. A happening which will not certainly change the world but, jsut a small part of our customs. In other words, if it is true that hunger for sports by the true fans is never satisfied, NASN is certainly supplying a well set table.