TSN - The Spoiler Network

Sometimes, international sports that are televised live are aired, here on Prince Edward Island, at very early or very late hours. Such was the case with the Formula One race this weekend in Kuala Lampur. It aired live on TSN at 2:30am Sunday morning. There was a repeat broadcast at 3pm on Sunday afternoon. It was this repeat broadcast that I planned on watching.

While it isn’t a very tricky thing, trying to avoid seeing the results of a race already run, there is a certain amount of care that must be taken to ensure one remains oblivious. The usual Sunday morning routine of website visits must be carefully censored, with sites that could potentially so even a headline of the results taken out of the loop. Even though the results are never a part of any radio sports updates, it is best to avoid the radio. Television has its risks, too, especially if one is a remote-flicker like me. Best to stick to a movie channel, or one like TLC, where the threat of results discovery is minimal.

In the past, I found that TSN itself, was a fairly safe channel to watch, when they are planning on airing a repeat broadcast. Self-aware of the impending airing of the race, their ticker usually remains free of the results, until after the repeat broadcast. It was under this presumption that I decided it’d be safe enough to take part in my ritual Sunday morning viewing of TSN’s The Reporters.

Wrong choice. No sooner did I begin watching when, out of the bottom of my eye, I see on the ticker “F1 Malaysia – Final Results…1. Michael Schumacher 2. Juan Pablo Montoya…”

Damn. I quickly averted my eyes, but it was too late. I knew the winner. I knew 2nd place. By the time the results came across the ticker again, I had decided that I’d blow the whole experience and check out the Top 6 results as they came up.

So, I watched the race, knowing full well the outcome.

I'm disappointed in TSN for putting the results on their ticker, before they aired the repeat broadcast. I guess it's my own fault though for assuming they'd keep the results from those of us who sleep at 2:30 - 5am.