According to a recent estimate, $4.69 of your monthly cable bill represents the fee subscribers pay for the rights to ESPN, which is currently the most expensive channel in basic bundles. According to the Wall Street Journal, the cost has risen a staggering 42% since 2006. The station and experts cite the rising expenses in covering sports as the reason, but it could just be because ESPN can do what they want.

While many channels are cannibalizing each other as redundant, and with many consuming their offerings online or on DVD, ESPN has a viewership that requires their programming in real time, making it perhaps the most indispensable channel on the dial.

Those who can do without sports can probably do without ESPN, so as the network‘s fees begin to rise, expect to see people clamor for a tiered service that allows them to forego the station. While this would behoove that subset of cable subscribers, it would put the additional cost burdens on sports fans who want their ESPN, probably to the tune of twice what they’re currently paying.

My solution? Stop liking sports and starting getting into scrapbooking and crafts. It’s estimated that HGTV only costs something like $.26 per month.

However, he isn’t the first to lose a plum gig after sharing controversial viewpoints. Here are nine other entertainers who were fired after speaking their mind. Sadly, none of them are Kid Rock.

Gilbert Gottfried – Aflac

Gilbert Gottfried enjoyed a pretty cake stint as the voice of the Aflac duck. That ended in March of 2011 when he tweeted jokes about the Japanese tsunami disaster. He later apologized and erased the tweets, but Aflac (who does 75% of their business in Japan) weren’t laughing. He was dismissed quickly and the search for a new duck voice began.

Madonna – Pepsi

You know what Pepsi doesn’t like associated with their brand? Burning crosses. Go figure. After pressure from religious groups, Pepsi stopped airing its commercial starring Madonna and featuring her song “Like a Prayer.” However, they probably shouldn’t have likened their product to a religious experience in the first place.

Megan Fox – Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Although she proved herself quite adept at raising her ass in the air while lying across automobiles, Megan Fox found out how replaceable she is when she compared director Michael Bay to Hitler. Seems that didn’t sit too well with executive producer Steven Spielberg and Fox was not invited back for the third film in the series. It’s a shame too because that’s the only film that kinda almost made some sense.

Here’s where you can find the games this season:

NBC

The season kicked off last night when the last two Superbowl champs, the Packers and the Saints, met at Lambeau Field, and the whole affair was broadcast on NBC. Going forward, the network will also broadcast the Sunday night games, beginning with the Dallas Cowboys facing the New York Jets on September 11th. Al Michaels hosts the play-by-play while Cris Collinsworth fills in the color commentary. Bob Costas, Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Peter King report live from the game and handle pregame hosting duties.

ESPN

Monday nights belong to ESPN once again. This year, get ready for some football when the New England Patriots head to South Florida to square off against the Miami Dolphins on September 12th. Mike Tirico is on play-by-play and Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski provide color commentary. Additional reporting comes from Suzy Kolber.

FOX

FOX is the station that you’ll do a good majority of your screaming at on Sundays this fall. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will host the broadcasts of the NFC regional regular season games as well as the NFC playoffs. Curt Menefee hosts the pregame with in-studio analysts Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, and Michael Strahan. Pregame and sideline reporting duties  will be covered by Pam Oliver.

 CBS

And you can catch the AFC regular season games as well as the AFC playoffs on Sunday afternoons on CBS. James Brown hosts with play-by-play from Jim Nantz, Marv Albert, Craig Bolerjack, Don Criqui, Spero Dedes, Ian Eagle, Greg Gumbel, Kevin Harlan, Bill Macatee. Studio analysts are Phil Simms, Charley Casserly, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason, Dan Marino, and Shannon Sharpe.

NFL Network

You’d better get yourself a satellite dish if you want to catch the Thursday night games. Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders, and Marshall Faulk report live with contributions from  Kara Henderson and Michelle Beisner. Brad Nessler is on play-by-play and Mike Mayock is analyst starting this season. Beginning in Week 10, NFL Network will begin showing Thursday games with Oakland making the long trek to San Diego. Just hope that you don’t get heavy rain or sunspots in your area.

Week 1
Thursday, Sept. 8
New Orleans at Green Bay, 8:30pm (NBC)
Sunday, Sept. 11
Detroit at Tampa Bay, 1pm (FOX)
Philadelphia at St. Louis, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at Kansas City, 1pm (CBS)
Cincinnati at Cleveland, 1pm (CBS)
Indianapolis at Houston, 1pm (CBS)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 1pm (CBS)
Tennessee at Jacksonville, 1pm (CBS)
Atlanta at Chicago, 1pm (FOX)
Minnesota at San Diego, 4:15pm (FOX)
Carolina at Arizona, 4:15pm (FOX)
N.Y. Giants at Washington, 4:15pm (FOX)
Seattle at San Francisco, 4:15pm (FOX)
Dallas at N.Y. Jets, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 12
New England at Miami, 7pm (ESPN)
Oakland at Denver, 10:15pm (ESPN)

Week 2
Sunday, Sept. 18
Cleveland at Indianapolis, 1pm (CBS)
Baltimore at Tennessee, 1pm (CBS)
Green Bay at Carolina, 1pm (FOX)
Oakland at Buffalo, 1pm (CBS)
Kansas City at Detroit, 1pm (CBS)
Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets, 1pm (CBS)
Tampa Bay at Minnesota, 1pm (FOX)
Chicago at New Orleans, 1pm (FOX)
Arizona at Washington, 1pm (FOX)
Seattle at Pittsburgh, 1pm (FOX)
Dallas at San Francisco, 4:05pm (FOX)
Houston at Miami, 4:15pm (CBS)
San Diego at New England, 4:15pm (CBS)
Cincinnati at Denver, 4:15pm (CBS)
Philadelphia at Atlanta, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 19
St. Louis at N.Y. Giants, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 3
Sunday, Sept. 25
San Francisco at Cincinnati, 1pm (FOX)
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 1pm (FOX)
Detroit at Minnesota, 1pm (FOX)
New England at Buffalo, 1pm (CBS)
Miami at Cleveland, 1pm (CBS)
Houston at New Orleans, 1pm (CBS)
Denver at Tennessee, 1pm (CBS)
Jacksonville at Carolina, 1pm (CBS)
Kansas City at San Diego, 4:05pm (CBS)
Baltimore at St. Louis, 4:05pm (CBS)
N.Y. Jets at Oakland, 4:05pm (CBS)
Green Bay at Chicago, 4:15pm (FOX)
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 4:15pm (FOX)
Arizona at Seattle, 4:15pm (FOX)
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 26
Washington at Dallas, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 4
Sunday, Oct. 2
Washington at St. Louis, 1pm (FOX)
San Francisco at Philadelphia, 1pm (FOX)
New Orleans at Jacksonville, 1pm (FOX)
Carolina at Chicago, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at Cincinnati, 1pm (CBS)
Pittsburgh at Houston, 1pm (CBS)
Detroit at Dallas, 1pm (FOX)
Minnesota at Kansas City, 1pm (FOX)
Tennessee at Cleveland, 1pm (CBS)
Atlanta at Seattle, 4:05pm (FOX)
N.Y. Giants at Arizona, 4:05pm (FOX)
New England at Oakland, 4:15pm (CBS)
Denver at Green Bay, 4:15pm (CBS)
Miami at San Diego, 4:15pm (CBS)
N.Y. Jets at Baltimore, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 3
Indianapolis at Tampa Bay, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 5
Sunday, Oct. 9
Cincinnati at Jacksonville, 1pm (CBS)
Tennessee at Pittsburgh, 1pm (CBS)
Kansas City at Indianapolis, 1pm (CBS)
Oakland at Houston, 1pm (CBS)
Arizona at Minnesota, 1pm (FOX)
New Orleans at Carolina, 1pm (FOX)
Seattle at N.Y. Giants, 1pm (FOX)
Philadelphia at Buffalo, 1pm (FOX)
Tampa Bay at San Francisco, 4:05pm (FOX)
San Diego at Denver, 4:15pm (CBS)
N.Y. Jets at New England, 4:15pm (CBS)
Green Bay at Atlanta, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 10
Chicago at Detroit, 8:30pm (ESPN)
Byes: Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, St. Louis, Washington

Week 6
Sunday, Oct. 16
St. Louis at Green Bay, 1pm (FOX)
Philadelphia at Washington, 1pm (FOX)
San Francisco at Detroit, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at N.Y. Giants, 1pm (CBS)
Carolina at Atlanta, 1pm (FOX)
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh, 1pm (CBS)
Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 1pm (CBS)
Cleveland at Oakland, 4:05pm (CBS)
Houston at Baltimore, 4:05pm (CBS)
Dallas at New England, 4:15pm (FOX)
New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 4:15pm (FOX)
Minnesota at Chicago, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 17
Miami at N.Y. Jets, 8:30pm (ESPN)
Byes: Arizona, Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, Seattle, Tennessee

Week 7
Sunday, Oct. 23
Washington at Carolina, 1pm (FOX)
Chicago at Tampa Bay, 1pm (FOX)
Seattle at Cleveland, 1pm (FOX)
Atlanta at Detroit, 1pm (FOX)
Denver at Miami, 1pm (CBS)
San Diego at N.Y. Jets, 1pm (CBS)
Houston at Tennessee, 1pm (CBS)
Pittsburgh at Arizona, 4:05pm (CBS)
Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05pm (CBS)
Green Bay at Minnesota, 4:15pm (FOX)
St. Louis at Dallas, 4:15pm (FOX)
Indianapolis at New Orleans, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 24
Baltimore at Jacksonville, 8:30pm (ESPN)
Byes: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Week 8
Sunday, Oct. 30
Indianapolis at Tennessee, 1pm (CBS)
Minnesota at Carolina, 1pm (FOX)
Jacksonville at Houston, 1pm (CBS)
New Orleans at St. Louis, 1pm (FOX)
Arizona at Baltimore, 1pm (FOX)
Miami at N.Y. Giants, 1pm (CBS)
Washington at Buffalo, 4:05pm (FOX)
Detroit at Denver, 4:05pm (FOX)
Cincinnati at Seattle, 4:15pm (CBS)
Cleveland at San Francisco, 4:15pm (CBS)
New England at Pittsburgh, 4:15pm (CBS)
Dallas at Philadelphia, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Oct. 31
San Diego at Kansas City, 8:30pm (ESPN)
Byes: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, N.Y. Jets, Oakland, Tampa Bay

Week 9
Sunday, Nov. 6
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 1pm (CBS)
Cleveland at Houston, 1pm (CBS)
San Francisco at Washington, 1pm (FOX)
Seattle at Dallas, 1pm (FOX)
Miami at Kansas City, 1pm (CBS)
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 1pm (FOX)
Atlanta at Indianapolis, 1pm (FOX)
Cincinnati at Tennessee, 4:05pm (CBS)
Denver at Oakland, 4:05pm (CBS)
Green Bay at San Diego, 4:15pm (FOX)
St. Louis at Arizona, 4:15pm (FOX)
N.Y. Giants at New England, 4:15pm (FOX)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 7
Chicago at Philadelphia, 8:30pm (ESPN)
Byes: Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville, Minnesota

Week 10
Thursday, Nov. 10
Oakland at San Diego, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Sunday, Nov. 13
Houston at Tampa Bay, 1pm (CBS)
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1pm (CBS)
Detroit at Chicago, 1pm (FOX)
Tennessee at Carolina, 1pm (CBS)
Denver at Kansas City, 1pm (CBS)
Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 1pm (CBS)
Washington at Miami, 1pm (FOX)
St. Louis at Cleveland, 1pm (FOX)
Arizona at Philadelphia, 1pm (FOX)
New Orleans at Atlanta, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at Dallas, 1pm (CBS)
Baltimore at Seattle, 4:05pm (CBS)
N.Y. Giants at San Francisco, 4:15pm (FOX)
New England at N.Y. Jets*, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 14
Minnesota at Green Bay, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 11
Thursday, Nov. 17
N.Y. Jets at Denver, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Sunday, Nov. 20
Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1pm (CBS)
Dallas at Washington, 1pm (FOX)
Tennessee at Atlanta, 1pm (CBS)
Jacksonville at Cleveland, 1pm (CBS)
Oakland at Minnesota, 1pm (CBS)
Tampa Bay at Green Bay, 1pm (FOX)
Carolina at Detroit, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at Miami, 1pm (CBS)
Arizona at San Francisco, 4:05pm (FOX)
Seattle at St. Louis, 4:05pm (FOX)
San Diego at Chicago, 4:15pm (CBS)
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants*, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 21
Kansas City at New England, 8:30pm (ESPN)
Byes: Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh

Week 12
Thursday, Nov. 24
Green Bay at Detroit, 12:30pm (FOX)
Miami at Dallas, 4:15pm (CBS)
San Francisco at Baltimore, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Sunday, Nov. 27
Carolina at Indianapolis, 1pm (FOX)
Tampa Bay at Tennessee, 1pm (FOX)
Arizona at St. Louis, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets, 1pm (CBS)
Minnesota at Atlanta, 1pm (FOX)
Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1pm (CBS)
Houston at Jacksonville, 1pm (CBS)
Washington at Seattle, 4:05pm (FOX)
Chicago at Oakland, 4:05pm (FOX)
New England at Philadelphia, 4:15pm (CBS)
Denver at San Diego, 4:15pm (CBS)
Pittsburgh at Kansas City*, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Nov. 28
N.Y. Giants at New Orleans, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 13
Thursday, Dec. 1
Philadelphia at Seattle, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Sunday, Dec. 4
Detroit at New Orleans, 1pm (FOX)
Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1pm (FOX)
Atlanta at Houston, 1pm (FOX)
Oakland at Miami, 1pm (CBS)
Kansas City at Chicago, 1pm (CBS)
Tennessee at Buffalo, 1pm (CBS)
N.Y. Jets at Washington, 1pm (CBS)
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1pm (CBS)
Baltimore at Cleveland, 1pm (CBS)
Denver at Minnesota, 4:05pm (CBS)
Green Bay at N.Y. Giants, 4:15pm (FOX)
Dallas at Arizona, 4:15pm (FOX)
St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:15pm (FOX)
Indianapolis at New England*, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 5
San Diego at Jacksonville, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 14
Thursday, Dec. 8
Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Sunday, Dec. 11
Houston at Cincinnati, 1pm (CBS)
New England at Washington, 1pm (CBS)
Indianapolis at Baltimore, 1pm (CBS)
Kansas City at N.Y. Jets, 1pm (CBS)
Oakland at Green Bay, 1pm (CBS)
Atlanta at Carolina, 1pm (FOX)
Minnesota at Detroit, 1pm (FOX)
Philadelphia at Miami, 1pm (FOX)
New Orleans at Tennessee, 1pm (FOX)
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, 1pm (FOX)
Chicago at Denver, 4:05pm (FOX)
San Francisco at Arizona, 4:05pm (FOX)
Buffalo at San Diego, 4:15pm (CBS)
N.Y. Giants at Dallas*, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 12
St. Louis at Seattle, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 15
Thursday, Dec. 15
Jacksonville at Atlanta, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Saturday, Dec. 17
Dallas at Tampa Bay, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Sunday, Dec. 18
Cincinnati at St. Louis, 1pm (CBS)
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1pm (CBS)
Green Bay at Kansas City, 1pm (FOX)
Carolina at Houston, 1pm (FOX)
New Orleans at Minnesota, 1pm (FOX)
Seattle at Chicago, 1pm (FOX)
Washington at N.Y. Giants, 1pm (FOX)
Miami at Buffalo, 1pm (CBS)
Detroit at Oakland, 4:05pm (FOX)
N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia, 4:15pm (CBS)
New England at Denver, 4:15pm (CBS)
Cleveland at Arizona, 4:15pm (CBS)
Baltimore at San Diego*, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 19
Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 16
Thursday, Dec. 22
Houston at Indianapolis, 8:20pm (NFL Network)
Saturday, Dec. 24
Cleveland at Baltimore, 1pm (CBS)
Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1pm (CBS)
Minnesota at Washington, 1pm (FOX)
Denver at Buffalo, 1pm (CBS)
Oakland at Kansas City, 1pm (CBS)
Miami at New England, 1pm (CBS)
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1pm (FOX)
N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 1pm (FOX)
Arizona at Cincinnati, 1pm (FOX)
St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 1pm (FOX)
San Diego at Detroit, 4:05pm (CBS)
San Francisco at Seattle, 4:15pm (FOX)
Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:15pm (FOX)
Sunday, Dec. 25
Chicago at Green Bay, 8:20pm (NBC)
Monday, Dec. 26
Atlanta at New Orleans, 8:30pm (ESPN)

Week 17
Sunday, Jan. 1
Tennessee at Houston, 1pm (CBS)
Detroit at Green Bay, 1pm (FOX)
Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 1pm (FOX)
Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 1pm (CBS)
Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1pm (CBS)
N.Y. Jets at Miami, 1pm (CBS)
Baltimore at Cincinnati, 1pm (CBS)
Washington at Philadelphia, 1pm (FOX)
Chicago at Minnesota, 1pm (FOX)
San Francisco at St. Louis, 1pm (FOX)
Carolina at New Orleans, 1pm (FOX)
Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 1pm (FOX)
Buffalo at New England, 1pm (CBS)
Seattle at Arizona, 4:15pm (FOX)
San Diego at Oakland, 4:15pm (CBS)
Kansas City at Denver, 4:15pm (CBS)
To Be Announced*, 8:20pm (NBC)

Playoffs
Saturday, Jan. 7
AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoffs (NBC)
Sunday, Jan. 8
AFC and NFC Wild Card Playoffs (CBS & FOX)
Saturday, Jan. 14
AFC and NFC Divisional Playoffs (CBS & FOX)
Sunday, Jan. 15
AFC and NFC Divisional Playoffs (CBS & FOX)
Sunday, Jan. 22
AFC and NFC Championship Games (CBS & FOX)
Sunday, Jan. 29
AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in Hawaii (NBC)
Sunday, Feb. 5
Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis (NBC)

*Games subject to change.

Does the crappy screen shot above look familiar? It should. It’s Norm MacDonald hosting the 1998 ESPY awards for ESPN. His performance insulted so many athletes that he was never asked to return, but it’s still one of the funniest, bravest performances you’ll ever see.

Now, over ten years later, Norm is returning to the world of sports with his own sports-talk show on Comedy Central.

The show would be a satirical look at the sports world. On board with MacDonald is Daniel Kellison, a veteran TV producer whose credits include ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Man Show,” according to person familiar with the project…

I know some people (like our friends at Warming Glow) are afraid Norm isn’t a good fit as a talk show host. And I see their point. But if he can manage to create a show that’s half as funny as the following clip, it will still be hilarious. (Show Tracker)

Watch norm insult everyone at the 1998 ESPY Awards after the jump…

The Playlist has alerted us to an interview with Mike Tyson that is as candid as you’d expect from the man who once threatened to "f*ck you until you love him." It all came about when Mike wandered into a Las Vegas radio station unexpectedly after a trip to the dentist. If you’re familiar with David After The Dentist, you know that you’re in for a treat. Here are some of my favorite parts.

On The Hangover:

“I was doing that to supply my drug habit. I’m sorry I’m coming at you guys like this… I said, ‘Wow, This is going to be really good. We’re going to sell this stuff on 42nd street on bootleg and make a lot of money.’ This is my best thinking on drugs… It wasn’t that way. It was an international success."

On becoming a Vegan:

“I became a Vegan. Vegan is where no animal products. No livestock products. Nothing."

On his slow-transformation to vampirism:

"My personal life is so isolated right now. I don’t go anywhere unless I’m invited." (except for when he wanders into radio stations of course. – Ed.)

And on the arduous task of wiping one’s butt when weighing 350 lbs:

“It was hard to wipe my butt… I was sweating like some kind of guy from a moon project or something."

Awesome. MTV needs to find a way to get him into the "Jersey Shore" house. (ESPN Radio)

Following in the footsteps of Brian Dennehy and Craig T. Nelson, Robert De Niro has signed on to play an iconic coach in the ESPN Films biopic Lombardi. Arguably the greatest coach in NFL history, Vince Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to two Superbowl and five league championship wins. I should also mention dude could burp the entire alphabet… backwards. Doesn’t sound too impressive to you, but in Wisconsin that is a godlike ability.

The film, to be written by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump), will focus on the 8 years that Lombardi spent with the Packers, molding them into NFL champs. Very little time will be spent on his epic belching. (THR)