Notre Dame and NBC Sign Five-Year Extension

There are a lot of Notre Dame haters in this country. I mean, a lot. Hating the Irish is quickly becoming one of America's greatest past-times (well hating the Irish was a past time long before college football made an appearance on the scene, but I'm talking the football Irish here), and with the recent debacle of last season, combined with the annual undressings in bowl games, haters are really enjoying themselves.

Of course, one of the reasons people hate Notre Dame so much is the constant exposure given to the program. Sure, they haven't won anything of consequence in years, but that hasn't stopped them from being placed in a BCS game anytime they can muster nine wins in a season. A big reason for this is that the Irish have their own television contract with NBC and are broadcast all across the country every Saturday afternoon where fans and haters alike can tune in and judge.

Well, I'm sorry haters, but that's not going to change anytime soon.

The partnership between Notre Dame football and NBC now will be at least a quarter-century long.

A five-year extension of the deal to televise Irish home games was announced Thursday morning, good from 2011 to 2016.

In the deal, NBC will televise seven home games and the one "off-site" game on the Irish football slate.

I've no idea how much money the deal is worth, as it wasn't announced, but something tells me that NBC got the rights for less money than they paid for originally. The ratings dropped severely last season thanks to Notre Dame sucking ass, so that probably knocked quite a bit off the price tag.

Though it's not as if I care, just as long as I can still watch. National champions in 2008!* You heard it here first!

*No, I don't really believe that

Gilbert Arenas Has Plans

Tonight on NBC we have our newest reality show debuting, and this one features Mark Phillippoussis, a tennis player. It's called Age of Love, and I will not be watching it. I suggest you all do the same.

There is one athlete filming a reality show this summer that I will totally watch over and over again should it ever reach the air. That's right, Gilbert Arenas has big plans for this offseason, and one of them is a reality show.

Right now I’m booking my trip to Tahiti with the family... I’m going to try not to get hurt or eaten by any sharks or stabbed in the chest by any stingrays...

I’m contemplating on a Reality TV show. I might do one this summer if ESPN will pick it up... That’s for this summer and then I have one next summer and it’s going to be the business side of me and that should be funny because I don’t know anything about business so I’m going to sound like Paris Hilton or Jessica Simpson. I mean, I’m not going to sound like, “Do buffalo wings come from buffaloes?” There ain’t going to be any comments like that, but for business people, I’m going to sound like a straight idiot...

I’m writing a book. It ain’t going to be the T.O. “I Need My Ball” or whatever that book was called. It ain’t going to be the Phil Jackson book. Mine is going to be more like Chicken Soup for the Soul. Mine is going to be like that with more funny stuff.

I'm also shooting a reality show of my own that has been picked up by FOX. In it you will get to follow me around and watch how all the blogging magic happens. There will also be glimpses into my personal life, like me just walking around with my shirt off and flexing, or running up to girls and punching them in the face.

I call it flirting!

(via With Leather)