Lakers games not available for L.A. sports bars, many fans

The Los Angeles Lakers made bold moves this offseason, bringing in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to reclaim the NBA's top spot and make the team more entertaining.

Only, their fans may not be able to watch.

The basics: Time Warner Cable shelled out $3 billion for a 20-year broadcast deal with the Lakers this offseason, planning to show 57 games on its regional channels. But SportsNet and Spanish-language Deportes are only available to Time Warner subscribers, so those with DirecTV, Dish Network and other cable providers are out of luck.

Time Warner is working on deals with those providers, but no resolution has been reached. And the Los Angeles Times reports sports bars could be among those affected:

The Lakers deliver a jolt of added business for sports bars and restaurants with multiple TVs tuned to their games. But unless a Time Warner Cable contract dispute is soon resolved, the Lakers won't be available to many of them, starting with the Lakers' second game of the season Oct. 31.

"We're definitely not happy about it," said Paola Casanova, general manager of Lucky Baldwins Pub in Pasadena.

Greg Wolcott, owner of the Hollywood Way sports bar in Burbank, said the dispute threatens the 20%-plus jump in sales the bar experiences each time the Lakers play. "A lot of customers are calling asking if we're going to have" the games, Wolcott said. "Right now we don't."

The in-depth story goes on to say Time Warner isn't even an option in some parts of the Los Angeles area.

So the winner here might be Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, whose team also should be excellent this season and has its games broadcast by Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket, which are more readily available.