Summer League on Web No Longer Free

The NBA's Vegas Summer League has gone from cult favorite for hungry hoops die-hards to must-watch action for any basketball fan in just a few years. Thousands make the trek to Las Vegas every July to take in the glory of organized chaos that is Summer League, and thousands more watch every second on their computer monitors.

For the past two seasons, the league broadcast every VSL game for free on the web. But this season, the NBA has turned back to its old method, charging fans to watch the games. From 2003-06, the league offered VSL games via paid subscription, as it will this year. (It's $15 for 55 games. Competition begins Friday.) It's disappointing -- fans pay for so much during the season, from tickets to jerseys to parking to League Pass -- but it's hard to argue that, given VSL's new-found fame, the league should be guilted into bypassing a legit revenue stream. I mean, someone's got to pay Anderson Varejao's new contract!