Why do pubs show football?

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Would you ever own up to wanting to stay in to watch TV, instead of meeting friends in a pub? Sad as it might sound, it's a dilemma that we've probably all faced at some point.

It got me to thinking about how many pubs have TVs these days � the Plasma TV Takeover. But why is it that they're only ever used for sport? It gives men and diehard team supporters an unfair advantage. They never have to choose between TV and socialising, in fact going out to 'watch the match' seems to form a key part of their social calendar.

Last week I vacated a bar pretty quickly when a 'big' match loomed onto Plasma TV screens around the room, followed by a (distinctly male) roar of approval. So, what would be the problem with showing EastEnders, or Desperate Housewives on a pub TV?

The argument might be that it would put off clients who didn't want to watch that particular programme. Fair point. Except surely this is just as true for football matches? On any given Saturday afternoon, there's a choice of pubs showing different sporting events. If you don't want to watch it, you don't go in. This seems to be acceptable for sport, so, why not for TV shows?

Yes, going out is essentially a social activity, whilst watching TV is more passive. But, are groups of blokes 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over a missed goal, that sociable either? Would soap operas screened in pubs put off a male clientele? Possibly. But, surely no more so than football puts off many women.

It would be quite nice to bitch about the contestants on America's Next Top Model or Britain's Got Talent (?) over a glass of Pinot with friends. Admittedly, since many shows are screened more than once, it might be argued that there's no need to show TV in pubs. But, it would be fun. Pub screens could show so much more than the noiseless satellite TV news that fills time between sporting events.

Since this idea crept in, I've noticed plasma TV screens everywhere, used primarily for displaying random information, that's of no real significance, or interest to any one. So, why not show comedy in GP's waiting rooms, to cheer everyone up during the inevitable backlog of appointments? Screen The Apprentice in office lobbies where potential interviewees wait. Surely school children would be more engaged if Plasma screens in the corridors beamed in MTV during breaks, rather than the slideshow of a trip that only 10 pupils went on?

The argument for showing TV in pubs is based around some sense that football is of national interest. Perhaps it is, but there are many (believe me) who have no interest in the 'glorious game'. However, if you surveyed homes around the country you'd probably find that the latest series of Dr Who is of equal national interest. So, why not screen that every Saturday in pubs around the country?

The first pub to do this would probably make a fortune�

I also toy with the idea to buy a cheap plasma TV for my home!