On the back of finally finding a sponsor, SPFL chairman Ralph Topping has now turned his attention to the BBC.
Instead of trying to put the squeeze on TV, though, Topping should be seriously considering life without cameras.
If football authorities are to be believed, fans remain the lifeblood of the game. So why try for a more lucrative deal from the TV companies?
If TV does come up with extra cash, it will only mean even more disruption for supporters.
So the SPFL should be careful what it wishes for. If not, we’ll end up like Spain.
Every La Liga fixture is broadcast live between Friday night and Monday night.
All games have different kick-off times, including one played on Sunday morning.
Even clubs with tiny grounds like Elche, Rayo and Getafe can’t fill them.
As crowds continue to dwindle in Scotland, the main reason given is that fans are fed up being messed about with dates and kick-off times by broadcasters.
The vast majority want games played at the traditional time of 3pm on a Saturday. The only way to return to this is to cut down on TV coverage, not increase it.
Already this year we’ve had authoritative voices such as Peter Lawwell at Celtic, Roy McGregor at Ross County and Mike Mulreaney at Alloa agree football should be thinking more about the fans instead of chasing more TV money.
This means clubs forsaking much required TV revenue in the short term, and speculating on fans returning over a period of time to make up the shortfall.
Blue chip businesses will argue this is economic suicide, but football is totally different from any other business.
Well do I remember Jim McLean argue vociferously in his heyday at Dundee United 30 years ago that live televising of matches would kill the game.
He predicted allowing games to be beamed live into homes would only lead to empty seats and lack of atmosphere at grounds.
The man has been proved 100% correct.
That’s why football has to think about turning the clock back and getting more passion back by encouraging bigger crowds.
It’s too late to return to the days of the Scottish Cup Final and Scotland v England being the only live games on the box.
However, if those running the game in Scotland really do believe fans are the lifeblood, it’s time they did something drastic to show it.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe