...are cable TV bills really $175/month?  That seems crazy to me but I've never been a subscriber so I don't really know.  I've always watched games at the bar and only occasionally download TV shows via iTunes.

jfc the internet exists there is no reason to pay for cable

it's called THE FUTURE you guys

The hardest part about cutting cable?  No BTN2go with Comcast.  A close 2nd was NBCSports for hockey playoffs and soccer.  Everything else (Mad Men, ESPN, march madness) I could get legally and cheaply.  I re-upped for football season, but will probably cancel again soon.

My setup:

Macbook pro with AV adapter to TV (March Madness, ESPN3)

HD ROKU* player (Netflix, Amazon video, MLS direct kick)

Edited to add:  A $15 HD antenna that I put on my deck.  I was able to get >30 channels that way.  Mostly crap, yes, but all the major networks.  

*they're awesome.  Get one.

So I would love to quit cable, but I'm locked into paying for it through my HOA dues.  However, my cable company recently got sued and we *might* be able to opt out of the cable contract at some point.  However, even if I *could* quit cable, my big conern is sports.  It seems that the ESPN3 content now:

1.  Is blacked out for any event televised on an cable ESPN network. (ESPN / ESPN2 / ESPNU).

2.  Requires a logon (which I guess I could get from a family member).

Also, I don't think I've seen Internet-streaming live sports from ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.  I know you can get sports from those "alternative" live-streaming sites, but it's not usually very good quality.  Any suggestions?

I cut the cord just after the Sugar Bowl.I was already paying for Netflix, and watching that more than I was watching whatever was on Direct TV.  Needless to say, what I have missed the most has been College Football and Detroit Tigers baseball.  I guess that is really all that I have missed.  The only game I was unable to watch at all was Nebraska.  Other games I either watched at a friend's house, at a hotel, or else I went in to my office for a few hours and impressed my boss at the same time by completing some little task over halftime. ND, OSU, and one or two others I was able to watch over the antenna.

If you are looking to create a little room in your monthly budget, cutting the cord is one of the best ways to do it.  I dont find myself watching programs (any given Thursday night NFL or NCAAF football game for instance, or Sunday Night Baseball, or Jersey Shore) just because they are on.  I did wish I could have watched Rich Rod in his bowl game the other night though.  I watch more movies and read many, many more books at night now.  I would say it is definitely an improvement.

I did call Charter last August though to see about upping my cable package for the cfb season.  I was immediately offered some sports package for around $15/month in addition to the $20 or so base package.  It sounded great, until the salesman and I mutually discovered that it did not include BTN, ESPN or ESPN 2, or FS Detroit.  THe package with all of these channels included would have approached $90/month.  Until there is some sort of meaningful a la carte option offered for these channels, I honestly do not think I will give them another penny of my money.

minded lifestyle choice. When we first lived together it was in NYC and we were just so busy that there was no time. Someone gave me an old B&W set and I painted it with paint markers; on the screen I wrote, "It's better in black and white," which for some reason didn't show when we pulled it out of the closet once a week to watch the new Seinfeld (yes, that was the old days). When we moved to SF we just realized we didn't need or want one; if something really clever ever surfaced, you got in on it anyway. I'm glad I watched The Wire straight through, even though I was a basket case for weeks. Now there's Hulu, and Hulu Plus, and I really love that Criterion Collection stuff. I haven't had to miss a Michigan football or basketball game in two years. 

I pay for cable because I'm not interested in being that guy going "help meeeeee i need a streeeeeeeeeeeeeaaamm" for like the Eastern Michigan game.  I mean, if it's that damn important that you refuse to miss even the least insteresting of Michigan games, I figure just fork it over.  Because between baseball, football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, and NASCAR, pro and college varieties of each (except NASCAR, smart-asses) I'd be buggin' for a lot of damn streams.

That said, if I were not a sports addict I would never have cut the cord because there would never have been a cord.  The number of TV shows I follow religiously is zero, and the number of TV shows that I like and can't find on Hulu or on DVD is also zero.  The minute I can stop paying for such as the Food Network or whatever, I'll do it.  There really are about 10-12 necessary channels, and each one of them is a sports channel.

I cut the cord about two years ago and never looked back.  I use my PS3 to get Hulu/ / Netflix.  My wife has an Amazon Prime subscription so I also have access to free movies through them on my PS3.  My biggest concern was missing MIchigan games but I can honestly say I haven't missed one game yet.  I can get some through watchespn.com and the rest through frontrow.eu or network TV.  I have a desktop connected to my TV so I can stream everything right to my big screen.

I would recommend anyone considering this to take the leap.  It seems crazy to say now, but I  thought I couldn't live without cable TV.  However now that I look back on it I wonder why I ever had it in the first place.  The one obvious caveat is that you need to have a good internet connection.  If you are running basic tier DSL, this probably won't work for you, at least very well.   The average person will easily save $70+ a month so to bump your internet package should be well within reason.