The National Football League showed signs of sanity Wednesday by blinking, and making sure the New England Patriots-New York Giants game would be available for the majority of U.S. households — which do not pay for and get NFL Network.

In case you're not a fan, the NFL has been trying to push viewers — and cable companies — to pay for the NFL Network so they wouldn't miss games. Earlier this year, a big game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers was on NFL Network only. That's a premium channel for most cable customers; an optional buy for dish and satellite viewers. More than 60 percent of American households with TVs do NOT get NFL Network.

The NFL insisted it would do the same with the Patriots game Saturday night. It's a huge game, as the Pats try to (and they will) become the first NFL team EVER to go 16-0 in the regular season. Pressure mounted on the NFL to show the game more broadly and it gave in; the games will be "simulcast" on network stations.

What the NFL is doing with its network is arrogant and short-sighted. The NFL feels the country is so enamored with the sport that people will pay more for the Network or they'll complain so loudly to cable companies that they will put a football-only channel on their basic lineups.

The NFL is right that people love football — in markets where teams are perennially good. Which is about 10 US markets, or maybe less. Right now, however, it's fair to say sports fans in Miami, Kansas City, St. Louis and Phoenix aren't so keen on paying a premium to watch their teams get thumped most weeks. They probably can't wait for baseball's spring training to start — in about seven weeks.

The NFL should take a lesson from pro boxing. Remember the 1960s, '70s and even the '80s when boxing was huge and Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Boom Boom Mancini were household names? Then what happened? The sport got greedy, first moving fights to HBO and then to pay-per-view (or "closed circuit"). How'd that work out for pro boxing? Not very well. Quick, who holds the heavyweight title right now?

If you want to be America's sport, make sure most Americans can see your games.