I woke up in the middle of a Saturday afternoon last December to the ringing of my cell phone, which had eight missed calls and 10 text messages.

It was the day of the Apple Cup, and like my friends, I was keyed up to watch the Huskies and Cougars battle on the tube.

I assumed the messages were typical declarations of pride from my friends at Washington State University and the University of Washington, but instead they all asked the same question.

“What channel is the game on?”

When it was revealed the historic rivalry was offered only on the obscure Versus network, we each surfed through the channels for a half-hour to find the state’s biggest college football game of the year. I never imagined finding the Apple Cup would require a remote control resembling a graphing calculator and a five-page cable bill.

Some of us were lucky enough to watch. Others weren’t as fortunate. We were all perplexed.

When the confusion lifted, one conclusion was clear: The games are leaving the fans. In addition to all Cougar and Husky games, Seattle Mariners games are shown on cable. Monday Night Football is on cable.

And as more sporting events are restricted to pay channels, the tradition of sitting with friends and family, throwing back a few beers and cheering for a favorite school now comes at a steep price and a yearly contract.

What started as an ambitious voyage to expand college sports — which are paid for by taxpayers, I might add — has turned into a blow below the belt. This change couldn’t arrive at a worse time. A sour economy, high unemployment, rising costs of food and oil has forced everyone to trim budgets, thus losing out on the fun that serves as escapism from the chaos.

The Apple Cup, for example, is now a cable mainstay, either on Versus or Fox Sports Net Northwest, which will change its name to Root Sports April 1. Two public schools backed by taxpayer money compete exclusively on cable for the majority of their seasons. It’s understandable, though, as some of the television dollars flow into the schools.

It should be noted, as well, that public money was used to build the stadiums used by both college and professional teams, including Safeco Field and Seahawks Stadium. However, shifting to cable is hardly a treat for fans, students, parents and armchair quarterbacks who bite the bullet to find a game. The alternative is to find a bar, which is no fun for somebody like me, who doesn’t drink. The change started in 1995, when the Walt Disney Company acquired the American Broadcasting Company for $19 billion, creating an empire that’s still growing 16 years later, according to a story in the New York Times. The merger included cable sports giant ESPN.

Following the industry game-changer, the birth of the Bowl Championship Series gave way to a slew of top bowl games migrating to ESPN. Last season, for the first time, the National Championship and Rose Bowl were shown on cable.

The event was a new low. As an avid sports fan, I have a strong belief that any championship game should air on network television for the entire country to enjoy.

There are still oases, however. Some NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament games aired on network TV in March, although the entire women’s bracket is airing on ESPN. A national audience can enjoy the men’s Final Four Saturday and Monday on CBS. The majority of College World Series games are also aired by ESPN. For the past decade, ESPN has played a major role in seizing college sports from network television. The pursuit started as an alternative way to watch more events that didn’t fit in the traditional primetime schedule. The worldwide leader in sports paved the way for other cable networks, like Turner Broadcasting, to air college basketball on TNT and TBS in partnership with CBS. Providers like Comcast and DirecTV charge hundreds to watch amateur talent represent their schools.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful I still get to watch the professional championships on network TV, along with the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But, considering the trend, one has to wonder how much longer before people are expected to both subsidize sports corporations and public universities and then shell out to watch the games their tax dollars helped produce.

Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre will air the men’s Final Four for free Saturday, April 2 and Monday, April 4. Admission is free.