Yes, the visual quality of a sports game can vary a lot and is frequently a disappointment. I can get an ATSC 3 multiplex from Syracuse and it is sad that it is not really better than the ATSC 2 symbol.
That's disappointing to hear because my current residence came with a large digital-capable antenna installed in the attic which I've never connected. When more local stations in my market start ATSC 3 broadcasts next year I was thinking of hooking up an OTA feed just to see if it's better than the Comcast XFinity cable-delivered mess.
I don't even watch that much TV content but when I do, I want it to not look like crap. It's frustrating because I'm sure the four national broadcast networks and top cable channels (eg ESPN, CNN, etc) are providing pristine source feeds at their head-end distribution points which look amazing. Is there even any meaningfully better-quality alternative these days? Maybe some over-the-top streaming provider of broadcast and cable channels who actually delivers 4k sources with guaranteed high-quality encoding and decent bitrates? If so, I'd cut the Comcast cord even if it costs more. It's not like Comcast is cheap but I also hate the idea of paying top dollar for such a substandard product simply because there are no better alternatives.
BTW: I'd be delighted to learn of any viable US-based content alternatives (eg streaming, direct satellite, etc). Back in the analog SDTV days I had a C-Band sat dish and the direct network feeds looked amazing in pure 6 Mhz analog component compared to local cable and even local OTA broadcast.
