(07-29-2017 05:07 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Truthfully I think the size of a team's market is largely irrelevant. The only time it really matters is if you are big enough to have a conference network and are getting paid by the subscriber for carriage regardless if they tune in or not.

There are plenty of big time schools that play in tiny towns but their appeal is statewide or even region or nationwide. There are plenty of examples of programs that lay in big cities but don't enjoy massive fan support. Not to pick on anyone but San Jose St, Temple, North Texas, Charlotte, and and Georgia St are just a few.

The best way to gauge the value of a team and the size of its fanbase is in attendance, tv ratings, and merchandise sales. A school in a big market can be attractive to a conference because of access to recruits or alums but a big market doesn't mean a better program.

NO. It still does not matter. Anybody who understands the concept of price elasticities, efficient markets, and weighted averages can tell you why. Markets do NOT matter for TV. They only matter for recruiting. Otherwise, fans matter.