Are any of these non-aq conference TV deals of any real significance anyways?

I think the average non-aq budget is around $25 million. So all other things equal, CUSA in the past (no way to tell if new TV deal is more or less) earned $1 million more per school than lets say the Sun Belt or MAC. If you factor in extra travel that a CUSA team must spend out of that $1 million, does that extra few hundred thousand provide any real significance toward your program? Sun Belt school has $25 million budget and CUSA school has $25.5 million budget?

An AQ school will make $20 Million extra, that is significant and allows them to build their programs in a significant way.

But all the non-aq conference schools are making peanuts in comparison and even in comparison to themselves. I for one am happy with the extra exposure the MAC ESPN deal gets us. I live in California and because the MAC mid-week games are the only show in town on Wednesday night and ESPN is a basic cable channel (no need for a sports package like CBSSports) I know that every sports bar and casual football fan will be watching. And I can say because of this, more people on the west coast are getting to know MAC teams than years past without the deal.

Given the choice of seeing my team play on an expanded cable sports package cable channel on Saturday when everybody else is focused on Stanford vs Southern Cal on a mainstream TV channel or having my team being the only show in town on a mainstream TV channel, you can keep the couple extra thousand dollars and I'll take the increased ratings.

And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

good point about the $ vs being on TV i have watched a ton of mac games in the past no one is there but its good tv. i follow the league

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

Toledo did last year.

Thursday night. Friday night. Tuesday night x2. We only had 1 Saturday NIGHT game. 1 of the Tuesday night games started at 8pm and didn't end until 1am. Horrible for season ticket holders (like me) who live 1+ hour away. I left around the end of the 3rd qtr, which was 11:30pm!!!

(02-21-2012 10:40 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

Toledo did last year.

Thursday night. Friday night. Tuesday night x2. We only had 1 Saturday NIGHT game. 1 of the Tuesday night games started at 8pm and didn't end until 1am. Horrible for season ticket holders (like me) who live 1+ hour away. I left around the end of the 3rd qtr, which was 11:30pm!!!

and I watched every one of those games, me...Troy fan in Alabama. If those games had been on Saturday night I would not have seen any of them. It's a trade off. I certainly don't think Toledo should have played as many as yall did, but that was an AD decision and one that benefited your brand.

Also, I too am a season ticket holder. I have great seats.

(02-21-2012 10:40 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

Toledo did last year.

Thursday night. Friday night. Tuesday night x2. We only had 1 Saturday NIGHT game. 1 of the Tuesday night games started at 8pm and didn't end until 1am. Horrible for season ticket holders (like me) who live 1+ hour away. I left around the end of the 3rd qtr, which was 11:30pm!!!

I hate when we'd get midweek games, except Fridays. How was your attendance for those weekday games?

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

There is a tightrope we have to walk. We fill our stadium every game, and make a lot of money from that. If we went to multiple mid-week games with the distances a lot of our fans have to travel that is going to cost us money and the city money because every hotel in the city is booked up during a fall Saturday. Is being on ESPN2 on a Tuesday night worth that? Would there be enough money in it to make up for lost revenue? I don't know the answer to that, but the MAC's TV deal certainly wouldn't make up that difference for us.

I think the point that was made though was it's not necessarily the money but the exposure. Getting out there where you are the game. I think one could make a fairly good case that is what Boise did and look what happened with them.

(02-22-2012 10:26 AM)stever20 Wrote:  I think the point that was made though was it's not necessarily the money but the exposure. Getting out there where you are the game. I think one could make a fairly good case that is what Boise did and look what happened with them.

Then why aren't the MAC teams getting calls from AQ leagues with all the "exposure" they get? It's because just playing those games doesn't make you Boise. What Boise did was win 10+ games for a decade. If they were winning even 8 games a year for a decade would they have gotten the name they have from playing weeknights? No, they got it from winning big. Playing average to below average football on a weeknight impresses no one. Playing big time football on one of those nights does, but playing big time football on any day impresses people. Utah and TCU weren't playing on weeknights much, but got exposure and moved up because they were winning huge.

Utah played weeknights with the old MWC when they were on ESPN. That's where they made their name. TCU same thing with the C-USA.

The MAC has just really started getting the exposure from ESPN.

(02-22-2012 10:52 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Utah played weeknights with the old MWC when they were on ESPN. That's where they made their name. TCU same thing with the C-USA.

The MAC has just really started getting the exposure from ESPN.

And ECU played 5 games a year on ESPN, had our own indy TV deal with ESPN. Hell we have hosted multiple Thursday night ESPN games. You see where that got us. You make your name by winning big not by just playing these games. We could play 10 weeknight ESPN games, and if we don't start winning 10 games a year for an extended period of time it's not going to change things.

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

Given the sheer number of UB Alumni who live in down state NY it's a good deal for us.

(02-21-2012 10:40 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

Toledo did last year.

Thursday night. Friday night. Tuesday night x2. We only had 1 Saturday NIGHT game. 1 of the Tuesday night games started at 8pm and didn't end until 1am. Horrible for season ticket holders (like me) who live 1+ hour away. I left around the end of the 3rd qtr, which was 11:30pm!!!

That's 4 of 12 games (not a majority)

But the Friday night games are not exactly 'mid week'..

(02-22-2012 11:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

Given the sheer number of UB Alumni who live in down state NY it's a good deal for us.

It's a good deal for the MAC schools (and I am not meaning this as an insult) because for the most part it doesn't seem to have a huge affect on your attendance playing the games those nights. If you were in a large city where the majority of your fan base resides in that city it wouldn't be a big deal either. It's a big deal for ECU. There are logistical issues that would be a nightmare for us. For the 2 Thursday night games we have played at home we had to shut down campus early because a lot of game day parking is used by students and faculty during the week. A local elementary and middle school had to be shut down early as well because their parking lots are used as game day parking. Then you just have the burden it puts on your season ticket holders who have to travel a lot (which is the majority of them). Doing all that for a prime-time Thursday night game against VT (our opponent in our 2 Thursday night home games) is worth it, but doing it for any of our conference games on a Tuesday or Wednesday just isn't worth the headache, potential lost ticket sales, and damage to the local economy.

(02-22-2012 11:22 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(02-22-2012 11:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

Given the sheer number of UB Alumni who live in down state NY it's a good deal for us.

It's a good deal for the MAC schools (and I am not meaning this as an insult) because for the most part it doesn't seem to have a huge affect on your attendance playing the games those nights. If you were in a large city where the majority of your fan base resides in that city it wouldn't be a big deal either. It's a big deal for ECU. There are logistical issues that would be a nightmare for us. For the 2 Thursday night games we have played at home we had to shut down campus early because a lot of game day parking is used by students and faculty during the week. A local elementary and middle school had to be shut down early as well because their parking lots are used as game day parking. Then you just have the burden it puts on your season ticket holders who have to travel a lot (which is the majority of them). Doing all that for a prime-time Thursday night game against VT (our opponent in our 2 Thursday night home games) is worth it, but doing it for any of our conference games on a Tuesday or Wednesday just isn't worth the headache, potential lost ticket sales, and damage to the local economy.

Actually it usually does hurt us by about 20-30%..

Like the OP said it get's to the nature of the conferences.

Most MAC schools are either (1) in an area where plenty of alumni live or (2) have alumni so far away that weekday/weeknight is not relevant. They also compete with pro teams.

Most CUSA schools are more rural, spread out alumni but so much to make a Satuday trip hard.

In the end the decision comes down to what you do with, effectively, 1-3% of your athletics budget... Get buts in the seats for Saturday or put games on ESPN..

(02-22-2012 11:14 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:40 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

Toledo did last year.

Thursday night. Friday night. Tuesday night x2. We only had 1 Saturday NIGHT game. 1 of the Tuesday night games started at 8pm and didn't end until 1am. Horrible for season ticket holders (like me) who live 1+ hour away. I left around the end of the 3rd qtr, which was 11:30pm!!!

That's 4 of 12 games (not a majority)

But the Friday night games are not exactly 'mid week'..

I think he was referring to home games

(02-22-2012 11:36 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-22-2012 11:22 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(02-22-2012 11:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

Given the sheer number of UB Alumni who live in down state NY it's a good deal for us.

It's a good deal for the MAC schools (and I am not meaning this as an insult) because for the most part it doesn't seem to have a huge affect on your attendance playing the games those nights. If you were in a large city where the majority of your fan base resides in that city it wouldn't be a big deal either. It's a big deal for ECU. There are logistical issues that would be a nightmare for us. For the 2 Thursday night games we have played at home we had to shut down campus early because a lot of game day parking is used by students and faculty during the week. A local elementary and middle school had to be shut down early as well because their parking lots are used as game day parking. Then you just have the burden it puts on your season ticket holders who have to travel a lot (which is the majority of them). Doing all that for a prime-time Thursday night game against VT (our opponent in our 2 Thursday night home games) is worth it, but doing it for any of our conference games on a Tuesday or Wednesday just isn't worth the headache, potential lost ticket sales, and damage to the local economy.

Actually it usually does hurt us by about 20-30%..

Like the OP said it get's to the nature of the conferences.

Most MAC schools are either (1) in an area where plenty of alumni live or (2) have alumni so far away that weekday/weeknight is not relevant. They also compete with pro teams.

Most CUSA schools are more rural, spread out alumni but so much to make a Satuday trip hard.

In the end the decision comes down to what you do with, effectively, 1-3% of your athletics budget... Get buts in the seats for Saturday or put games on ESPN..

CUSA schools aren't really more rural, but they are more spread out in both teams and alumni. Marshall probably has equal or more alumni in NC than in WV; its hard to make that trip mid week.

In the end though, our fans voiced their want of Saturday games and the conference obliged.

(02-22-2012 12:17 AM)jaredf29 Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:40 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 10:27 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote:  

(02-21-2012 08:48 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  And if you are a fan who doesn't go to to games I could completely understand that opinion. As a season ticket holder I would be flat out disgusted if we played a majority of our home games during the week. I have to commute 2 hours each way, and I imagine it would be quite tough for me to make multiple mid-week games a season.

No one team plays the majority of their games mid-week. You would more than likely have to give up one, maybe two games a season. However, the national exposure is outstanding and something you simply won't get when you are playing on Saturday, going up against every AQ team in America.

Toledo did last year.

Thursday night. Friday night. Tuesday night x2. We only had 1 Saturday NIGHT game. 1 of the Tuesday night games started at 8pm and didn't end until 1am. Horrible for season ticket holders (like me) who live 1+ hour away. I left around the end of the 3rd qtr, which was 11:30pm!!!

I hate when we'd get midweek games, except Fridays. How was your attendance for those weekday games?

Thursday (season opener vs. New Hampshire) 20,106
Friday (vs. Boise St.) 28,905
Tuesday (vs. Northern Illinois [if this was a weekend, it most likely woulda been 25,000+]) 19,004
Tuesday (vs. Western Michigan) 16,107

The WMU game started at 8 and didn't end until around 1am.

And to Bull IN Exile, Friday games count because if peolpe live out of town, it is still hard to get there since it is still a work day.