http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stori...062b5.html
http://www.sjsuspartans.com/ViewArticle....LID=678158
Last week, ESPN announced the Boise St.-San Jose St. scheduled for this Saturday would be moved to a 10:15pm EST start and be televised on ESPN2. During the week, ESPN apparently got greedy and asked for Boise St. at Nevada to be moved from Saturday 10/25 to Friday 10/24. Not sure if this was to replace the Fresno St.-Louisiana Tech game already scheduled or not, but ESPN requested it. The WAC and Boise St. turned them down, as the Nevada game has been the easiest game for BSU fans to travel to and many fans already made travel plans for a Saturday game. When ESPN heard the WAC turned them down, ESPN pulled this week's telecast.
ESPN has put the screws to the WAC this year, with the WAC fighting back on some occasions. The WAC only has two scheduled men's basketball games on ESPN2, plus the conference championship. No more Big Monday games. ESPN asked for several WAC games to fill the ESPNU schedule this year, and the WAC turned them down when ESPN asked for the games for free instead of paying extra rights fees.
This is precisely why I like our new TV deal. ESPN is the 500 lb gorilla, and we are now partners with them. I thoroughly expect us to get some good exposure from it.
I really feel sorry for the WAC. They were screwed by the MWC, made do with whatever schools they could, became better than the MWC in many ways since then, and now they are being screwed by ESPN. It's very unfair.
Fresno State, before this year, and Boise State have easily been two of the top non-BCS schools over the last decade. Those two and Hawaii have carried the WAC and deserve much better treatment than this from ESPN.
It's amazing how ESPN forgot how San Jose State and Boise State moved a game to 9 AM two years ago just to please them. The attendance was a disaster and could've landed San Jose State on probation with the NCAA.
ESPN needs to realize college football isn't just a TV show. You can't ask a school to move a Saturday game to Friday at the last minute and get mad when they say no. ESPN doesn't care about fans who attend the games.
Lolly Popp Wrote:I really feel sorry for the WAC. They were screwed by the MWC, made do with whatever schools they could, became better than the MWC in many ways since then, and now they are being screwed by ESPN. It's very unfair.
Fresno State, before this year, and Boise State have easily been two of the top non-BCS schools over the last decade. Those two and Hawaii have carried the WAC and deserve much better treatment than this from ESPN.
It's amazing how ESPN forgot how San Jose State and Boise State moved a game to 9 AM two years ago just to please them. The attendance was a disaster and could've landed San Jose State on probation with the NCAA.
ESPN needs to realize college football isn't just a TV show. You can't ask a school to move a Saturday game to Friday at the last minute and get mad when they say no. ESPN doesn't care about fans who attend the games.
AMEN
Lolly Popp Wrote:I really feel sorry for the WAC. They were screwed by the MWC, made do with whatever schools they could, became better than the MWC in many ways since then, and now they are being screwed by ESPN. It's very unfair.
Fresno State, before this year, and Boise State have easily been two of the top non-BCS schools over the last decade. Those two and Hawaii have carried the WAC and deserve much better treatment than this from ESPN.
It's amazing how ESPN forgot how San Jose State and Boise State moved a game to 9 AM two years ago just to please them. The attendance was a disaster and could've landed San Jose State on probation with the NCAA.
ESPN needs to realize college football isn't just a TV show. You can't ask a school to move a Saturday game to Friday at the last minute and get mad when they say no. ESPN doesn't care about fans who attend the games.
While I have to agree with shannon about our tv deal with espn, I hate this crap that they are pulling with the WAC. That league has some great fans and espn is giving them the business. It is sad. If I were an official with the WAC, I would be trying to strike a deal with VS for my next tv contract. The Wac deserves better treatment than this crap. ESPN seems to get a kick out of stepping on the little guys. I haven't forgotten what they did to the BE when the traitors left.
cuseroc Wrote:Lolly Popp Wrote:I really feel sorry for the WAC. They were screwed by the MWC, made do with whatever schools they could, became better than the MWC in many ways since then, and now they are being screwed by ESPN. It's very unfair.
Fresno State, before this year, and Boise State have easily been two of the top non-BCS schools over the last decade. Those two and Hawaii have carried the WAC and deserve much better treatment than this from ESPN.
It's amazing how ESPN forgot how San Jose State and Boise State moved a game to 9 AM two years ago just to please them. The attendance was a disaster and could've landed San Jose State on probation with the NCAA.
ESPN needs to realize college football isn't just a TV show. You can't ask a school to move a Saturday game to Friday at the last minute and get mad when they say no. ESPN doesn't care about fans who attend the games.
While I have to agree with shannon about our tv deal with espn, I hate this crap that they are pulling with the WAC. That league has some great fans and espn is giving them the business. It is sad. If I were an official with the WAC, I would be trying to strike a deal with VS for my next tv contract. The Wac deserves better treatment than this crap. ESPN seems to get a kick out of stepping on the little guys. I haven't forgotten what they did to the BE when the traitors left.
:iagree: I think it is great that the WAC and Boise are standing their ground.
panite Wrote:cuseroc Wrote:Lolly Popp Wrote:I really feel sorry for the WAC. They were screwed by the MWC, made do with whatever schools they could, became better than the MWC in many ways since then, and now they are being screwed by ESPN. It's very unfair.
Fresno State, before this year, and Boise State have easily been two of the top non-BCS schools over the last decade. Those two and Hawaii have carried the WAC and deserve much better treatment than this from ESPN.
It's amazing how ESPN forgot how San Jose State and Boise State moved a game to 9 AM two years ago just to please them. The attendance was a disaster and could've landed San Jose State on probation with the NCAA.
ESPN needs to realize college football isn't just a TV show. You can't ask a school to move a Saturday game to Friday at the last minute and get mad when they say no. ESPN doesn't care about fans who attend the games.
While I have to agree with shannon about our tv deal with espn, I hate this crap that they are pulling with the WAC. That league has some great fans and espn is giving them the business. It is sad. If I were an official with the WAC, I would be trying to strike a deal with VS for my next tv contract. The Wac deserves better treatment than this crap. ESPN seems to get a kick out of stepping on the little guys. I haven't forgotten what they did to the BE when the traitors left.
:iagree: I think it is great that the WAC and Boise are standing their ground.
ESPN is doing them wrong--you know these type of things can back fire on you--can you say CSTV? VS?
I wanted to let the "facts" stay in the first post before offering any opinion on this. ESPN pulled a bush league move and no conference should turn their backs on these guys. I struggle that ESPN would actually pull a game that would involve a team that will likely make a BCS bowl if they win out.
The only thing I can think of is that maybe ESPN is looking at shedding a few conferences and this is their way of saying "Take a look somewhere else".
ESPN pulled a similar stunt with the MAC a few weeks ago. W. Michigan and Central Michigan agreed before the season to move their game to Friday 11/10 with the promise of this game on ESPN Classic or ESPNU. A few days ago, ESPN said "Sorry, we'll give you ESPN360 instead" as ESPNU now has a men's basketball conflict (who knows what the ESPN Classic conflict was, maybe the 1993 WS of Poker). The MAC told them, no thanks, opting for local TV in Michigan.
But don't you think that if ESPN was going to pull this, they would have stayed on a Saturday for the game?
The most ridiculous thing about that is that game will likely decide the MAC West division. They're huge rivals and may be the best two teams in the MAC. That game has appeal even to non-MAC fans. Instead, ESPN is going to show a completely meaningless UAB-UTEP game.
I said it on the MAC board: They should try to get on Versus. Versus has ten times as many subscribers as ESPNU and could air MAC games on Saturday afternoons.
zibby Wrote:The most ridiculous thing about that is that game will likely decide the MAC West division. They're huge rivals and may be the best two teams in the MAC. That game has appeal even to non-MAC fans. Instead, ESPN is going to show a completely meaningless UAB-UTEP game.
I said it on the MAC board: They should try to get on Versus. Versus has ten times as many subscribers as ESPNU and could air MAC games on Saturday afternoons.
The MAC and ESPN recently extended their deal to 2010. So that deal isn't going anywhere.
TexanMark Wrote:panite Wrote:cuseroc Wrote:Lolly Popp Wrote:I really feel sorry for the WAC. They were screwed by the MWC, made do with whatever schools they could, became better than the MWC in many ways since then, and now they are being screwed by ESPN. It's very unfair.
Fresno State, before this year, and Boise State have easily been two of the top non-BCS schools over the last decade. Those two and Hawaii have carried the WAC and deserve much better treatment than this from ESPN.
It's amazing how ESPN forgot how San Jose State and Boise State moved a game to 9 AM two years ago just to please them. The attendance was a disaster and could've landed San Jose State on probation with the NCAA.
ESPN needs to realize college football isn't just a TV show. You can't ask a school to move a Saturday game to Friday at the last minute and get mad when they say no. ESPN doesn't care about fans who attend the games.
While I have to agree with shannon about our tv deal with espn, I hate this crap that they are pulling with the WAC. That league has some great fans and espn is giving them the business. It is sad. If I were an official with the WAC, I would be trying to strike a deal with VS for my next tv contract. The Wac deserves better treatment than this crap. ESPN seems to get a kick out of stepping on the little guys. I haven't forgotten what they did to the BE when the traitors left.
:iagree: I think it is great that the WAC and Boise are standing their ground.
ESPN is doing them wrong--you know these type of things can back fire on you--can you say CSTV? VS?
After watching the MWC fiasco for the past 5 months I'd fire the commissioner of my league if he even made contact with CSTV or VS.
zibby Wrote:I said it on the MAC board: They should try to get on Versus. Versus has ten times as many subscribers as ESPNU and could air MAC games on Saturday afternoons.
I'd really like to see some more college football games on Versus and for that station to become more visible. Unfortunately, no conferences have their rights available in the near future. Right now, the next conference whose cable rights are available will be the Sunbelt after 2007 and they are the worst conference to have. They really would offer little to Versus in adding their marketability.
The only thing I think might occur -- though I doubt it would -- would be for the Big Ten to sell a few of it's games to Comcast/Versus in return for guaranteeing carriage of the Big Ten Network (similar to the deal that CSTV/MWC had with Versus for mtn.). The Big Ten still retains the rights for it's non-ABC/ESPN games for 2007 and beyond.
I wonder if this new situation might lead the WAC to want to break it's contract with ESPN.
L-yes Wrote:After watching the MWC fiasco for the past 5 months I'd fire the commissioner of my league if he even made contact with CSTV or VS.
The fiasco was in starting a new network and not being able to get effective carriage deals. The mtn. has been an abject failure as far as I can tell.
I don't think there is anything intrinsically wrong with the games on CSTV or Versus, though I don't know about there penetration in the Rocky Mountain area.
SideshowBob Wrote:I don't think there is anything intrinsically wrong with the games on CSTV or Versus, though I don't know about there penetration in the Rocky Mountain area.
Let's just say they're "coming up short" where it counts. It's certainly not deep enough to satisfy.
L-yes Wrote:After watching the MWC fiasco for the past 5 months I'd fire the commissioner of my league if he even made contact with CSTV or VS.
Our fiasco has been the mess that has become the mtn. The problem has been that Comcast & CSTV have been trying to make the mtn. a national network. It just isn't going to happen. The original plan was for it to be a "super regional" network (a channel that covers the mountain, southwest, Texas, and California regions). That was very reasonable. Asking for that would have easily gotten it on the satellites by now. Further, the mtn. was supposed to host our lowest games (equivalent of your ESPN+ games). Instead, someone up top thinks people in New York care about a UNLV-SDSU football game. So they're pushing for national coverage. It just isn't working.
But, our exposure on CSTV, and moreso on Versus, has been great. These are supposed to be our ESPN, ESPN2 equivalents. They've done their job for the most part (other than CSTV's lack of promotion and decision to add more CUSA games when they moved some of our games to Versus).
The bottom line is that ESPN looks at the non BCS conferences as filler only. While many of our lower games deserve that treatment, games like this Boise/SJSU game or this weekends UH/SMU game or a BYU/TCU game deserve better. But ESPN is too busy showing Indiana and Illinois football games to care that there is quality football worthy of Saturday broadcast that is not in the Big Ten.