Well, sometimes even hardened Columbia fans like me can get our feelings hurt.
And that's how I feel now that the official televised Ivy football schedule for NBC Sports Network has been released.
ALL the Ivy teams are getting at least one of their games televised in 2012... except Columbia.
012 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Schedule subject to change; all times ET
Schedule subject to change; all times ET
Date
|
Game, Time
|
Network
|
Saturday, Sept. 22
|
Yale at Cornell, 1 pm
|
NBC Sports Network
|
Saturday, Sept. 22
|
Harvard at Brown, 4:30 pm
|
NBC Sports Network
|
Saturday, Sept. 29
|
Penn at Dartmouth, Noon
|
NBC Sports Network
|
Saturday, Oct. 13
|
Brown at Princeton, Noon
|
NBC Sports Network
|
Saturday, Oct. 13
|
Bucknell at Harvard, 3:30 pm
|
CBS Sports Network
|
Saturday, Oct. 20
|
Penn at Yale, Noon
|
NBC Sports Network
|
Saturday, Nov. 10
|
Harvard at Penn, Noon
|
NBC Sports Network
|
Saturday, Nov. 17
|
Yale at Harvard, Noon
|
NBC Sports Network
|
It's possible the Lions will get one game on national TV if the "Yale on Yes" package is renewed and the Lion-Eli game makes the cut again.
Still, this is a very big embarrassment for Columbia football no matter how you spin it.
For example, on October 13th, the network is going to cover BUCKNELL vs. Harvard instead of Columbia at Penn!
But just like the last place prediction we got in Lindy's magazine this week, we can't really expect any respect from anyone until the Lions start winning.
I don't entirely hate the underdog role... I remember that in 1981 ABC decided to break 11 years of traditionally putting the Jets and Giants on at least ONE Monday Night Football game just because New York is the #1 market. But after yet another lousy season for both NY teams in 1980, MNF gave the Jets and the Giants the cold shoulder.
The result?
Both the Giants and the Jets made the playoffs for the first time in many years.
So maybe this snub by NBC Sports is good Karma in a way.
Yes... I am grasping at straws.
But seriously...
Columbia really has been shamed by this NBC Sports schedule. I realize the team is not winning for decades, but that's not the point. This is supposed to be a LEAGUE-WIDE deal and for only ONE team to be excluded makes a mockery of the arrangement from Columbia's point of view.
Director Dianne Murphy needs to insist that Columbia is not bound by the exclusivity rules of the deal in seasons when it is completely shut out of coverage. I suggest Columbia go to SNY or another cable network and work hard to get just one game on the air from home.
Not making that attempt or not at least making some kind of PUBLIC protest of this NBC shutout is a real dereliction of duty by Murphy right now.
We await some action.
11 comments:
Problem with this is that it can be used against us in recruiting.
Disgraceful. This should be a motivator.
The Columbia Athletic Department really dropped the ball on this one. No excuse for this happening. Whoever was supposed to protect the Lions' interest was asleep at the wheel.
Media relations is not a Columbia Athletic Department strength.
I am guessing this will only add fuel to the fire for Coach M. as it should. This really stinks, hope the team can ignore it, and have a strong "comeback season".
... having all the other 7 Ivy's on TV (some 3-4 times) may impact recruiting a year from now ... our record this year will have more of an impact ....
I can not believe that we got totally hosed !!! How can the Ivy League media people who negotiated justify Priceton getting air time and lowing us off ???
We have the smallest fan base and the weakest historical record in the Ivies, by far. In the SEC, does Kentucky get on TV as much as Auburn? We have a strong coach who will turn things around. When he does, we'll get on TV.
Blame this on Dianne. Flood her with letters. She has to go over this fiasco. Bucknell makes it and we don't.
Blaming this snub on Dianne ( AD Dr. Murphy to you, buster.)is like blaming the wall street implosion of 2008 on Obama.
Wake up fellow rooters, we need to win, win and win. Although I will agree that including Bucknell over CU Penn is very much a slap at us. Please note how many Harvard games are on TV!
Maybe Obama was not responsible for the "wall street implosion of 2008," but his "Go Bears" comment at the end of the ceremony honoring the New York Giants yesterday was in very poor taste. President Obama has a very real hang-up with anything New York.
The Harvard Bucknell game is on CBS sports network not NBC.
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