We’re 14 days before the start of the Ivy football season
and we still have not seen any news release from the league about the coming
season’s TV coverage.
That would be bad enough, but it’s clear that at least some
people, (like the folks at Yale), DO know the details but still the general
public does not.
This is really odd behavior for a league that is battling
dwindling fan interest and support, don’t you think?
The lack of communication and adequate promotion for Ivy
football is a sad joke, and it stretches from announcing TV deals all the way
to the flat out stupid ban on postseason play.
It’s all part of a not-so-hidden plan by the Ivy presidents
to keep downgrading the sport, making it less and less interesting to sports
fans, so they can eventually claim that there is no fan interest in the sport
they’ve labored to make a lot less interesting.
If I were a TV executive, (oh wait, I am!), I would really
laugh in the face of the people representing Ivy sports to me in a negotiation
for a coverage package. It’s so obvious that THEY don’t care, so why would I
care and dedicate my network’s resources to what they’re selling?
Oh, we’ll get some kind of TV schedule/package announcement
in a few days with a lot of hyperbolic phrases mixed in. But the truth is the
league doesn’t give a damn about the fans, cares less than that about the athletes, and
does a bad job keeping that hidden from public view.
3 comments:
Interesting parallel, Jake, to politicians who keep lying that nobody gives a damn about ethics, morality or legality anymore so WE--the politicians, not Joe Schmo--can do any disgraceful thing we want to and to hell with what you think.
I have some recollection of the history of ivy league football telecasts. There was coverage on public broadcasting in the 70's and 80's that may have been on the east coast only. ESPN had a few games here and there but I can't recall if it was a regular thing.
Is the public or general football fan that interested in ivy league or any FCS football as anything more than a novelty? ESPN does not cover FCS regularly, just key games.
I would question if the viewing numbers are there to warrant the effort to televise the games. In this market, streaming coverage seems adequate. Haven't tried it yet through the ivy league network but was planning to do it soon. I hope it is better than the bootleg channels I am used to using.
Interesting question here
I can't comprehend anyone except Ivy League alums/students interested in Football (and that's a relatively small number) or prospective opponents looking to scout (even smaller number) having interest in these games. Or maybe a football junkie with nothing else to watch.
On the other hand, I imagine any other league doing backward flips to get coverage, so the apparent disinterest by our own league is curious.
I, personally, would love to be able to view CU away games on TV. And home game availability for remote alums would be terrific. Streaming on the net just may be the way to go.
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