SEC Football To ESPN in 2023

[FreddyE1977]

I wonder how long before UConn football does back to the minor leagues. They will be lucky to air on ESPN3.

UConn is returning to the Big East (well, the "new" Big East anyway) and leaving the AAC in order to provide a better schedule
for their basketball team.

Problem with that is that the current Big East does not have any members who play DI FCS football.
The UConn football program will have to schedule as an independent. There are only 2 other reasons you would
ever schedule as an independent.

1) Your program is strong and you don't want to share any of your TV money with a conference (i.e. Notre Dame)
2) Your program struggles and you can't remain competitive in a conference (i.e. Army)

It appears that the taxpayers of Connecticut really got taken for a ride on Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

 

[Don CT]

UConn is returning to the Big East (well, the "new" Big East anyway) and leaving the AAC in order to provide a better schedule
for their basketball team.

Problem with that is that the current Big East does not have any members who play DI FCS football.
The UConn football program will have to schedule as an independent. There are only 2 other reasons you would
ever schedule as an independent.

1) Your program is strong and you don't want to share any of your TV money with a conference (i.e. Notre Dame)
2) Your program struggles and you can't remain competitive in a conference (i.e. Army)

It appears that the taxpayers of Connecticut really got taken for a ride on Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

The Rent does sit empty most of the year. They really should have built a multi use stadium.

The Big East needed UConn just as much as UConn needed the Big East.

 

[CTListener]

The Rent does sit empty most of the year. They really should have built a multi use stadium.

How about the 15,000-capacity Connecticut Tennis Center stadium in New Haven? For years, it was used 7 days a year, when the ATP or WTA (or both) tennis tour would come to town. That ended in 2018. Now New Haven is a stop on the minor league ATP Challenger tour, but the stadium is too expensive to use for that -- all matches are played on the Grandstand or side courts -- so now the big, beautiful stadium is used for exactly zero days a year!

 

[Don CT]

How about the 15,000-capacity Connecticut Tennis Center stadium in New Haven? For years, it was used 7 days a year, when the ATP or WTA (or both) tennis tour would come to town. That ended in 2018. Now New Haven is a stop on the minor league ATP Challenger tour, but the stadium is too expensive to use for that -- all matches are played on the Grandstand or side courts -- so now the big, beautiful stadium is used for exactly zero days a year!

Even when it was used it was never full once the lost the mens tournament.

 

[Megatron]

Maybe CBS could get The Big10 football rights which are up in 2022 and get part of a package for football since they air Big10 basketball. Take it away from ESPN Fox sports has 1st picks of Big10 games in football and own Big1o Network why everyone needed a conf network. I call The Longhorn Network the big ego network which is only in Texas & Big12 country more an RSN than a national network.

 

[TheBigA]

Maybe CBS could get The Big10 football rights which are up in 2022

All of these college conferences are regional. Sure the SEC is a perennial powerhouse, but it's all in small southern states. Alabama and LSU have national draws, and maybe Florida and Auburn, but the big cities in the north and west don't care except at the end of the season. In addition, CBS has never been a net that runs college football on Saturday night. That's ABC and Fox. So my view is it's not a big loss. They might start college basketball earlier than usual now.

 

[CTListener]

All of these college conferences are regional. Sure the SEC is a perennial powerhouse, but it's all in small southern states.

Florida and Texas notwithstanding, but the SEC has only one of each of those big states' major schools -- U. of Florida and Texas A&M. The SEC has the U. of Missouri, too, but that's fairly recent, and I'm not sure if people in that state watch the other SEC schools regularly or continue to watch the Big 12, the school's old home.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm not sure if people in that state watch the other SEC schools regularly or continue to watch the Big 12, the school's old home.

I'm starting to see comparisons to baseball, where its harder to make $300 million work on a national broadcast network.

ESPN has that big checkbook, and as we can see during bowl season, this is where they cash in, not as much on the weekly games.

 

[Don CT]

I'm starting to see comparisons to baseball, where its harder to make $300 million work on a national broadcast network.

ESPN has that big checkbook, and as we can see during bowl season, this is where they cash in, not as much on the weekly games.

Other than the big 4 bowls, everything else is just garbage time. Who beyond the diehards are watching the Kohler Toilet Bowl, featuring South Mississippi State Community College and University of Phenix.

 

[TheBigA]

Other than the big 4 bowls, everything else is just garbage time. Who beyond the diehards are watching the Kohler Toilet Bowl, featuring South Mississippi State Community College and University of Phenix.

The key thing is they're all sponsored, so those bowls pay for the rest of the season.

 

[CTListener]

The key thing is they're all sponsored, so those bowls pay for the rest of the season.

And there are plenty of big schools with big followings in those other bowls. A community college and an online school? Far from it. Besides, the games represent a sport that's a lot more popular than pro basketball and hockey in many parts of the country, and people will tune in just to watch a good, competitive game.

 

[Don CT]

And there are plenty of big schools with big followings in those other bowls. A community college and an online school? Far from it. Besides, the games represent a sport that's a lot more popular than pro basketball and hockey in many parts of the country, and people will tune in just to watch a good, competitive game.

A lot of those games are not good or competitive. The standards are so low that subpar teams are getting bowls.

 

[TheBigA]

The standards are so low that subpar teams are getting bowls.

That may be, but on any given day, even great teams lose. The matchups can be exciting, and the real point is to MAKE MONEY.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

A lot of those games are not good or competitive. The standards are so low that subpar teams are getting bowls.

will ESPN's falling numbers eliminate some of the lower tier bowls that have to to give away tickets?

 

[TheBigA]

will ESPN's falling numbers eliminate some of the lower tier bowls that have to to give away tickets?

Not aware the ESPN gets any revenue from tickets. Bowls give away tickets to certain alumni and sponsors. There are also giveaways in host cities.

Even low level bowls get more viewers than talk shows. They also cost more, but it's usually easier to sell events than regular programming.

If the spot price is dropping because of declining views, the way to fix that is add more spots.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

ESPN cares a little bit about ticket revenue because they are the operator of around 20 minor bowl games, such as the Gasparilla Bowl and the Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl, under its ESPN Events division.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Not aware the ESPN gets any revenue from tickets. Bowls give away tickets to certain alumni and sponsors. There are also giveaways in host cities.

Even low level bowls get more viewers than talk shows. They also cost more, but it's usually easier to sell events than regular programming.

the lower level bowls that don't even have SEC teams playing get good numbers in Birmingham

 

[KeithE4]

ESPN cares a little bit about ticket revenue because they are the operator of around 20 minor bowl games, such as the Gasparilla Bowl and the Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl, under its ESPN Events division.

ESPN Events owns or controls 13 FBS/Division 1A bowl games, with two more coming next year. It also has the FCS/Division 1AA Celebration Bowl.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN_Events

 

[TheBigA]

Thought it was interesting to hear Sean McDonough say that the Sugar Bowl, featuring Georgia & Baylor, wasn't sold out.

 

[landtuna]

Thought it was interesting to hear Sean McDonough say that the Sugar Bowl, featuring Georgia & Baylor, wasn't sold out.

I don't know about "interesting" but I tuned out early. Wasn't a competitive game and wasn't in a conference I care about. I'd watch it if it was competitive but wouldn't spend a dime to attend.