Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 109
Friday, February 21, 2003
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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ESPN not helping league's
football image
©2003 Bonesville.net
When Conference USA inked a deal with ESPN to televise its football
games, it was thought the pact would springboard the up-and-coming league
out of mediocrity.
Entering the third year of the arrangement, the TV suits have instead
packaged and presented the league in a fashion that accentuates a
'mid-major' impression.
Generally speaking, television enhances college football's appeal by
showcasing a school's campus and traditions during intense conference
rivalries. Sell-out crowds and warm Saturday afternoons provide the perfect
backdrop to a sport known for its pageantry.
Lately, that hasn't been the case for C-USA, with its work-day contests
serving as little more than dress rehearsals for ESPN's high-profile weekend
matchups.
It is abundantly clear that ESPN was not motivated to pursue the
television rights to C-USA football by a need to add a roster of
non-BCS-blessed football programs to its stout lineup of offerings. Rather,
it was the perfect opportunity to use the adolescent league as a guinea pig,
testing the network's new concept of round-the-clock football.
Advantage ESPN.
Since C-USA made the jump from Fox SportsNet, crowds have dwindled and
the league's status has langished. Thought as recently as the 2000 season to
be priming itself for a major BCS push, C-USA's marquee programs —
Louisville, Southern Miss, and East Carolina — have experienced a
significant slip that eerily parallels the timing of the drying of the ink
on the new TV pact.
Was it a deal with the Devil?
That's one way to view it.
C-USA has definitely played itself into more living rooms, with ESPN and
ESPN2 both standards on basic cable packages, while in some areas,
subscribers must pay for upgrades to receive the Fox family of sports
channels.
So what's the problem?
Well, for starters, unless a conference school schedules a high-profile
BCS opponent, it can forget about snatching one of the prime Saturday time
slots, which by rule are reserved for the Power Six conferences.
About the only time you'll see two C-USA foes knocking heads with each
other is during the work week, going head-to-head with the new fall lineup
of mainstream programming. Outside of of die-hard college football
enthusiasts or those with intimate ties to the featured schools, it's hard
to imagine a large volume of viewers flipping over to the Deuce on a
Wednesday night to watch Texas Christian and Southern Miss.
Not if they can catch an all-new episode of Law and Order.
And for those who must have a mid-week football fix, they're likely to
view a sparsely-filled stadium and jump to the conclusion that the TCU's and
Southern Misses of the world are run-of-the-mill programs with little fan
support, a misconception that could, in the long run, damage recruiting.
The truth is, both the Frogs and Golden Eagles draw well when their home
dates fall on college football's traditional day, a tradition C-USA breached
when it signed the contract with the Disney-owned network.
At least with Fox, C-USA was showcased nationally each Saturday at 3:30
and was advertised heavily throughout the week as a can't-miss game. Though
the telecast itself may have been a slight drop-off from an ESPN production,
commentators Joel Meyers and Trevor Matich focused much of their
conversation on the action instead of sidetracking viewers with a telephone
interview with Bobby Bowden or Mack Brown.
With ESPN, C-USA games get sub-par commentary from relative unknowns
whose preparation often leaves something to desired. Bet you didn't know
that East Carolina once had a quarterback named David Juhrard.
Some conspiracy theorists might have suspected from the very beginning
that the deal was a blindsided shot by the BCS leagues aimed at slowing
C-USA's climb. Though I've never been a proponent of the ESPN arrangement,
such suspicions never appeared on my radar when the deal was struck.
But now I'm not so sure.
ESPN is owned by Disney, which owns ABC. ABC, in case you don't remember,
owns the BCS.
Starting to make the connection?
I am.
Academically speaking
Academic performance (Or should I say the lack thereof?) has been
in the media of late.
According to published reports, North Carolina and North Carolina State
are having trouble graduating their football players. East Carolina isn't.
During a six-year period, only 48% of freshman football players who
entered Carolina in 1996 received a degree. At State, that statistic is even
lower at 42%.
In comparison, ECU was recently honored as one of the nation's Top 25
schools for graduating its players at over 70%.
The knee-jerk reaction by many 'Pack and Heels fans is that their alma
mater — providing they actually attended one of the two schools — has a more
strenuous curriculum which makes earning a degree much more difficult.
Not so fast.
Consider what has happened at the three schools since '96:
The Tar Heels are on their third coaching staff during that period, while
the Pack is under its second regime. John Bunting and Chuck Amato probably
weren't overly motivated to cater to the academic needs of players they did
not recruit and had not previously coached.
East Carolina, on the other hand, has benefited from stability not only
within its coaching staff, but also within its support system.
Assistant Athletics Director for Student Development Darrell Bryant and
Academic Coordinator Nita Boyce have been mainstays in the program and have
often been credited for the Pirates' strides in the classroom.
Their hard work and dedication has certainly paid off.
Spring thoughts
John Thompson made a few friends when he announced Spring Practice will
be open to the public.
But was that really necessary?
From the outset, Thompson has charged himself with rejuvenating the fan
base, a task, which so far, the new Pirates coach has passed with flying
colors. PR is obviously one of his strong suits, and he demonstrated it
admirably at his inaugural press conference and the recent Signing Day
party.
Though opening Spring drills to the fans is another good PR move for
Pirates football, the negatives could far outweigh the positives.
Spring ball was designed to work on fundamentals and install new wrinkles
into the system. For East Carolina, it will be an especially critical time
as the Pirates will have to digest an entirely new philosophy, while
learning new terminology on both sides of the ball.
The last thing Thompson and his staff need is the potential, albeit
unintended, distractions curious onlookers could present. Face it, Pirates
fans are a fun, rowdy bunch.
That goes without mentioning the possibility that rivals down the road
could send functionaries to monitor the Pirates' day-to-day activities. And
they wouldn't have to sneak peaks from the Ward Building, either.
Restoring the Spring Game and the Purple-n-Gold Pigskin Pig-out Party
should have been enough to tide fans over until preseason drills begin in
August.
As for practice, it should remain closed to the public and, for that
matter, the media, too.
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02/23/2007 01:51:59 AM
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