OT (sorta):Is there a sports TV bubble?

[UCObluejay]

Is there a sports tv bubble? If so, when will it burst? How could this affect college sports?

The Pac 12 media "negotiations" are, lets be honest non-existent. ESPN has laid off so many people over the years. Cord cutting continues. Streaming is about to be (as a whole) more expensive than cable is/was and it is more difficult to switch from one game to another (on different platforms) than it is to flip channels. The CW has gotten in the game with LIV, the ACC, and NASCAR's second division but all of that production will be from the leagues (LIV, NASCAR) or middlemen (Raycom). Not to mention Bally's RSNs bankruptcy, which I think is a canary in the coal mine.

Streaming is kind of a good thing for levels that don't typically get the same kind of TV coverage that they would get linearly. I don't think it is smart to put an NFL wildcard game solely on Peacock. ESPN even simulcasts their game with ABC because ratings were down for that one-time cable exclusive WC game they had. How much longer will the escalator of booming rights deals last? When will NBC/CBS decide to not pay top dollar to show Purdue-Illinois at 7 pm?

[tsull]

I live in the west and I'm a big pac- 10, 12, 8 whatever it is this week fan, and honestly we just don't have the football culture out here in the west. People think we do but sports mad University of Oregon has a stadium that only holds 59,000 at its capacity. That's a bad spring game for Ohio State.

I do think there is a breaking point and I think all of this conference jumping is going to come back and bite people despite the bigger paychecks. Frankly no one in Los Angeles wants to watch a UCLA-Rutgers matchup, and no one on the east coast wants to watch a Maryland-USC game. They actually think people are watching these games because they're in big media markets. I know a few people in Los Angeles, they not only don't attend USC and UCLA football games, they don't watch them either.

I'm as big as sports fan as a lot of people out there and I used to be a sportswriter, but now I live in an area where I'm 10 miles away from a park that has 20 huge waterfalls, numerous hiking trails and I'm an hour from the ocean. On a nice fall Saturday I want to go to these places. Often I just don't want to sit there for 4 hours and watch football, even my favorite team. I realize this is kind of a West Coast mentality, so be it. If people in the Midwest and South want to sit there and watch football on TV more power to them. But the Pac-12 is dreaming if they think they're going to cash in on TV, especially with the loss of USC. UCLA? They haven't been relevant in football in the conference in 40 years.

[GoldenRam94]

Yeah, I think the bubble has already burst. About 10 years ago I cut the cord. Saved a ton of money, but I saw the cost savings start to dry up, and with the proliferation of streaming I am still saving money, but I have vowed that I will not buy another streaming platform.

The entire product is cannibalizing itself, and it is not sustainable.

Frankly after COVID, and being locked in without sports those first few months, I learned that I do not need sports as much as I thought I did.

I dropped NFL Sunday Ticket. Just not worth it to waste a nice Sunday Afternoon watching a game or games. Same thing on Saturdays. I may choose one game to watch if the weather is crappy, but I am doing other things on the weekend and it is not revolving around sports.

I also am finding that attending a game no longer is enjoyable. Case in Point, went to Camden Yards two weeks ago for a Dodgers Orioles game. The line to get a beer was interminably long. The stadium which used to be the best there is was not clean, bathrooms were disgusting. Upper Deck at Camden Yards was empty. How can two first place teams not draw people?

We are witnessing the end.

[tsull]

Yeah, I think the bubble has already burst. About 10 years ago I cut the cord. Saved a ton of money, but I saw the cost savings start to dry up, and with the proliferation of streaming I am still saving money, but I have vowed that I will not buy another streaming platform.

The entire product is cannibalizing itself, and it is not sustainable.

Frankly after COVID, and being locked in without sports those first few months, I learned that I do not need sports as much as I thought I did.

I dropped NFL Sunday Ticket. Just not worth it to waste a nice Sunday Afternoon watching a game or games. Same thing on Saturdays. I may choose one game to watch if the weather is crappy, but I am doing other things on the weekend and it is not revolving around sports.

I also am finding that attending a game no longer is enjoyable. Case in Point, went to Camden Yards two weeks ago for a Dodgers Orioles game. The line to get a beer was interminably long. The stadium which used to be the best there is was not clean, bathrooms were disgusting. Upper Deck at Camden Yards was empty. How can two first place teams not draw people?

We are witnessing the end.

Agree and sports needs a reboot. Whenever I go to a college game, small or major, I get inundated with loud, rap music. Yeah, perhaps it's a get-off-my-lawn moment, but then I look around the stands and no one is enjoying it. If a school has a good marching band and they start up, people start getting into it. My friends tell me the rap is for the players. Really? Fans don't matter.

I attended a game at a D2 Christian school. In warm-ups they were playing not only rap, but crude rap. The fan base was mostly 70 years and older. Me being the pot-stirrer that I am sent an e-mail to the then-A.D., telling him there are better options than crap music and that I liked their small basketball band. He calls me and his first question was, "Now who are you?" Wonderful. I told him I'm a fan who works a mile away from your campus. Thankfully he was gone after a year. Their fan base has stayed the same, old and older, no growth, nothing new.

Same crap at my alma mater, Western Oregon, which played piped in music all through the spring game, yeah, when they were playing. I left, again I was told it was for the players. We're trying to be cool while looking stupid. Again, scanning the people in the crowd, mostly older people.

Sports over-charges for everything, D2 and major college. They're losing fans in droves and A.D.'s are doing nothing. Yeah, in the Midwest and South you can open the gates and 50K plus will show up for a spring game. Most schools aren't like that, yet everyone thinks they're Alabama.

I was looking at MLB games on TV, came upon a Detroit Tigers game. No one was there on a Saturday afternoon. I checked the standings, the Tigers aren't bad, not great either, but I'd guess 10K there and they probably reported 30K. Eventually the fans will leave, not all but many.

Stunned an Orioles-Dodgers game was half-empty. Yes, we are witnessing the end.

[Mandan]

In the pre-Internet days, sports might have been one of the few interesting things on. So people watched things they maybe weren't deeply interested in because they had no choice. I remember watching some of Wimbledon for a couple summers because nothing else looked good. In Current days, you can go online and watch almost anything you want instead. So you get more selective ( I know I have) and many watch their favorite teams but that is it. Bringing up the example above. Purdue-Illinois. Teenage me probably would have watched at least part of it, as it might have been the only game on. 50 year old me wouldn't watch that unless it was football and the outcome affected if Nebraska (my favorite FBS team) gets into the Big 10 Championship game.

Now having said all that, this fall might get interesting with the writer's and actor's strikes shutting down production of new shows and movies. I could see myself going back to watching more NCAA basketball and NBA than I have recently if there is more spare time from no new shows to watch.

[UCObluejay]

Agree and sports needs a reboot. Whenever I go to a college game, small or major, I get inundated with loud, rap music. Yeah, perhaps it's a get-off-my-lawn moment, but then I look around the stands and no one is enjoying it. If a school has a good marching band and they start up, people start getting into it. My friends tell me the rap is for the players. Really? Fans don't matter.

I attended a game at a D2 Christian school. In warm-ups they were playing not only rap, but crude rap. The fan base was mostly 70 years and older. Me being the pot-stirrer that I am sent an e-mail to the then-A.D., telling him there are better options than crap music and that I liked their small basketball band. He calls me and his first question was, "Now who are you?" Wonderful. I told him I'm a fan who works a mile away from your campus. Thankfully he was gone after a year. Their fan base has stayed the same, old and older, no growth, nothing new.

Same crap at my alma mater, Western Oregon, which played piped in music all through the spring game, yeah, when they were playing. I left, again I was told it was for the players. We're trying to be cool while looking stupid. Again, scanning the people in the crowd, mostly older people.

Sports over-charges for everything, D2 and major college. They're losing fans in droves and A.D.'s are doing nothing. Yeah, in the Midwest and South you can open the gates and 50K plus will show up for a spring game. Most schools aren't like that, yet everyone thinks they're Alabama.

I was looking at MLB games on TV, came upon a Detroit Tigers game. No one was there on a Saturday afternoon. I checked the standings, the Tigers aren't bad, not great either, but I'd guess 10K there and they probably reported 30K. Eventually the fans will leave, not all but many.

Stunned an Orioles-Dodgers game was half-empty. Yes, we are witnessing the end.

You said, "mostly older people" were in attendance. That is where D2 comes into play. What are these colleges doing/not doing to get more student body/recent alumni involvement?

[Sec10-A-14]

Shut down campus internet during home games :)
Also agree that the rap crap music about drugs, murder, gangsta and
slap'n yo mama from yokahama just iratates the elder crowd most of
whom just want to spend some time enjoying their youthful games.

[tsull]

Shut down campus internet during home games :)
Also agree that the rap crap music about drugs, murder, gangsta and
slap'n yo mama from yokahama just iratates the elder crowd most of
whom just want to spend some time enjoying their youthful games.

Funny :>) I'm laughing at mama from Yokahama.

D2 could actually help itself by being the non-D1 alternative, cheaper tickets, faster games, more fun. First step on improving music is get a freaking marching band or at least some form of band. If the players don't like it, tell them to transfer, I'm sure someone else will take them in the portal since the D2 portal has about a 15% success rate of guys landing on another team. If the coaches don't like it, tell them to get another job since most D2 coaches don't get D1 jobs without a lot of ladder climbing. Be FAN friendly not always player/coach friendly.

Before Humboldt State cut football (they were averaging 7K a game at home), they had an awesome band. In one of their last games ever they brought their band to Western Oregon. They were very impressive. My alma mater doesn't have a band, not sure why that is happening.

Make the game fan friendly, if they took out the bad rap here's how many fans would care: ZERO.

Don't care if it's a get-off-my-lawn moment, just get rid of it. But I've found over the years most small college A.D.'s don't budge on a lot of things which could make things better.

[zimmy21]

Funny :>) I'm laughing at mama from Yokahama.

D2 could actually help itself by being the non-D1 alternative, cheaper tickets, faster games, more fun. First step on improving music is get a freaking marching band or at least some form of band. If the players don't like it, tell them to transfer, I'm sure someone else will take them in the portal since the D2 portal has about a 15% success rate of guys landing on another team. If the coaches don't like it, tell them to get another job since most D2 coaches don't get D1 jobs without a lot of ladder climbing. Be FAN friendly not always player/coach friendly.

Before Humboldt State cut football (they were averaging 7K a game at home), they had an awesome band. In one of their last games ever they brought their band to Western Oregon. They were very impressive. My alma mater doesn't have a band, not sure why that is happening.

Make the game fan friendly, if they took out the bad rap here's how many fans would care: ZERO.

Don't care if it's a get-off-my-lawn moment, just get rid of it. But I've found over the years most small college A.D.'s don't budge on a lot of things which could make things better.

People aren't stopping coming to games because of Rap....that's ridiculous. Rap has been around since the 70's and has been in small high schools around the country packed to the teeth for decades and nobody has stopped going because of the music.

The only true answers for attendance shortage is Price of tickets/food, and the other available options. D2 will always have the stigma true or not of being less than... We are the little brother that people forget. It's as simple as that.

[SW_Mustang]

IMO, D2 just doesn't have the tradition, history, and reach of our FBS counterparts. Your average college football fan doesn't understand anything below FBS (or even P5) if they are aware it exists at all. In fact, I think Minnesota State might be the only flagship in D2 left (unless we are including Kentucky State and West Virginia State).

People grow up dreaming about attending SEC or Big 10 schools, they don't grow up dreaming about attending NSIC or MIAA schools. Many sports fans attend those schools, but their allegiance is to the bigger brother universities.

There's not anything wrong with that per se, that's just how it's going to be. But it would be nice to see some D2 schools with bigger attendances for atmosphere and fundraising purposes.

[Purple Mav Man]

Funny :>) I'm laughing at mama from Yokahama.

D2 could actually help itself by being the non-D1 alternative, cheaper tickets, faster games, more fun. First step on improving music is get a freaking marching band or at least some form of band. If the players don't like it, tell them to transfer, I'm sure someone else will take them in the portal since the D2 portal has about a 15% success rate of guys landing on another team. If the coaches don't like it, tell them to get another job since most D2 coaches don't get D1 jobs without a lot of ladder climbing. Be FAN friendly not always player/coach friendly.

Before Humboldt State cut football (they were averaging 7K a game at home), they had an awesome band. In one of their last games ever they brought their band to Western Oregon. They were very impressive. My alma mater doesn't have a band, not sure why that is happening.

Make the game fan friendly, if they took out the bad rap here's how many fans would care: ZERO.

Don't care if it's a get-off-my-lawn moment, just get rid of it. But I've found over the years most small college A.D.'s don't budge on a lot of things which could make things better.

You’re describing high school games.

Also, you’ve hit the nail on the head many times but then argue against yourself. That music isn’t for you. Just like the music you liked as a kid wasn’t for your parents. Younger people like what their parents don’t. If you want only an older fan base, then goodbye fan base when they die off in a few years. All over some music?

Much like your advice for the players and coaches if they don’t like NOT playing their own music. You can just not go… why should that only apply one way?

[Redwing]

You’re describing high school games.

Also, you’ve hit the nail on the head many times but then argue against yourself. That music isn’t for you. Just like the music you liked as a kid wasn’t for your parents. Younger people like what their parents don’t. If you want only an older fan base, then goodbye fan base when they die off in a few years. All over some music?

Much like your advice for the players and coaches if they don’t like NOT playing their own music. You can just not go… why should that only apply one way?

Really? They don't like it eh? So the most popular songs we here at Lubbers are ones the boomers grew up with... Living on a Prayer, Thunderstruck, Sweet Caroline, Don't stop believing, etc. Yes there are some Drake and rap, but the student section seems to embrace those old tunes quite firmly.

[Brandon]

IMO, D2 just doesn't have the tradition, history, and reach of our FBS counterparts. Your average college football fan doesn't understand anything below FBS (or even P5) if they are aware it exists at all. In fact, I think Minnesota State might be the only flagship in D2 left (unless we are including Kentucky State and West Virginia State).

Some have greater histories than most D1 schools. The reach/size is the issue.

I agree with you about the perception of a majority of fans. A football program is either Power 5 or it's not.

[Brandon]

Living on a Prayer, Thunderstruck, Sweet Caroline,

Gen X
Gen X
There you go.

[Redwing]

Gen X
Gen X
There you go.

As a boomer, I resemble that.. LOL.

Still, those are clearly not recent tunes. (I'll throw in Enter Sandman too.) And when played, Lubber's fan get pretty active. And, IMO, I don't know of a RECENT rap song that gets that reaction. "Lose yourself" is played too, but I don't consider that recent. In fact, I recall hearing that tune at the Freezing Rain/Ice GV V NW play off game. GRRRRR