While Michigan has not had the best season in the program’s history, it may be having one of the more memorable in recent memory. Still, it is hardly even noticeable to thousands of people because of the horrid TV coverage situation. The 2007 campaign has featured a record-breaking upset at the hands of Appalachian State, but also a great recovery following an 0-2 start, which led many to prematurely press their panic buttons. While #20 Michigan (6-2) may not have a BCS Championship in their eyes, the Wolverines definitely have a chance to make up even more ground in the rankings, with the most notable game remaining on the schedule being the season finale against #1 Ohio State. Still, the majority of Wolverines fans have not only missed out on this turnaround, but will also be unable to witness the upcoming games that will define this season. Can Lloyd Carr inspire his team to rebound from an 0-2 start to finish the season in a respectable bowl game? Better get your newspaper subscriptions paid up and those radios dialed in to find out, because many of you will simply be unable to watch on TV.
Prior to the beginning of the season, the Big Ten Network launched, promising to deliver even more coverage to Big Ten sporting events, giving us unprecedented access. I call shenanigans on this claim, to put it mildly. As a Comcast user, the Big Ten Network is unavailable to me under any package, as Comcast is standing up to the conference (as they should), refusing to make BTN a standard channel that everyone must have, as well as pay for. For once, I take the side of Comcast. Big Ten Network is the type of channel you would expect to find in an optional sports package, not your basic channels 1-100 cable service. While we may no longer subscribe to DirecTV, and do not subscribe to digital cable, there is no excuse for such lack of coverage, especially for such a large-market team. Of Michigan’s 12 game schedule, four of those games have already been played with the sole coverage of the Big Ten Network. This monopoly channel is simply an unfair business practice — it is not available to thousands of football-hungry, Michigan-deprived fans, in any capacity at all. Not to mention those people who do not have cable at all, and rely on free, over-the-air broadcasts. In the past, games had always been on network channels such as ABC, NBC, or Fox as an ESPN+ coverage, with an occasional matchup on a more commonly availabe cable channel such as ESPN or ESPN2. Now, Michigan has essentially removed itself from the mainstream media. With an upcoming pivotal game against Minnesota, the network honchos decided the game should be broadcast on ESPN Classic (yes, that ESPN Classic — you know, the one where they show NBA games from the 60’s and NFL Highlight Films from Super Bowl XIV); once again, a cable channel I no longer receive. While we used to receive ESPN Classic as Comcast channel 28, it has since been removed from the lineup without explanation, with empty static now filling its place. This means that half of Michigan’s games have been unavailable to the common fan, which is simply ridiculous.
The BTN and the cable industry are slowly ruining college football by taking away their product from the viewers. While there may be plenty of satellite and digital cable viewers for the ESPN Classic game, because of the government-created monopoly that is cable television, there is simply no way for many of us to follow the Michigan Wolverines. The Big Ten Conference had absolutely no right to try and force Comcast to add its brand new channel to its lineup — you cannot push weight around or make high demands if you are the new kid on the block. While it may technically own the TV broadcast rights to its own product, it is making a poor decision for the game of football, and possibly for its overall business model. I will admit to being unaware of revenue taken in by the Big Ten from TV coverage both in the past, and under this new power-hungry regime of a business model, but it simply is not in the conference’s best interest to deprive its fans of so much football. Michigan’s season has become a total footnote to people’s weekends here in Comcast country — there is an unprecedented lack of buzz since the BTN entered the picture. Aside from the embarrassing week one Appalachian State trash talk from Michigan State fans, there has been little mention of the team in maize and blue amidst the hallways of the school and in groups of conversation at parties. And why should there be? After all, at least half of the games for this campaign will go unseen, and that is more than enough to take Michigan football completely out of mind. On the Saturdays when I am not working for a change, Michigan football simply fails to come to mind until the end of the day, when college football highlights fill the airwaves across a dozen or more channels. Remember the NHL lockout? That league still has yet to recover — how many times have I remembered the Red Wings were playing before the puck dropped since the lockout? Not very many. While the new NHL is more entertaining to me than ever, I fail to watch any hockey unless I stumble across it while bored and channel surfing, two things that rarely happen in my busy schedule this year.
Try asking me about the Wolverines — chances are I have no clue as to the answer for your question. As for the Big Ten Network, I have nothing but bad things to say for the channel that never should have been, and never will be. The business model is simply corrupted, the approach is completely wrong, and football popularity itself is suffering as a result. Interest is declining right along with availability of the games, something that seems like a highly predictable outcome to a true fan. Sayonara college football — you had a great run in the state of Michigan before turning arrogance and greed into a ill-conceived demonic TV channel. It looks like NCAA football has taken a backseat to… (gasp!)… the Detroit Lions and the National Football League for the first time in years.
Update: I fixed the rankings, and apologize for their inaccuracies, don’t ask me where I got them from, but it was somewhere that turned up on Google. It also seems that WXYZ, the ABC affiliate in Detroit will pick up the ESPN Classic feed for those of us unfortunate enough not to be blessed with more TV channels than we know what to do with.
12 Comments
October 25, 2007 at 10:15 pm
While I respect the views of the author, I believe they are simply misplaced. The Big Ten Network is widely available to those who want it (essentially, only four cable providers refuse to carry it). If Michigan games are that important, switch to a provider that carries them, rather than complain about it. If your neighborhood store didn’t carry your favorite brand of milk, you would go to a store that had it.
For those of us who have chosen to receive the Big Ten Network, especially those of us out-of-market, the Big Ten Network is like Christmas to a kid, showing all of the games in HD without having to subscribe to expensive ESPN GamePlan, not to mention getting to watch classic games and extensive highlights and analysis without having to sort through tons of crap on ESPN.
The bottom line is that if you want the Big Ten Network, do something to get it rather than writing about not having it.
October 26, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I would have to agree with Anonymous, stop complanning, not all of us want to see Michigan every weekend. There are other schools in the conference that are just as good. Also please get your rankings straight, Minnesota (1 and 7) isn’t even ranked and Ohio State is #1. Don’t over look MSU. The Big Ten Network has done a great job in giving you more options than just UM. If you want to see the game I’m sure you could get tickets since UM plays the majority of their games at home.
October 26, 2007 at 10:57 pm
While I do see the point, yes I could obtain access to BTN if I chose a new provider, it is not a matter of desire, but finances. Would I ever choose Comcast over DirecTV? No way! But as it stands, with a very common TV lineup, I am unable to see half of Michigan’s season, though ABC Channel 7 (WXYZ) has apparently picked up the ESPN Classic feed, enabling the masses to see Michigan play this Saturday — just the way it should be. In addition, those stuck with cable have no choice as to availability. Cable is a government-created monopoly, I have no choice when it comes to Comcast. Perhaps coverage on the Big Ten Network should be in addition to local coverage? This would allow all fans in the team’s home turf to watch the game while providing access to those with BTN across the country. This model is used in most other sports packages. When an NBA game is on NBA League Pass, it is still available to the local channels, and blacked out for locals watching on the national league pass channels, while providing access to those across the country who would otherwise be unable to watch the game.
I also apologize for the incorrect rankings. Fatigue and perhaps an inaccurate web source can account for that.
October 29, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Also notice the venom coming from ESPN’s talking heads and internet columnists with regard to the Big Ten.
They are punishing the conference for entering into this partnership with Fox.
As we all know, what ESPN says about a team/conference is like gospel to those who vote in the polls, and sets the agenda for every idiot with a microphone in local sports radio as well…so now, a 7-2 Big Ten team remains unranked while several three-loss SEC teams are still firmly in the Top 25…
This anti-Big Ten smear campaign is another reason Michigan-Minnesota was on ESPN Classic, instead of ABC/ESPN. The contract allows ESPN to opt-out of a certain number of ABC Big Ten games each season. So they exercised their opt-out clause — not because there’s not enough interest in the game, but simply to punish the Big Ten by putting it on a garbage channel that nobody watches.
Also notice how BTN (Fox) is slotting most of the games at noon. This is to get them all out of the way to minimize competition with Fox Sports Net’s afternoon Pac-10 and Big 12 games.
The Big Ten has screwed its member schools by subjecting them to this. It’s about much, much more than just access to the telecasts.
October 29, 2007 at 1:37 pm
The biggest reason Michigan-Minnesota was on ESPN Classic is that Comcast in Detroit just dropped ESPN Classic.
That’s a classic ESPN tactic, no pun intended.
It’s the same reason N.C. State, UNC, and Duke games are so often carried by ESPNU. Because Time Warner cable in Raleigh-Durham won’t pay for ESPNU.
October 29, 2007 at 6:50 pm
I am so tired of the whining by people who “supposedly” cant watch Big Ten football. Chris says, “yes I could obtain access to BTN if I chose a new provider, it is not a matter of desire, but finances.”
Finances? Satellite subscriptions are no more costly than cable. I remain convinced that cable TV broadcasts subliminal messages to brainwash their customers.
I fired my cable provider and have never regretted it.
October 29, 2007 at 7:13 pm
While full cable subscriptions may cost the same or close to those of satellite or other options, nobody should be required to have cable to watch large market hometown teams play. We have the extremely basic cable package, it’s only $10 per month. The over-the-air antenna gets just about all of the same channels for free, and the major networks in high def (also for free) if you have a tuner. The Detroit area is not doing well economically, there are plenty of people who have had to cut back on luxuries that many others take for granted, such as cable.
November 7, 2007 at 9:15 am
WOW is coming Friday to install. Goodby Comcast.
November 24, 2007 at 2:09 am
greed killed college football
November 26, 2007 at 10:47 am
[...] How Big Cable and the Big Ten Network Ruined College Football [...]
November 30, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Frankly, the Big Ten is screwing people, not comcast.
I’m a Big Ten fan and also a Comcast Customer. Last year, I had plenty to watch and was happy with the coverage. This year, I am not. What has changed? The Big Ten has come up with a new way to watch sports – The Big Ten Network.
There is no debating the last paragraph. Las year, no network, this year BTN. So, it is up to the BTN to make what they want to sell work. I absolutely agree with comcast that the BTN should come at no cost to the people who don’t want it. Having Comcast carry it at no extra charge is like telling the BTN that they should not charge Comcast for carrying it.
It is up to the BTN to come up with a solution that works since the BTN is looking to change the status quo. If you can’t come up with a package that Comcast is happy with, then you should not have a package. Go back to what existed before the BTN. Fans were happy then, and I’m sure they’ll be happy again.
The problem is, the BTN won’t be happy because it is hoping to bring in millions more for the schools. Frankly, they earn plenty off of the unpaid athletes as it is. Try worrying about the fans and the students for once Big Ten. If they were truly your number one priority, then we would not be having these discusions.
January 26, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Comcast, please do not let BTN have their way. The old way of broadcasting sports worked well and it should prevail. If BTN has it’s way I will be compelled to STOP WATCHING sports.
Regards,
Tom Wilkinson