Media Matters
9 comments so far
May 27, 2008 by
On this site, I have written often that a return to dominance (even respectability) starts first with a return to relevance. Die hard fans like the ones who read this site may crave Husker football year round and follow the team with passion during the season. But, around the country, NU has ground to make up with fans and with the all important pollsters. A team’s media profile matters quite a bit more than any of us would care to admit. So, I wasn't too enthused by the news coming out of ABC sport and ESPN this week.
No Early "Love" From the Worldwide Leader
It appears NU has a bit of an uphill climb when it comes to national prominence in 2008. ABC and ESPN released their early rundown of Big 12 games they plan to televise. Guess what? The Huskers just have one game listed thus far, the Colorado game the day after Thanksgiving.
At first I was a bit surprised or miffed that NU's game against Virginia Tech didn't get more attention at this point. But then, I thought like a broadcaster. The last time ABC gave NU the "prime time" treatment, they laid an absolute egg against USC. (Remember? Oh...the horror. Look away, kids.) Blowouts like that one make casual viewers leave in droves and cause broadcast executives to think twice before booking flights to Lincoln.
Sure there is still plenty of opportunity for Nebraska to get on regional and cable television this year. And, these things are fluid. So if the Huskers get hot, they may even find a way to draw a nationally televised game. But, the increased number of media outlets can be a mixed blessing.
A Changing Marketplace
Many of us are old enough to remember a world where ESPN didn't rule the sports landscape. It used to be that there were not all that many televised games to choose from (wow, I sound old). But today, there are literally dozens of college football games to choose from each week. And, with pay-per-view packages, almost no game is off limits. That is both a blessing and a curse for a team trying to get a renewed foothold in the public psyche.
It helps that there are more cameras pointed at the game, no doubt about it. If you are a big boy (Ohio State, Texas) you can be assured of your game being on television somewhere. That's great. And it is good for the little guy, too. Programs like Rutgers and South Florida have risen to prominence lately in front of pretty darn big cable audience on Thursday nights.
But, for traditionalists or those wanting the stage all to themselves...forget about it. Look at the Thanksgiving weekend schedule for just the Big 12. The day after Turkey Day used to be reserved for Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, or more recently Nebraska vs. Colorado. That's not the case any more. The Big 12 is looking at a very full slate of games that weekend.
Attention is the scarcest commodity of the 21st century. So, if you want your team (in this case, the Huskers) to get much attention, they had better be good, and bring a quality product to the field every week. There is always something else to point the camera at.
On the upside, the Huskers and Bo Pelini were relevant enough to merit mention in the "blitz" column in the college football page of the most recent issue of ESPN the Magazine. It's a shame the item was not terribly accurate, and that they referred to Phillip Dillard as an offensive lineman. But, accuracy is beside the point. At this point, I'd settle for some more attention.
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cvldfg May 27 08
I see this more and more as the years go by. Like you said, TV schedules are more fluid now a days, because they can more easily televise games. Every stadium is set up now to be ready to be televised with only a minimal time for setting up. If you look around at the other teams in the country, 99% don't have a full slate either for their TV schedules.
When we, as if I played, win our first 3 games leading up to vt, there will be plenty of media attention and it will be a nationally televised game. Also, because it is still pre-conference time, there won't be that many big games that day.
If we are able to win that game, the mizzu game will probably be considered a big game and will garner a lot of national attention.
Then we'll probably have a lull until the ou game. That game will be national if NU is undefeated or maybe even only 1 loss.
Then, depending on the state of ku and ksu, 1 of those 2 should be of national concern.
Then, we end with cu. That's 5 times NU could come into play for national recognition.
It also may be a blessing for NU if we could fly under the radar for a while and not have to deal with the huge media blitz for some time. But, we have to remember who our coach is, and I have every bit of confidence in him to have the players ready for BIG moments. He has been apart of sooooo many BIG games, that I don't think it will be a problem.
Husker Mike May 27 08
After I commented over at CornNation on this, I found out that ESPN/ABC only announced plans for the first couple of weeks of the season. Everything else falls into their traditional 12 day window...so the lack of commitment from ABC/ESPN doesn't mean much at this point. The one exception is the Oklahoma/Texas game, but I figured that they decided they might as well lock that one up.
I still think that Nebraska/Virginia Tech will end up on ABC... and likely in prime time, though I'll have to check the composite schedule to see what the alternative matchups are.
darren May 27 08
Like I said, it's fluid. I don't doubt that VT/NU will be on TV. Though, I strongly doubt it gets an ABC national prime time audience, Mike.
But, for right now, the uber suits at ABC-ESPN-Disney took a look at NU/VT and said "no thanks" for now. That choice has a lot more to do with NU's side of things than the current ACC Champion Hokies.
Pelini's marching orders are pretty clear.
ze bop May 27 08
Not sure what the point of the article is since it's no mystery that you have to have a prominent team to get on the big stage.
But it is clear that last year's debacle dealt a decisive blow to Big Red's national rep since, before last year, games like NE vs VT, Mizzou, OU woulda been a lock for ABC/ESPN coverage.
Whatever. I'm not worried. I agree with the guys above that BO will get us back in the mix in a short time.
NE should get a few conference games covered on FCS--say vs KU, KSU, TTech,etc, one or more of those--and we might show up on ESPNU or VS or something like that. Actually it wouldnt surprise me if the W MI isnt covered by someone since that should be a very interesting game, ala MI/APPY ST last year(though NE will obviously not be in the same position MI was last year in terms of rankings).
Thing is, there are just alot more teams deserving of media attention these days(was that said above?). NE probably is not on the same level as OSU, Mizzou, KU, or TTech at this point--for media consideration, that is; more in the rhelm of CU, KSU, ATM right now.
All the Huskers have to do is win and it will take care of itself, it always does. And besides, who wants alotta undeserved media coverage?
brad May 27 08
This is why I was scratching my head when Husker fans were having a meltdown when Pelini chose to go back and coach for LSU in the national title game rather than coming here right away during a dead period in recruiting.
Attention like that is a huge opportunity and a blessing.
doombob May 27 08
What we need is the kind of exposure that political candidates get. Someone in the program needs to say something really stupid and get a whole bunch of people mad. That way it will make all those HuskerH8ters say how right they were all along. No news is bad news. Make headlines one way or another!
Alex May 27 08
I agree that the Huskers have some work to do to get back in the national spotlight, however, I think Darren places too much emphasis on the ABC/ESPN list. At this point, the majority of the Big XII games with guaranteed TV slots are on special nights (i.e. Wed/Thu/Fri) when there is no competition from other games and thus cannot be compared alongside NU games on Sat. In short, that KSU v. Louisville (Wed, Sept 17) or CU v. WV (Thu, Sept 18) are currently slated for ESPN and NU v. VT (Sat, Sept 27) is not owes to the dates of the games and NOT to the teams playing in them.
Greg Morrow May 27 08
Just be proficient, baby. Oh, and win too! That's all, just win and look good doing it. The name is still marketable, still a well established brand. It just doesn't have national relevance at the moment and that's well deserved. But, it's still far from off the radar.
There are teams in this same division who crave attention, for their team. Only a genuine "breakout" season, will give them that. That's still exactly what Nebraska has to do, too. If you think about it, Nebraska has to become a BCS bowl contender again. Then, come bowl time, Nebraska gets the bid over an equally deserving team, in division or conference, just like the old days. THAT'S because of the fans, who obviously travel well. Those whose opinions matter the most, the Bowl representatives, know that very well. You think what happened to Missouri after the Big XII title game would have happened to Nebraska in identical circumstances? Maybe, but it just hasn't happened before. The opposite is whats always happened.
So, if Nebraska demonstrates sustainable improvement, solidly a top 25 team again, then it'll get upgraded to loftly "contender" status and get plenty of air time.
But until then....
ze bop May 29 08
yeah, mizzou got a raw deal in last year's bowl mix......YAY!!